There are a number of factors that have impacted upon policing costs in various jurisdictions across the country. As I've identified, part of it has been the more complex nature of crime and the scope of issues that are having to be dealt with across the country. Whether we talk about cybercrime or terrorism and national security issues, all of those kinds of things are playing out in our communities as well. Obviously, this situation is putting some pressures on policing.
Legislative changes are putting pressures on policing, legislative changes that happen at both the federal and the provincial levels. Many of these are often necessary, but we recognize that those changes will have an impact on policing as well.
We feel that all these things need to work into the roles, responsibilities, and resources discussion that we talk about.
Certainly, in some jurisdictions there has been talk. This is admittedly a provincial issue, and so I don't want to delve into it significantly here, but obviously the arbitration process in some provincial jurisdictions has been a factor as well. But I don't believe that is the main focus. I think we need to really look at what the resources are that are in place. Our study back in 2008 indicated that municipalities have had thrust upon them about $500 million in policing costs over a period of time, and so we need to start having a meaningful discussion about how to better tackle those issues.