The cost of policing anti-mask protests in Waterloo region during the third wave of COVID-19 this spring amounted to $13,000 in overtime.
A report to the Waterloo Regional Police Service Board this week highlights the work of the COVID-19 Integrated Response Team formed in late April as calls for service ramped up around violations of the Reopening Ontario Act and the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.
Most of the violations occurred at planned anti-mask demonstrations in Waterloo and private gatherings around the region.
Between April 25 and June 13, police responded to 465 incidents and laid 125 charges. Of those charges, 94 were under the ROA and 31 were under the EMCPA.
The CIRT was comprised of 21 officers, including one staff sergeant and four teams of five officers each working seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 3:30 a.m.
Each team had a number of Public Safety Team officers permanently assigned to support responses to protests and large gatherings. CIRT attended 10 demonstrations in total.
The report says the team did not encounter any incidents involving violence, property damage, or injury to anyone involved.
In addition, CIRT supported by-law agencies across the Region in their enforcement efforts.
The cost to operate CIRT was approximately $402,000. This consists of regular salaries for the team members, contained within the 2021 approved operating budget, along with overtime costs to manage planned protests.
