Police board expected to approve $115.4-million contract for new south facility

The contract includes a 7.5-per-cent contingency of just over $8 million. The overall cost of the project is $193.7 million.

Published Sep 23, 2023 • Last updated 9 hours ago • 3 minute read

A file photo of the Greenbank Road station of the Ottawa Police Service, one of two locations that would be replaced by the proposed new south-end facility. Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIA

The Ottawa Police Services Board is expected to approve on Monday a $115.4-million construction contract for a new south-end facility on Prince of Wales Drive near Lodge Road.

A report submitted to the board by Ottawa Police Service Chief Eric Stubbs recommends the contract be awarded to Broccolini Construction Inc. for the main construction of the new facility, which will replace the Greenbank and Leitrim police stations.

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According to the report, three pre-qualified contractors were short-listed from an initial list of seven submissions. Broccolini was the lowest bidder to meet all necessary criteria. The contract includes a 7.5-per-cent contingency of just over $8 million. The overall cost of the project is $193.7 million.

The report also recommends that almost $8.7 million earmarked for other projects be redirected to the South Facility Project and that, as police chief, Stubbs be given authority to award contracts and to execute payments for other project-related expenses, provided they fall within the overall budget.

The project includes development of eight acres, or about half of the 15-acre site at 3505 Prince of Wales Dr. It was put on hold in April 2021 because of higher construction costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, but was restarted earlier this year. The report doesn’t indicate when construction would start or be completed.

If approved by the board, the recommendation would require city council’s approval to move ahead.

A file photo of the Ottawa Police Station on Leitrim Road, which would be replaced by the proposed new south-end facility to be discussed by the Ottawa Police Services Board on Monday. Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIA

At Monday’s meeting, the board will also be asked to approve a consultation approach to seek feedback on the use of body-worn and in-car cameras and to receive a report on police responses to mental-health calls.

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According to another report Stubbs will present to the board, the updated Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) that the board approved for purchase in February include in-car cameras with video and audio capabilities that could be used along with body-worn cameras to record interactions between officers and motorists. Before being used for that purpose, though, it’s recommended that community consultations be held involving Ottawa Police Service members and community leaders, stakeholder groups and the public.

“The team,” the report says, “will conduct community consultations this fall to review the implementation of the system (Digital Evidence Information Management System, or DEIMS, a strategy being undertaken by numerous police forces which includes video and audio files), the technology to be deployed and to introduce the BWC (body-worn camera) pilot approach. This is being done to ensure that any possible issues linked to the use of video/audio capture and its management are addressed and mitigated prior to implementation and deployment.”

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The board will also be presented Monday with a Toronto Police Service evaluation of its body-worn camera pilot project, which began in 2014.

In that project, 85 officers wore cameras, while 7,500 surveys were completed by community members in 2015-16.

While the report concluded that the quantitative results of the pilot weren’t compelling, the level of community support for the cameras was. “The community strongly believes that body-worn cameras will make the police more accountable to the public, improve public trust in police, and that they will help to ensure professional service that benefits both the public and officers.”

Stubbs will also update the board on Monday about OPS efforts in seeking grant funding from other levels of government to find alternative, non-police methods of responding to mental-health calls. This is in response to a directive from council in July to find funding outside the municipal coffers to support a Crisis Response Pilot project, with a proposed launch in the fall of 2024.

According to Stubbs, OPS has worked with city staff to put together a three-year funding request package for a program that would provide a non-911 number for residents seeking mental-health or substance-use calls, supported by civilian-led responses. The request package was sent to Ontario’s Solicitor, General, Michael Kerzner, on Sept. 11.