Part 2: Vote Breakdown, Youth Funding Debate, & 2025 Policing Trends - 2/19/2026

At the start of the O.P.P. Detachment Board met on Thursday, February 19, 2026, the Board Secretary chaired the room long enough to run the elections.

Nominated Chair: Casey Hill Nominated by Chris Braney and seconded (as stated in the meeting) by Robert. Hill accepted and the vote carried.

Nominated Vice Chair: Chris Braney Nominated by Casey Hill and seconded (as stated in the meeting) by Bill. Braney accepted and the vote carried.

View the entire PEC Council Meeting; or view our recap.

Agenda change and early process items

Once the meeting moved into business, Chris Braney asked to add a new item to the agenda so the Board could discuss the Detachment Commander Local Action Plan later as item 11.5. The Board voted and carried the change, then voted again to adopt the amended agenda.

On the minutes from November 20, 2025, Casey Hill flagged a concern without trying to rewrite anything. Hill wanted it noted that budget information needs to reach the Board earlier so the County is not hearing major OPP cost pressures too late to factor into municipal budgeting. The Board then voted to adopt the minutes.

Bill Roberts added that he planned to bring a notice of motion to Council about that budget timing issue as well.

Presentation: The ROC and the funding request

Shannon Collins, Executive Director, The ROC presented the biggest local story of the morning. Collins described how The ROC supports youth who are dealing with school barriers, justice-system involvement, mental health pressures, and basic needs like food and hygiene. Collins asked the Board for $5,000 to support the ROC’s Keep the Doors Open campaign, explaining it would help cover overhead costs like rent and utilities so programs can keep running.

The questions and comments came from a few angles:

Bill Roberts focused on the details, asking about the upper age range of ROC support and also pointed to how central food is for youth and families. Roberts cited a food insecurity figure he said was 20 percent or more locally and asked how The ROC helps youth bring food home. Collins confirmed youth can take frozen meals home through Food to Share, and said the

ROC also tries to keep a pantry stocked.

Chris Braney spoke from a community-policing and community-building lens. Braney praised the ROC’s growth, pointed to ongoing collaboration, and encouraged Collins to connect with County staff about youth-focused sessions that could encourage young people to run for municipal council. Braney also suggested it might be cleaner to handle the $5,000 request at the next meeting once staff confirm the right budget envelope.

Sarah Latursky, Community Member asked about the ROC’s planned work with Reach Out and “rainbows,” and Collins described a monthly bridging program where the senior rainbow group holds programming at The ROC to help youth get comfortable as they age into the ROC’s age range.

Casey Hill asked a practical question: if the Board contributed money, how would it be spent. Collins said it would go to the Keep the Doors Open campaign, covering operational expenses and supporting about two months of that campaign’s goal.

Then the Board moved into votes:

Voted to receive the ROC presentation: carried. Moved by Bill Roberts, seconded by Sarah Latursky.

Voted to direct staff to explore funding: carried. The motion directed staff to explore providing $5,000 from either the 2026 OPP Detachment Board budget or the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan budget to The ROC for the Keep the Doors Open campaign. Moved by Bill Roberts, seconded by Chris Braney.

Presentation: Ontario Network of Victim Services Providers

Paula Laughlin, Chair, Ontario Network of Victim Services Providers spoke about how victim services partners work alongside police, what happens at crisis scenes, and why consistent funding matters. The Board’s questions pushed the discussion into what this means for a rural place like Prince Edward County.

Bill Roberts asked the most direct practical question: what can boards do beyond appreciating the presentation. Roberts raised three areas he remembered from other sector discussions, financial support access, rural inconsistency, and stigma that can stop survivors from engaging.

Laughlin responded by pointing to the need for a stronger joint voice on provincial funding, and described how volunteer-based models are getting harder to sustain due to the severity of violent crime calls. Laughlin said embedding a worker in rural detachments is one way to improve equitable access.

Chris Braney asked about overlap and confusion between different victim-service organizations and whether the network’s focus was Ontario only. Laughlin said it is Ontario-based, and explained what sets their work apart is being on scene in real time, not only working within court or advisory systems.

Tara Latursky asked whether there was a current provincial budget “ask.” Laughlin said yes, an $18.5 million request tied to a consistent bail notification program so survivors are notified in real time and can put safety steps in place quickly.

Robert asked about whether victim services respond to fire scenes and families displaced by a house fire. Laughlin said yes, describing how victim services can support emotional and psychological needs while coordinating with other partners for the practical supports.

Then the Board voted:

Voted to receive the victim services presentation: carried.Moved by Sarah Latursky, seconded by Robert.

Board member updates: what each person put on the table

In board member updates, Bill Roberts gave “accolades” to the Prince Edward County OPP detachment for participating in a drowning prevention video at the Rossmore boat launch, including a light joke about coaching an officer through his lines.

Casey Hill raised two bigger policy threads.

First, Hill flagged non-fatal strangulation as a serious risk factor in intimate partner violence and referenced a paper he had prepared, noting that strangulation often shows no external injury and can be under-charged or bargained away. Hill offered it to Jeff McKinnon, Detachment Commander, Prince Edward County OPP.

McKinnon responded that dispatch has a checklist that includes strangulation screening and that ambulances are dispatched if it comes to attention. McKinnon said it is also a question in the investigation risk screening and part of procedures reviewed by supervisors, while acknowledging that victims do not always disclose.

Second, Hill raised a Supreme Court of Canada case he said was heard January 20, involving Quebec and the constitutionality of a highway traffic provision similar to Criminal Code mandatory alcohol screening. Hill said it was worth watching and did not expect a decision before June.

The Board voted to receive the verbal updates.

Community Safety and Well-Being Plan update

Hilary provided the staff update tied to the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan.

Hilary shared results from a youth mental health resource fair at PECI that reached 700 youth in grades 7 to 12 and gathered nearly 200 surveys. The feedback highlighted that youth find it hard to talk with adults, and that bullying, harassment, and substance use were prominent challenges. Hilary said this information would be used in 2026 work by the CSWB team and partners, including looking at adult education opportunities.

Hilary also said staff would look at using CSWB funding and County transit to bring rural grade 7 and 8 students to a future event at PECI.

On the plan revision timeline, Hilary said 2026 would include more community engagement so residents “see themselves” in the updated plan, with a goal of endorsement in Q1 2027 so new council members can participate in development and approval.

Hilary also invited board members to a CSWB partner learning and networking day on April 22, including a visit from Melanie Benya, Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Safer Communities, and a presentation involving the Lanark Community Alliance framework. Hill asked for an agenda to be sent to the board secretary for distribution.

The Board voted to receive the CSWB update.

Budget report and how the Board handled it

When the 2026 operational budget report was raised, Casey Hill questioned who prepares it and said he wanted a finance staff person present next time. Hill noted that, from his perspective, the Board had been receiving a single page without a presenter, and he wanted the chance to ask questions directly.

The Board then voted to receive the operating budget statement for the period ending January 2026.

Detachment Commander report and policing issues raised

Casey Hill formally congratulated Jeff McKinnon on his appointment as permanent detachment commander.

McKinnon delivered several updates, then answered board questions.

On complaints and secondary employment, McKinnon said there were five complaints in 2025, most resolved through alternative measures, and one complaint in 2026. McKinnon also noted one member is a reservist and has applied for unpaid leave for a military supervisory role, with a decision pending.

The Board voted to receive that Part 8 complaints and Section 89 secondary activities report.

On the broader detachment report, McKinnon highlighted traffic, crime and community trends, mental health and victim services, and resourcing choices.

McKinnon said motor vehicle collisions dropped by 21 percent, but injury incidents rose by about one-third. McKinnon also said enforcement activity increased by 25 percent, with a large rise in seatbelt and distracted driving charges due to targeted patrols. McKinnon said mischief incidents rose and referenced stop signs that had messages related to Israel and the conflict, which he said he would consider hate crimes. McKinnon also said intimate partner violence occurrences rose to around 328 in 2025 compared to about 200 in 2024.

McKinnon said he was looking at bringing in a second community engagement officer, splitting time between engagement and mental health work connected to the detachment’s impact program.

Questions from board members included:

Chris Braney asked about staffing levels and whether the detachment was still below full capacity. McKinnon said staffing was in good shape, referenced recruits coming in, and described a training model that sends recruits to OPC, then to road work, then back for final training. Braney also said he had not been receiving press releases and asked if those could resume. McKinnon said it sounded like a communications glitch and that he would look into it.

Bill Roberts asked about the Ontario Policing Inspectorate launching a province-wide look at protecting police services against corruption and whether it had implications locally. McKinnon said he had not received communication from the commissioner yet and viewed oversight and audit work as welcomed.

Roberts also raised public confusion about a federal program tied to restricted firearms and asked if the OPP detachment was involved. McKinnon said he was not sure of the current stance and would find out and email an answer, rather than make a statement without full facts.

The Board voted to receive the detachment commander’s report.

What this means for the locals

In Picton and the surrounding area, the biggest immediate local impact is the Board’s direction to staff to explore a $5,000 contribution to The ROC’s Keep the Doors Open campaign. It is not a confirmed grant yet, but it is a concrete step toward potential support for a youth hub that runs programming and basic needs supports out of 299 Main Street.

Across the County, the victim services discussion is a reminder that rural communities often feel the gaps first. The Board did not vote on new local funding in this meeting, but it did put a spotlight on consistent access, staff-based response models, and faster bail notification as real safety issues that can affect survivors anywhere in PEC.

On roads and day-to-day safety, residents should expect continued focus patrols and targeted enforcement, especially around seatbelts and distracted driving. The detachment report also put a marker down on two local concerns that may shape future discussions: the rise in injury collisions despite fewer collisions overall, and the jump in intimate partner violence occurrences in 2025 that the detachment commander said remains a priority.

Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 1:33:28. Due to the length of the meeting, our team was not able to independently review the full recording in its entirety. As a result, we relied on software-generated transcription, automated summarization, and automated recognition of speakers and participants, which may not be entirely accurate. All transcriptions, summaries, and related content are prepared by our team in good faith and on a reasonable best-efforts basis. The content is provided for general informational purposes only and is intended to support public understanding of the topics discussed. While reasonable efforts have been made to present the information accurately, automated processes may result in errors, omissions, or unintended misinterpretations. This article does not constitute an official, certified, or verbatim record of the meeting, and it should not be relied upon as such. Readers are encouraged to consult original source materials, official minutes, or recordings where available for confirmation or clarification. Questions, requests for clarification, or suggested corrections may be submitted to hello@pecconnect.ca for review and consideration.