Brockville residents can help shape the future of local policing by attending an online town hall on July 15, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. The Brockville Police Service is collecting community input for a new strategic plan that will guide the force from 2027 to 2030.
The session takes place over Microsoft Teams and marks the start of public consultation. Under Ontario’s Community Safety and Policing Act, police boards must talk to the community when creating these plans. The current strategy expired at the end of 2025, and the service has been working with Queen’s University Business School to develop the next one.
The town hall arrives as the police face a tough year. Officers handled more than 19,000 calls in 2025, with mental health and drug-related cases making up a large share. Chief Mark Noonan has called the current climate an “explosion of civil disorder” driven by more violence, easy drug access, and a deep mental health and addictions crisis.
Budget pressures add to the strain. The service projects a $551,883 deficit for 2026, largely due to overtime costs. A recent triple homicide investigation and a strike by workers at three local mental health agencies have pushed call volumes even higher. The strike, which began May 25, 2026, involves about 300 unionized staff at Lanark Leeds and Grenville Addictions and Mental Health, Children’s Mental Health of Leeds and Grenville, and the Brockville and Area Community Living Association. The gap in services has sent roughly 500 extra calls to police compared to the same time last year.
To respond to the rising mental health demands, the service launched a Mobile Crisis Response Team, supported by $240,000 in provincial funding received in October 2025. The team pairs officers with trained crisis workers. Chief Noonan has noted that about 80 percent of calls now have a mental health or addictions component.
The outdated police headquarters is another topic that may surface during the town hall. A facility needs assessment has found the current building seriously inadequate. How to fund a new one could be part of the strategic plan discussion.
The online town hall provides a direct way for residents to tell police what matters most to them as the service sets its course for the next several years.
