WRPS eyeing 20 new officers, $20M increase for proposed 2026 budget
Posted Oct 16, 2025 06:47:35 AM.
Last Updated Oct 16, 2025 10:32:34 AM.
It’s one of the most impactful times of the year for Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS), releasing a draft of its proposed 2026 budget.
As of now, the requested proposal includes a $20.14 million increase, bringing the total budget for WRPS to $272.6 million.
That equates to an overall operational budget increase of 7.98 per cent, meaning a bump of 6.75 per cent on the policing portion of next year’s property taxes.
“Every leader across the organization has put forward business case recommendations, really with one mission, to keep costs as contained as much as possible, but also reflecting the operational and administrative necessities of the organization,” said WRPS Chief Mark Crowell.
A majority, or more than half, of the increase is slated to go towards back-end core policing expenditures, including contractual and cost-of-living adjustments, as well as premium enhancements and benefit increases.
WRPS stated that a large portion of the remainder is expected to go towards the hiring of 20 new uniformed officers, mainly between its frontline patrol and investigative services.
It comes after a recent report showed Waterloo Region sits well below the provincial average when it comes to the number of officers per 100,000 population, as compared to the other ‘Big 12’ in Ontario.
It showed the region is approximately 12 per cent lower than the Ontario average, sitting in last place among those 12 other cities and municipalities.
“What you’re seeing today will be the start of a new cycle of staffing growth projections, building off of some recent years’ investments to our staffing levels, and also working with our regional and municipal partners to ensure that we are one million ready as this community continues to grow, diversify, and take shape in new forms.”
The province’s ‘Big 12’ consists of Toronto, Windsor, London, Hamilton, Ottawa, Greater Sudbury, Niagara Region, Peel Region, Durham Region, York Region, Halton Region, as well as Waterloo Region.
The proposed increase in hired officers comes after WRPS completed its recent three-year staffing expansion, which saw 55 new uniformed officers brought on between 2023 and 2025.
The remainder of the 2026 budget increase would include expansions and renovations to its Central and South division locations, new policing vehicles and equipment, technical upgrades such as Next Generation 9-1-1, and more.
For the average homeowner, based on an assessed property of $354,500, that budgetary increase would end up adding $57 to next year’s policing portion of their property taxes.
Nothing is officially set in stone, with the proposal still needing to be approved later this fall.
A virtual public input session is still on the way later in the month, currently slated for Oct. 27, where members of the public can voice their thoughts and opinions on the proposed increase.
In order to delegate during the meeting, residents are required to register. That can be done through a submission form to the WRPS Board.
