A three year collective agreement was signed on September 19, 2017 by the Amherstburg Police Association and Amherstburg Police Service Board, consisting of:

Patricia Simone, Chair
Robert Rozankovic, Vice Chair and council candidate
Aldo DiCarlo, Mayor and mayoral candidate
Jason Lavigne.

Article 34: OPP Policing

Should the Service be disbanded or reduced in size as a consequence of an agreement with the Ministry of the Solicitor General to have the Ontario Provincial Police assume the policing responsibilities for the municipality, each member of the Service offered employment and who accepts employment with the Ontario Provincial Police shall be entitled to the following:

a)  The Board agrees that when a member is offered and accepts employment with the O.P.P., the Board will pay each member $1500.00 per year of service, or part thereof.

b)  The Board agrees that on the date of disbandment ofthe Service each member absent from duty by virtue of illness or injury, or any other authorized absence, shall continue to be provided with all of the benefits of this Agreement, unless benefits are otherwise provided by the Ontario Provincial Police from the date of disbandment. A member covered by this provision who is not offered employment or who does not accept employment with the 0 . P.P. shall be entitled to all of the applicable severance benefits outlined within this Agreement in addition to any other benefits of this Agreement.

c) In the event a member is offered employment with the O.P.P. and accepts such employment, but the employment is not at least comparable in base salary, the Board agrees to pay the difference in base salary for a period of two (2) years from the date the member commences employment with the O.P.P.

d) For the purposes of this subsection, member is defined as a member at the time of disbandment of the Amherstburg Police Service.

The Board agrees that when a member is offered and accepts employment with the O.P.P., the Board will, on behalf of the member, allocate $1000 per year of service, or part thereof, into a Retiree Benefits Account to be managed by the Corporation of the Town of Amherstburg, and upon the member’s retirement from the O.P.P., the Member’s Retiree Benefits Account shall fully vest with the member and the Corporation of the Town of Amherstburg forfeit all rights to this account as outlined below:

i) The member shall be eligible to register for group health insurance.

ii) The costs associated with the member’s registration in a group health insurance shall be paid from the member’s Retiree Benefits Account.

iii) The Corporation of the Town of Amherstburg shall withdraw the funds necessary from the Member’s Retiree Benefits Account in order to pay the member for reimbursement of group health insurance provided the employer receives a receipt or letter from the member identifying a payment of benefits to an insurance provider. This Agreement shall constitute the Member’s authorization and direction to the Corporation of the Town of Amherstburg for such withdraws.

iv) Should the account balance reach zero, the account shall be closed.

v) Should the member die with a balance in the account, the member’s surviving spouse may continue to use the account in the same manner as when the member was living.

vi) Should the member die with no surviving spouse or should the member’s surviving spouse die, any remaining funds in the account shall be returned to the estate of the member or their surviving spouse, as the case may be.

a) Four (4) weeks’ salary at their regular rate of pay for every year of service, or part thereof, with the Amherstburg Police Service.

b) The full Ontario Health Plan Benefits package under this agreement at the date of termination to continue for two (2) years from the date of termination or until the member is re-employed and in receipt of such benefits from the new member’s employment, whichever comes first.

c) The amount of up to five thousand ($5,000) dollars for education, upgrading or retraining. These funds are for tuition, books, and equipment, traveling and living expenses directly related to education, upgrading or e-training. The member must commence the education, upgrading or retraining within twelve (12) months of termination as outlined in this Article only. The funds will be available for a thirty-six (36) month period from the commencement of the education, upgrading or retraining, except if the member retires.

34.03  Should the service be disbanded or reduced in size as a consequence of an agreement with the Ministry of the Solicitor General to have the Ontario Provincial Police assume policing responsibilities for the municipality, the Board agrees that all rights under the current collective agreement and/or preceding collective agreements’ provided to retired members, their dependents, and deceased retirees dependents, shall remain in effect and shall continue after the time of disbandment of the Service.

34.04  In the event that the Board receives permission to disband the Service and contracts policing to another police service, other than the Ontario Provincial Police, or amalgamates with another police service, any member of the Association who is not offered the same or higher rank or classification level without loss of seniority, and an equivalent or improved salary and benefits package as provided in this Agreement shall be entitled to elect to receive a severance package, as provided in Article 34.02(a), (b) and (c), or the member may elect to accept the position offered at the lower rank or classification and lower salary, in which case the Board shall pay to the member the difference in salary between the salary provided in this Agreement and the salary received in the new position, for a period of two (2) years.