Owen Sound Police Receive Largest Share of $764,000 in Provincial Grants for Local Police Services
Ontario has announced funding for five community safety projects in Owen Sound, Hanover, Grey Highlands, and West Grey through new police grants.
Four local policing agencies will share more than $764,000 in new provincial funding for community safety projects in Owen Sound, Hanover, Grey Highlands, and West Grey.
The grants come through Ontario’s Community Safety and Policing Grant Program, part of a $91-million provincial investment announced September 25.
The money is aimed at supporting both local and province-wide priorities, from downtown patrols and officer support to mental health outreach and hate crime prevention.
Where the money is going
Owen Sound Police Services Board will receive the largest share of the funding, through two separate grants. About $230,000 will sustain the part-time officer program, which assigns uniformed officers to traffic enforcement, lower-priority calls, and downtown foot patrols.
A second grant of approximately $418,000 will expand the Community-Oriented Response and Enforcement (CORE) program, adding a full-time officer and a part-time analyst. CORE focuses on proactive patrols, addictions, housing insecurity, and other issues often tied to repeat calls for service.
Hanover Police will receive $28,100 to bring on part-time constables. They will handle patrols, warrants, bail hearings, and routine calls, freeing up full-time officers to focus on more complex cases.
In Grey Highlands, the OPP will receive about $32,800 to purchase traffic counters, e-bikes, and surveillance tools. The aim is to improve traffic enforcement, expand patrol options, and strengthen investigative capacity.
West Grey Police will receive about $56,200 to equip officers with secure smartphones for communication, reporting, and GPS access. Part of the funding will also support a new hate crime prevention and education strategy, developed in collaboration with community partners.
The provincial picture
Across Ontario, 127 projects are being funded this year. Eighty-eight are focused on local needs, while 39 address province-wide concerns such as gang activity, human trafficking, sexual violence, hate-motivated crime, addictions, housing, and retail theft.
The office of Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Paul Vickers made the local announcement.