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Leamington opting out of OPP pact By Mark Ribble LEAMINGTON — After 10 years of police service provided by the Ontario Provincial Police, Leamington is looking at other options. At the Leamington council meeting on Tuesday, June 9, council voted to terminate the contract they have with the OPP. Having signed a threeyear extension in December 2019, the municipality must give the obligatory one-year notice to terminate. This would cause the current contract to expire on May 26, 2021. The decision in 2010 to switch to the OPP from the previous Leamington Police Service, was a contentious one at the time.
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However, at this time our office is CLOSED to the public until further notice. In the meantime, we can be reached at
sun@southpointsun.ca. We thank you for your understanding.
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Current Leamington Mayor, Hilda MacDonald, was a councillor then, and voted against the change. The OPP took over policing in Leamington in December, 2010. In recent years, it was apparent that current council was not happy with the level of service from the OPP, citing a lack of officers on the streets of Leamington as one of their concerns. Mayor MacDonald reached out to the OPP and voiced her concerns. “We have no issue with the officers on the street in Leamington,” she said. “We’ve simply asked for more, and been told no.” MacDonald’s frustration was clear in her voice as she talked about the level of service provided currently by the OPP. “We have tried to get some accountability,” she said. “Things like how many officers are we paying for.” So far, she says, OPP upper management has not responded to requests for such numbers. The cost of the OPP
currently is $5.4 million for 2020, which makes up 18 per cent of Leamington’s tax levy. When asked about the uptick in petty crime throughout the municipality in recent months, MacDonald doesn’t blame the OPP, but says, in the past, there would have been an increase in police service to nip the problem in the bud. “Leamington Police would have increased their presence in the community whenever necessary to combat crime,” she said. “When the OPP first took over, they were good at that too.” Then around 2014, she says the model seemed to change. M a c D o n ald heard from the community through phone calls and a recent public input survey and says she feels the community wants a change. Now the search begins in earnest for a replacement. Neighbouring police forces that may be interested include Windsor, LaSalle and Chatham-Kent. A Request for Proposal (RFP) will be put out in July to ask for applications to take over policing in Leamington. Mayor MacDonald says that the OPP are welcome to apply, but will need to change their model of service. If they get no response from other police services, they will remain with OPP until they can build a new Leamington police force, which is a large undertaking. “It is a possibility, but not something we can put together in one year,” she said. “It would probably be the most expensive of the options.” McDonald stresses that the decision made last Tuesday was not about dollars. “This is all about service,” she said. “We have a responsibility to the taxpayers to see if we can do better.”
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Sarah May Garcia from the Erie St. Clair LHIN, helps an agri-food worker register to get tested for COVID-19. The testing centre was set up at the Nature Fresh Farms Recreation Centre last week and continues this week, with the hope of testing all agri-food workers in the region. submitted photo
Agri-food testing centre sees low attendance
By Mark Ribble to help facilitate the testing. LEAMINGTON — One week after According to Martin Varela, Chair of the COVID testing site opened at the the MWCP, many of the workers are Nature Fresh Farms Recreational Cen- afraid of the test and have great resertre in Leamington, the collaborative ef- vations about getting tested at the comfort from many medical agencies across plex. the county has counted 704 tests. Varela is hoping that his presence, That’s a far cry from the along with other volunapproximately 8,000 agriteers from MWCP, will “We see these food workers they were ease any fears the workers hoping to test. workers as our may have. They are there The testing will contintranslate and help the neighbours and to ue this week, but organizworkers with registering, community ers say they are hoping for all the while assuring them better numbers. that the testing is necesmembers.” The testing site, set up sary to stomp out COVID — Sarah May in the gym at the comamong the greenhouse inplex, can handle up to 600 dustry. Garcia workers per day, but is avVarela believes that eraging less than 200. the key to saving lives is Leamington’s Highline Mushrooms through constant contact in the workled the way early in the week, being the ers’ own language. Sarah May Garcia, who is the strategy first grower in the area to take advanand integration lead for Erie St. Clair tage of the testing site. Putting their people first, Highline LHIN, is also present at the testing site bused over 100 workers to the complex to help lessen the language barrier. She is working with a program called on Tuesday, June 9 to get tested for COWe Speak, which allows for a video inVID-19. The collaboration, spearheaded by terpretation with a live person, no matErie Shores HealthCare, also includes ter the language. “You can see the sense of relief on Essex Windsor EMS, the Municipality of Leamington, Windsor Regional their faces,” she says. “The anxiety deHospital, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, creases when they see they are talking Windsor Essex Community Health Cen- to a real person on an iPad.” Garcia believes we all need to come tre, Home and Community Care ESC/ Ontario Health West Region, Canadian together to get through this stage of the Mental Health Association Windsor- virus. “We see these workers as our neighEssex and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the bours and community members,” she said. “It’s all about checking in on them Windsor Essex County Health Unit. The Migrant Workers Community because they too are part of the commuProgram (MWCP) has also stepped up nity.”
