VicPD's budget stinks
Each year, I write to council telling them they shouldn’t give VicPD more money. Usually I provide background on local police violence and systemic racism, and I suggest the city take the money it’s so willing to spend on police and invest it in things like housing instead.
VicPD takes up nearly a quarter of Victoria and Esquimalt’s budgets, and Victoria and Esquimalt councils vote annually to give them even more money.
VicPD wants $90 million in 2026, a 14% increase. I’ve seen some reporting calling it a 10% increase, but that’s just public relations spin. They’ve decided to pretend 10% of the budget increase, or $7.8 million, is mandatory (it isn’t), and that only the remaining 4% ($3.1 million), including 25 new officers, is a bonus little treat.
10 + 4 = a 14% increase.
If VicPD wins an outstanding appeal with the province, and councillors give them everything they want in 2026, their budget will rise to $91 million. Here’s an annotated table that explains this mess.
If councillors aren’t going through the police budget looking for cuts, they aren’t doing their job. And if they’re not actively working to defund the police to invest in things that keep people safe, they’re actively harming the community.
I encourage anyone who’s opposed to uncontrolled police spending to write to Victoria council (councillors@victoria.ca) or Esquimalt council (council@esquimalt.ca).
Let them know you live there, that you oppose the 2026 police budget, including hiring 25 new officers, and that you expect them to make significant cuts. You can find some more resources here.
Here’s what I wrote to Victoria council this year.
VicPD budget and $6.6 million in specific items to cut
Dear councillors,
I am writing to oppose VicPD’s 2026 draft budget and uncontrolled police spending in Victoria. I oppose the entire proposed increase, but I have also suggested $6.6 million in realistic, specific items to cut. I am hopeful you are all completing a similar review of your own.
I have also included questions I hope you will ask of VicPD that may help identify other items to cut from VicPD’s draft budget, or specific funding totals to cut.
Background
If VicPD is successful in its current funding request, the cost of policing in Victoria will be $750 per capita in 2026, a 45% increase in just five years, compared to $517 in 2021.
VicPD’s budget request represents a 52% increase in total funding over the same time period, $19 million above inflation.
I attend the annual joint police board and council budget presentations, and every year one or more councillors asks some variation of “when will it be enough,” or “will it be a smaller request next year.” The respective answers are “it will never be enough,” and “no, it won’t.”
Successive councils have thrown millions at VicPD every year, but homelessness and poverty, the source of public discomfort, poverty-based crime, and a lack of safety for people who are unhoused, haven’t disappeared. The police board even blames its new budget request on things like “the opioid crisis,” “mental health crises,” and “substance use” (page 4), indicating the city should be investing in and lobbying for safe supply and mental health resources, not police.
Policing is a failed project that has achieved none of its promised results. If city council is interested in public safety, it is past time for the city to move on, and to shift its focus to meaningful supports.
If the city takes the money councils have been willing to spend on police and instead spends it on things like housing or rental subsidies, you will achieve far better results. VicPD’s requested $11 million budget increase alone could cover rent for 449 people in one-bedroom apartments. That’s 25% of all people who are homeless in the CRD, according to the 2025 point-in-time count.
I’ve suggested items to cut from VicPD’s draft budget below, as well as suggested questions to put to VicPD.
1. Ask for a more detailed budget breakdown
VicPD is publishing less detailed budgets than it has in recent years. The 2024 budget included specific line items by division, showing police, exempt, and civilian salaries, as well as overtime, travel, supplies, professional services, and equipment breakdowns.
This year’s budget only provides lump sum totals for entire divisions or sections.
The high-level categories make it harder for council and the public to identify how VicPD plans to spend city money, and potential items to cut from its draft budget.
Suggestion: Ask VicPD to publish a detailed draft budget document, as it has in past years, and let them know it’s an expectation for future years.
2. Rejected financial analyst from 2023 budget ($100,000+, page 49)
Esquimalt council rejected a financial analyst position from VicPD’s 2023 budget. This decision was upheld by the province on appeal as it determined VicPD did not provide “sufficient evidence to support the need.”
VicPD has brought it back in this budget, listed in a footnote on page 49 as a “reclassification.”
The province ruled VicPD could not prove the position was needed. VicPD has made no attempt to do so here, but they are still asking the city to pay for it.
In the 2023 budget, VicPD listed the ongoing cost of the position as $100,000.
Suggestion: Ask VicPD how much its 2026 financial analyst position costs. Reject that amount ($100,000 or more) from the Financial Services expenditures, as it’s the position the province agreed to reject from the 2023 draft budget. It does not matter that it’s a “reclassification,” as VicPD cannot prove the need.
3. Other rejected budget items
Question for VicPD: In addition to the financial analyst, are any of the 2023 budget items rejected by the province on appeal included in this budget, including through a reallocation of funds or by renaming positions? Rejected items from 2023 include:
A records supervisor;
A training specialist;
Office renovations and “greening” the police fleet [update: ‘greening’ the fleet does appear to be in the budget again]; and
Retirement funds that were not required to meet retirement payouts.
4. Reserve funds ($1,450,000+, page 30, 31)
Question for VicPD: What is the current total amount in all of VicPD’s financial reserves? For example, the Financial Stability Reserve, and others? Is that amount appropriate?
Question for VicPD: Is VicPD adding funds to its reserves even when not required, for example, when it’s not required to meet retirement payouts? The province agreed that this could be rejected from the 2023 budget.
Suggestion: After considering VicPD’s total reserve funding across all categories, at a minimum, reject VicPD’s $1,450,000 capital contribution for 2026.
5. Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board ($100,000 on strategic planning and $64,735 on board costs, page 27)
The police board has not demonstrated a need for $100,000 in strategic planning costs.
If you subtract the proposed $100,000 in strategic planning, the police board’s proposed budget will have still increased to $258,940, a 232% increase since 2021 and a 130% increase since 2023.
The police board budget’s explosive growth cannot solely be attributed to having a full complement of appointees.
Cutting the police board’s base budget by 25% would save $64,735.
Question for VicPD: How does it account for the significant growth in police board budget expenditures?
Suggestion: Cut $100,000 in strategic planning costs and $64,735 in police board costs.
6. Logistics coordinator ($133,299, page 49)
The province’s decision on VicPD’s requested 2023 additions to its financial services division found they were not needed to provide adequate and effective policing and that the police board “did not provide sufficient evidence to support the need.”
The new logistics coordinator position can be cut for the same reason.
Suggestion: Ask VicPD to provide the exact dollar figure associated with the logistics coordinator position. Cut the logistics coordinator position to save approximately $133,299.
7. Public affairs staff ($97,263, page 46)
VicPD is proposing a $708,230 budget for its public affairs department.
VicPD’s public affairs budget allows it to dominate media narratives, shape public opinion, and influence budget demands.
VicPD’s 2024 SOFI report notes that one civilian communications position cost VicPD $97,263 in remuneration and expenses.
Suggestion: Ask VicPD how many staff are in its public affairs department. Cut at least one position. If VicPD doesn’t provide costs, cut $97,263 based on 2024 SOFI information.
8. Internally hosted AI system (cost unknown, page 14)
VicPD describes a previously undisclosed “Internal AI Development Project.”
The trend to adopt AI systems comes with real risks.
VicPD did not budget for this work in its 2025 budget and provided no justification for it, but the city has nevertheless paid for it.
It’s unlikely VicPD could prove the need of this new system to the province.
Question for VicPD: How did VicPD develop this AI system; what software is it using; how is it using it; how much did it cost; and what are the ongoing costs?
Suggestion: After VicPD identifies the past and ongoing costs of the program, cut those costs from VicPD’s 2026 budget.
9. Potential use of facial recognition software (existence and cost unknown, page 28)
Several police forces have been caught using facial recognition technology, despite denials and potential privacy risks.
Question for VicPD: Is VicPD using facial recognition technology with videos or photographs in any form, and if so, what technology is it using, and how much does it cost?
Suggestion: If VicPD has been using facial recognition technology without prior approval, cut this funding for the software and require the board to prove its need to the province on appeal if it so chooses.
10. Nine bike and beat unit officers ($1,607,630, page 5)
VicPD is the best funded police force per capita in B.C.
There are 56 policing jurisdictions in Canada with over 100,000 people, a threshold used by Statistics Canada to compare policing statistics.
According to Statistics Canada’s most recent figures, only Thunder Bay and Montreal have more officers per capita than VicPD.
According to FBI data, VicPD has more officers per capita than 82% of U.S. police jurisdictions.
VicPD’s claims that its policing situation is unique as a “downtown” police force cannot hold true across the entire country or the United States.
The city’s Community Safety and Wellbeing plan incorrectly associates police with community safety.
According VicPD’s own use of force reports, VicPD injures someone every 2.5 days and injures one person in crisis a week.
VicPD has killed several people who were in crisis.
Despite their internal policies, VicPD continues to use police cars to hit people on foot and on bikes who pose no active threat.
More police officers will not keep people safe. This money could be far better spent on community resources that support people directly.
Suggestion: City council should reconsider its commitment to hire nine officers and remove those proposed officers from the budget ($1,607,630).
11. Eight crime reduction unit officers ($1,241,120, page 43)
See above. This money could be better spent on community resources.
Suggestion: Cut the proposed eight crime reduction unit officer positions for $1,241,120.
12. Four patrol officers ($797,390, page 37)
See above. This money could be better spent on community resources.
Suggestion: Cut the proposed four patrol officer positions for $797,390.
13. Four traffic officers ($797,390, page 40)
VicPD’s traffic enforcement includes the risk of police violence.
From 2018-21, VicPD filed 57 use of force reports related to traffic incidents, including 13 where VicPD says they hurt someone.
VicPD’s traffic enforcement is not neutral. Its traffic enforcement targets Black, Hispanic, Middle Eastern and South Asian drivers.
From 2016 to 2021, Black people made up 2.43% of people in VicPD's “driver” category in its general occurrence reports, despite making up only 1.43% of the population;
Hispanic people were 1.14% of “drivers” compared to 0.89% of the population;
Middle Eastern people were 2.65% of “drivers” compared to 1.12% of the population; and
South Asian people were 4.87% of “drivers” compared to 1.97% of the population.
VicPD can also reassign officers to other roles with no oversight from council. There is no guarantee any new traffic officers will stay traffic officers.
You can and should have traffic safety without police.
Suggestion: Reject the four new traffic officer positions and invest that money in real road safety measures. For example, reinvest in the crosswalk budget the city proposed cutting. Traffic officers won’t save lives, but more lit, signaled, marked crosswalks can.
14. Vehicle cost increase associated with 25 new officers ($250,000, page 31) plus hiring costs
Suggestion: For each new officer rejected, ensure $10,000 in associated vehicle costs are included in the amount rejected.
Suggestion: For each new position cut from the draft budget, ensure VicPD indicates the proposed hiring costs associated with that new position, and cut that amount as well.
Additional items to cut
If council would like to take a firm step towards reimagining community safety, while also bringing VicPD’s staffing levels under control, I have listed another $12.8 million in potential cuts below. I do not expect council to adopt this vision this year, but I present these options to show that a different world is possible.
15. School liaison officers ($512,630, page 53 and 25)
The Human Rights Commissioner found there is no independent evidence of a need for SLOs that cannot be met through civilian alternatives.
Rejecting the officers would support 2SLGBTQ+ SD61 students who said they were harmed by SLOs, and force VicPD to prove the need for those officers if the police board chooses to appeal.
Suggestion: Reject $511,130 in costs for officers (page 53) and $1,500 for supplies (page 25).
16. Salaries and benefits ($12,324,000, page 26)
In addition to rejecting all 25 proposed new hires, to bring VicPD down to the national average of officers per capita for cities with over 100,000 people, VicPD would have to cut 79 officers from its existing complement.
At an average cost of $156,000 per officer in 2024, you could cut $12.324 million in costs. There may be additional savings in other categories (e.g., equipment).
The city could immediately invest that money in other supports and trial alternative community safety measures while the amount is likely appealed by the police board.
Suggestion: Cut VicPD’s existing complement of officers by 79 positions. VicPD may have to provide the exact dollar figure associated with these cuts, but it would save approximately $12.324 million in remuneration alone.
Thank you for your consideration. I hope all councillors will identify items to cut from VicPD’s draft 2026 budget, including existing budget items.