Cobourg Police Service to get 6.85% salary increase over 4 years: Arbitrator

An arbitrator has ruled the Cobourg Police Service will get a 6.85-per-cent pay increase by 2020, retroactive to 2017.

The original ask by the police association, which came in November 2017, was an increase of 3.5 per cent in 2017, 2.5 per cent in 2018, 2.5 per cent in 2019 and two per cent in 2020, totaling 10.5 per cent over four years.

The board rejected the proposal, which was then dropped to 8.2 per cent by the association when it went to arbitration.

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On Oct. 16, arbitrator William A. Marcotte ruled the increases would actually be 1.7, 1.85, 1.7 and 1.6 per cent over that period.

“As chief, I believe it’s a fair, arbitrated decision,” said police Chief Kai Liu. “If you look at what was asked originally in November 2017, to what was awarded, the cost difference to the taxpayers of Cobourg is $180,000 a year. This is for all salary increases.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "As chief, I believe it's a fair, arbitrated decision," said police Chief Kai Liu. "If you look at what was asked originally in November 2017, to what was awarded, the cost difference to the taxpayers of Cobourg is $180,000 a year. This is for all salary increases."

The average salary for Cobourg police officers was $93,827 in 2016. That number is about $400 less than the average for the Peterborough Police Service, which patrols for a population that’s approximately four times the size.

The salary was also higher than the averages for police officers in Port Hope, Belleville, Brockville and the City of Kawartha Lakes.

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According to data supplied by the Cobourg Police Services Board, the service’s average salary was $402 above the provincial average in 2010 and $429 below average in 2014.

“We’re able to get an agreement that goes well into the future so we don’t have to go back each and every year,” said Dean Pepper, chairman of the Cobourg Police Services Board.

The board unanimously voted to accept the arbitrator’s ruling on Thursday night.