Council candidate Neal McNamara has come out against an OPP costing for the city, saying it would be demoralizing for the existing force and divisive for the community.
McNamara comes from an enforcement background.
"If you have to go into work every day realizing that your job was hanging by a thread and that you could be fired, that would put a lot of stress on you. We don’t need to add more stress to the men and women of our police service."
He also feels it would divide the community.
"We just need to look at what’s happening in Sturgeon Falls. They’re going through a costing and their police board and the town council are fighting it out in court, and the men and women of the service and of the community are left in confusion and disarray. So we don’t need that kind of circus here in our city."
McNamara warns there are more costs than what appears on the surface.
"They don’t include calls for mental health services and the rate that they’re proposing in a costing is just an introductory rate and then after the initial term is over, that is when you get the full rate. By then you have given up the choice, you can’t go back, you can never go back, so it’s very expensive. So, in the long run, the OPP is not going to save our city money.
Anti-police remarks by mayoral candidate Will Boissoin also drew the ire of McNamara.
See: Mayoral candidate makes controversial 'bacon' comment about local police (UPDATED)
“I bet I am not on that list since I want RCMP and OPP pricing,” noted Boissoin via Facebook. “They must be worried they will not be allowed to drive drug dealers to sales and drive drunk on our streets anymore. Watch out NBPS we are going to straighten you out. You work for us the taxpayer.”
Later on, he referred to police by stating “isn’t every cop a slice of bacon! Oink oink.”
Boissoin made matters worse when he lied about making the comments, claiming they came from a "fake account" and blaming his rivals for setting it up.
"You know, we expect a lot from our candidates for public office," says McNamara. "When you run, you need to be a role model and you need to have integrity, and when you make comments like that and then deny making them, well that tells us a lot about a person. The only thing I want to say to our 'red bull ambassador' is, ‘Will, I am very disappointed in you.'"
