A large increase to their training budget didn’t exactly balloon the overall budget proposal for the Timmins Police.

Their 2018 proposal comes in at a 1.78 per cent increase from 2017, and with the potential of government dollars headed their way, police officials are happy with what’s headed to council.

Deputy Chief Des Walsh says while much of the budget is tied up in salaries and benefits, things like their training needed additional dollars to help combat a number of different factors.

All in all, that portion of the budget is going from $65,000 to $125,000.

He says the Ministry has proposed an increase to costs associated with delivering training, including the cost for certain classes.

Plus when you factor in how Timmins officers need to travel to Southern Ontario to learn, Walsh says they’re stuck spending money on travel expenses and accommodations.

The biggest unknown is the upcoming legalization of marijuana.

“We don’t really know at this point in time what type of training’s going to be involved for our officers, and that’s what we’re waiting to see,” he says.

“We’re waiting to see what the legislation looks like and we’re waiting to see what, if any, training is going to be provided.”

Other notes from the budget show that the fleet of vehicles is good for another year as well as the

We’ll learn more about the budget when TPS officials present it to city council at a later date.

Filed under: Local News