Questions and Answers II

Do you think that the North Bay Police need a New Headquarters?

I am a definitive 'no' on writing a blank cheque for a multi-million dollar new police build without an exhaustive, fully transparent look at our options first. Our frontline officers absolutely need the proper tools, infrastructure, and safety equipment to protect North Bay—including critical communication fixes and necessary structural repairs. However, jumping straight to a projected $50-million-plus brand-new headquarters at a time when municipal budgets are strained is a failure of fiscal imagination.

Chief Daryl Longworth, the Chief of Police for the North Bay Police Service, has been clear that the current headquarters is an aging, end‑of‑life facility and that the service will outgrow it within the next five to seven years. He has also confirmed that the city has already committed capital funding for immediate, practical retrofits including the $1.2‑million electrical system upgrade to stabilize the building and extend its operational lifespan while long‑term planning for a new headquarters continues.

Furthermore, community safety isn't built inside a massive administrative edifice, it happens on the ground. Initiatives like the recently opened Main Street operational hub prove we can increase police presence and support our officers right in the heart of the community without breaking the taxpayer's back on massive capital builds. Before a single shovel hits the ground for a new station, I will insist on a comprehensive business case that evaluates an integrated emergency services model exploring how Police, Ambulance, and Fire services can share infrastructure under the same combined umbrella.

We must exhaustively evaluate retrofitting our existing footprint or repurposing existing structures before building standalone monuments. Until every avenue of co-location and optimization is mathematically exhausted, we prioritize incremental, smart infrastructure improvements over massive municipal debt.

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