The police department plans an 11 per cent hike in its 2026 budget, with spending pegged at $44 million.

“ We looked at the things we need and the things we have to have to be adequate and effective and that’s what this budget reflects,” said Chief Brent Duguay during a meeting of Sault Ste. Marie Police Service Board on Wednesday.

Most of the additional spending is tied to salaries and benefits, he told reporters following the meeting. Training equipment, new rifles and vehicles are planned expenses for the coming year.

The 2026 budget is balanced and based on an officer complement of 163. The service is earmarking $900,000 for overtime, up from about $197,000 in 2025. Finance manager Angela Davey called that expense “obviously significantly underfunded.”

Marchy Bruni, a police board

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