Ontario budget confirms helicopter for Windsor police — but who pays?

The Windsor Police Service is getting a helicopter, though questions remain about how to pay for its operation.

The Ford government’s 2025 budget tabled last week confirmed the city force will receive its own chopper.

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Police Chief Jason Bellaire said the addition will improve community safety for the entire region, but the lack of details over who covers future operating costs is “very concerning,” according to the head of the local police board.

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For search-and-rescue operations, and when looking for missing persons, Bellaire said, “We have drone technology. We have competent, trained search teams at Windsor police. We have the capacity and we have those skills.”

But when “time is of the essence, especially during colder months where exposure to inclement weather can produce tragic circumstances,” the helicopter will be an asset.

The provincial budget document released this month said Ontario is investing $57 million for two new H-135 helicopters to support the Windsor Police Service and Niagara Regional Police Service “with increased patrols, security and enforcement at key entry points at the U.S. border.”

Bellaire said the province is indicating “very strongly” that it will cover the vast majority of chopper-related expenses. As a result, he said, “I think it would be a mistake to not embrace it and look to see how we can use this opportunity as best as we can for our region.”

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However, Bellaire said the service still needs to “iron out” whether Windsor would have to cover any “legacy” costs in the future.

“It’s always a balance, cost versus community safety. It’s a tough decision to make. We don’t have this bottomless pot of financial capacity to do whatever we want.”

But police board chair Jo-Anne Gignac, who represents Ward 6 on city council, called uncertainty around the helicopter’s operating cost “very concerning” and said the board needs more information.

“The devil is always in the details,” she told the Star.

In 2024, the province announced it would spend $134 million on five police helicopters in the Greater Toronto Area and Ottawa. That brought the total number of joint air support helicopters in Ontario to seven.

“Ensuring police services have the resources to respond to major incidents and urgent situations is a priority for the government,” the budget document said.

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“Equipped with the latest technology, the helicopters will help protect Ontario’s borders and keep highways and roadways safe from violent carjackings, auto theft, street racing and impaired driving.”

Gignac questioned whether the helicopter should instead be given to the local OPP or RCMP if one of its primary uses will be addressing Canadian border security, which has been a concern of U.S. President Donald Trump.

“I have to wonder, at times, what the mandate of municipal police forces are,” Gignac said.

Bellaire said he believes the helicopter will also benefit the Canada Border Services Agency and the Ontario Provincial Police in Essex County. He added that its use shouldn’t be restricted to border patrol.

The budget document also says the province is establishing a dedicated Major Auto Theft Prosecution Response Team to focus on crime hotspots, including Windsor. That team will give police services legal advice and prosecutorial support, and “help dismantle organized crime networks, holding offenders accountable and cracking down on carjackings and home invasions.”

Bellaire said auto theft is a national problem. While Windsor is not “struggling with that particular challenge” as much as the Toronto area is, “we’ve had our moments.” As a result, Windsor police do participate in provincial auto theft initiatives.

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