York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe defends $30M price on East Gwillimbury training centre

YorkRegion.com
Aug. 14, 2014
Jeremy Grimaldi

York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe rejects claims  the $30-million price tag on the force’s new training facility could have been lowered.

The East Gwillimbury building, slated for completion in 2016 replete with a $10-million shooting range, was unanimously passed by regional councillors at the end of May, after the force first brought up a need for a one-stop-shop training venue in 2003.

Since he was asked to by councillors 11 years ago, the chief says he’s been looking for project partners, including three neighbouring police services, the federal government, educational institutions and other local emergency services.

“I have been personally engaged in this process for 11 years,” he said. “We invited them all.”

However critics say no new facilities should be given a green light until partners are found, citing the fact that all GTA police forces, excluding Halton, already have shiny new multi-million dollar training facilities.

When contacted, Halton police said it would be building a training facility in the next three to five years and Peel said its new $30-million driver-training facility, includes fire and EMS as partners.

Those are similar to the partners that could have been more forcefully reconsidered in York Region, according to Newmarket Councillor Maddie Di Muccio.

She says Central York firefighters are seeking new accommodation, while training in a former public works building.

The space is good, but the building is old and the future of the facility is uncertain, Central York fire Dep. Chief Paul Leslie said, adding the department is hoping for a long-term training facility.

Despite her concerns, the chief said he requested a partnership with fire departments two years ago, but there was very little appetite, even though fire hopes to spend some $10 million on a new fire station and training facility in the future, according to Dep. Chief Leslie.

EMS also decided to go it alone when asked to join forces on one site, he said.

Despite the lack of willingness to partner on projects, Di Muccio insisted the “old way” of doing business, one in which all public departments require their own facilities, is no longer an option.

She insisted regional councillors voting for these projects are not doing an adequate job of holding public bodies to account.

“I am angry that York Region is going on another spending spree,” she said. “These extra expenditures only add to taxpayer stress. I am in support of the police and public safety, but we need a new focus on restraining spending. This doesn’t reflect on police or public service, it reflects on politicians who aren’t thinking outside the box and not thinking about partnerships.”

Di Muccio added councillors have supported this project while also moving forward with a $212-million York Region administration building that she doesn’t agree with.

Her comments were echoed by regional councillor Deb Schulte, who said she too was worried about the police budget, about 25 per cent of the region’s budget.

However she said councillors are required to take guidance from the Police Services Board, the force’s budget watchdog, which includes Regional Councillor Virginia Hackson.

“It’s a bit of an arms length situation,” she said. “I am worried about the budget, but quite frankly I am having to look to the PSB (for guidance).”

Regional Councillor Gordon Landon, from Markham, said he believes part of the problem is that York Region fire departments are not regionalized and can’t group decisions on training facilities.

He rejects the assertion it is the job of regional councillors to ensure the police find partners for facilities.

“I believe the fire department should be regionalized, at the moment they can’t pull people out of the municipality for training, as it would leave residents unprotected,” he said.

He too stated that the police board is responsible in budgetary situations like this.

Executive director of the board, Mafalda Avelino, rejected claims that the PSB is not doing an adequate job, saying more than a decade went into searching for partners for a shared facility.

The board is committed to ensuring police services are provided in the most economical manner, she said. A lot of work went into seeking out options for a shared facility, however, in all cases, the needs were different and the budget was not there to support some of the options.

There was no purchase of land for the facility as the land was already owned by the region, she added.

Jolliffe echoed his statements saying the training facility was the last of a number of recent requests, which included new $72-million headquarters in Aurora.

As a result of the project, police would be putting on hold plans to build sub station in Vaughan, he added.

“We retrain so we can provide the best service to the community,” he said.

The new 18-stall shooting range will come complete with modern ventilation systems, on top of classrooms in the 73,000-square-foot venue.

It will replace the current training facility and seven stall shooting range in the basement of the Vaughan station.