That the Ottawa Police Service Board:
1. Approve the Ottawa Police Service 2026 Draft Operating and Capital Budget at the Board meeting on December 5th, 2025.
2. Direct staff to prepare and execute a multi-year efficiency plan at the Board meeting on December 5th, 2025.
3. Direct staff to prepare a four-year long range financial plan in 2026 for the period of 2027 to 2030 at the Board meeting on December 5th, 2025.
4. Direct staff to report back to the Finance and Audit Committee regularly during development of the four-year long range financial plan for the period of 2027 to 2030 and the efficiency plan, beginning in 2026, and to report on progress thereafter.
5. Approve the delegation of authority to the Chief of Police to execute and administer the 2026 Fleet Replacement Program, up to a maximum of $6.5 million.
6. Approve the delegation of authority to the Chief of Police to execute and administer the 2026 Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW) Program, up to a maximum of $1.8 million.
Carried
Motion moved by Member Henschel.
Digital Policing Modernization Strategy:
WHEREAS at its meeting of September 29, 2025, the Ottawa Police Service Board (the Board) recommended that the Chief establish a Long-Term Financial Sustainability working group to explore mitigation levers, opportunities for continuous improvement, and the development of a multi-year financial sustainability plan for the Ottawa Police Service (OPS); and
WHEREAS police services nationally and internationally are undergoing rapid modernization driven by advances in digital technologies, increasing volumes and complexity of data, and heightened expectations for timely, data-informed decision-making; and
WHEREAS the effective use, governance, and management of data are now essential to achieving successful operational outcomes, ensuring the efficient administration of resources, managing the workforce, and improving service delivery; and
WHEREAS leveraging modern digital tools and analytics can support the identification of efficiencies, and long-term cost savings aligned with the Board’s commitment to financial sustainability; and
WHEREAS the OPS is facing immediate pressures related to digital technology, cybersecurity, and aging systems that are not fully addressed within the current budget; and
WHEREAS modernization of the OPS’s digital infrastructure will also enable more seamless digital interactions between residents and the Service, enhance accountability and transparency, support evidence-based policing, and strengthen long-term operational efficiency;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Board direct the Chief to:
- Develop a comprehensive Digital Policing Modernization Strategy articulating a clear vision and end-state for the OPS to evolve into a modern, digitally-enabled police service capable of maximizing data insights, supporting frontline and investigative work, and improving service to the public. The strategy will address the infrastructure, platforms, data capabilities, workforce requirements, and governance structures necessary to support modern policing.
- Prepare a multi-year implementation roadmap setting out operational, technological, financial, and human-resource requirements over a realistic multi-year horizon, including capital and operating investments, and lifecycle funding needs.
- Identify opportunities for operational efficiencies and long-term savings arising from digital transformation, such as process modernization, automation, data integration, and expanded digital public-facing services.
- Integrate the findings of the Digital Policing Modernization Strategy into the Long-Term Financial Sustainability plan to ensure alignment in multi-year planning.
- Report back to the Board with a needs assessment – identifying immediate and near-term digital modernization requirements, associated pressures, and required investments – in time to inform the development of the 2027 OPS budget process, recognizing that the full Digital Policing Modernization Strategy may continue to be refined beyond this initial assessment.