Owen Sound Courthouse Security Hours Surge After Provincial Directive, Police Service Reports
OSPS logged 202.75 armed-officer hours at Owen Sound courts in February — up from zero a year earlier — after a 2025 Ministry directive on courthouse security.
Owen Sound Police Service deployed armed officers for 202.75 hours of court security in February 2026, up from zero hours in February 2025, according to figures the service provided to its civilian board in March and submitted to City Council on May 11.
The hours come on top of 1,128 hours worked by Special Constables at the courthouse during the same month — the staff who have traditionally handled court security in Owen Sound.
The change traces to August 2025, when OSPS implemented enhanced security measures at both the Ontario Court of Justice and Superior Court of Justice courthouse on 3rd Avenue East and at the Provincial Offences Act court.
According to the service’s 2025 annual court operations report, the adjustment followed guidance from the Ministry of the Solicitor General “which requested strengthened security protocols across all Ontario court locations.”
OSPS now schedules seven armed officers each week to maintain coverage at both court facilities during all operational court days.
In the same report, Director of Civilian Services Krista Fluney wrote that the enhancements “improved safety but placed significant pressure on police resources and the departmental budget,” and that “maintaining adequate officer presence has contributed to operational re-adjustments across the police service.” The report does not specify which operations have been adjusted, or by how much.
The report records no prisoner escapes or attempted escapes at Owen Sound courts in 2025.
Court volume is rising
The annual report describes both the Ontario Court of Justice and Superior Court of Justice as “exceptionally busy” through 2025. A November 2023 Practice Direction on Jordan-compliant trial scheduling — referring to the Supreme Court of Canada’s 2016 ruling in R. v. Jordan that set constitutional ceilings on trial delay — “significantly increased the number of criminal trials scheduled each week.” Owen Sound courts adopted trial stacking to meet the requirements.
An additional Superior Court Justice was appointed to the Grey-Bruce region in the fall of 2025. The report states that numerous Superior Court matters “some transferred from Walkerton for accessibility and section 11(b) delay-related reasons — were heard in Owen Sound. Many of these were lengthy, in-custody trials, which increased the need for enhanced security staffing.”
Section 11(b) of the Charter guarantees the right to be tried within a reasonable time.
Background: 2024 shortfall approached $370,000
The cost pressures reflected in the March 18 board package are not new. In September 2025, Grey County Council voted to cover a $369,968.14 shortfall in Owen Sound court security and prisoner transportation costs for 2024 — about $120,000 higher than the County had budgeted.
The agreement formalized the County’s role in paying the difference between Owen Sound’s actual costs and the province’s annual grant. Owen Sound hosts the Superior Court and Ontario Court of Justice locations that serve the broader region.
County staff at the time attributed the higher-than-expected costs to more prisoner transports, additional hours for special constables, a return to in-person court appearances, and an increase in violent crime and homicide cases requiring dedicated security.
The new Ministry of the Solicitor General directives took effect on August 11, 2025 — after the period covered by the 2024 shortfall. The measures require a single public entrance at court facilities, screening with wands or metal detectors, and armed officers on site. County staff warned in September that these requirements would push costs higher in 2026 and beyond.
Warden Andrea Matrosovs was directed to write to the Solicitor General and the Attorney General urging the province to fund the new measures. Southgate Councillor Barbara Dobreen also asked that the letter be sent to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, where she said she intended to raise the issue.
The Owen Sound Current has not received notice of a provincial response to the warden’s letter. The March 18 board materials do not reference one.
Costs unclear
Chief Craig Ambrose told the board on March 18 that there was no update on year-end financials, as the city had not yet finalized them. The minutes and reports tabled at the meeting do not specify:
the 2025 court security shortfall figure, which will determine the County’s contribution for that year
the projected annual cost of compliance with the August 2025 directives
whether the province has responded to the warden’s request for funding
which specific operations within OSPS have been adjusted to free up officers for court security duty
In February 2026, OSPS-specific dispatch volume rose 6.2% year-to-date compared with the same period in 2025, according to the Owen Sound Emergency Communications Centre report.
The board did not pass any motion on court security at the March 18 meeting. The 2025 annual court operations report was received for information. The minutes came before Owen Sound city council on May 11, 2026, as part of the consent agenda and were received.
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