Sarnia's mayor says he won't be re-opening the 2026 municipal budget, despite receiving an official legal notice from a law firm representing the city's police service board.
In November, Mike Bradley used strong mayor powers to axe funding for a new police headquarters from the draft budget.
In January, an amendment to allocate $5 million through borrowing also failed, as it didn't meet the necessary six votes to override the mayor's decision.
The legal notice from Hudson Sinclair LLP, dated February 9, 2026, was shared with Sarnia News Today by City/County Councillor Bill Dennis.
It said "under section 50 of the Community Safety and Policing Act (the "CSPA"), a police board must submit its operating and capital estimates to the municipality, which is then responsible for establishing the police service board's overall budget."
"While municipalities are not required to adopt the board’s estimates as submitted, they cannot approve or reject specific line items within the estimates. Municipalities are also required to provide police service boards with sufficient funding to comply with the CSPA and its regulations, and to pay the board’s operating expenses, excluding remuneration for board members. In short, the CSPA provides a complete code for how police budgets are to be established and for how any disputes are to be resolved," the letter from Partner Alex Sinclair added.
Sinclair said the head of council does have the ability to veto an amendment to the budget passed by council, however the Solicitor General and the Minister of Municipal Affairs for Ontario have said this power does not apply to the budget increase for police service boards.
The letter concluded by saying Bradley's decision to veto council's amendment to the municipal budget is inconsistent and irreconcilable with this clear direction from the Government of Ontario.
The board is requesting the restoration of the $5 million passed by the majority of council and required by the service to comply with the CSPA and related regulations.
Mayor Bradley said he's sticking to his decision, noting he received expert advice before using his veto powers.
"The public was very clear, they did not want us moving forward on a new police station in this community in an era of affordability and trying to keep taxes down," said Bradley. "I was not overruled by council. Six members of council stood by position which is we cannot afford to do this this year when there are people struggling out there in the community."
Bradley said trying to add $5 million to the budget would come with a tax increase of between four and five per cent.
"There's a much greater issue here," he said. "If mayors and councils cannot control police budgets that are probably, in most cases, 30 to 40 per cent of the money they raise in the community we lose absolute control and give the power to the police boards. They're unaccountable, they're not very democratic and they're not open in their public business."
Bradley said local policing costs have risen by between 40 and 45 per cent.
"I have no difficulty with new officers, and no difficulty with strategic spending. I do have difficulty with an administration that has become so bloated. There are many not from this community and some questionable hires. That needs to be looked into beyond them asking for this $5 million."
Bradley concluded by saying we're in a time of economic distress, and now isn't the time for the police board to be fighting against cuts.
Overall, Sarnia's $196.4 million operating budget reflects a 4.21 per cent increase in tax-supported operating expenses.
Taxpayers can expect to see a 3.95 per cent increase on the city portion of their property tax bill inside the transit levy area, representing a $42 increase per $100,000 of residential assessment.
