Union concerned about failing infrastructure at Sudbury's police headquarters

Police need new HQ, union says The union representing police in Sudbury said the situation at the crumbling downtown building is becoming critical.

The Sudbury Police Association, which represents uniform officers and other police professionals at the Greater Sudbury Police Service, is concerned about the failing infrastructure at headquarters on Brady Street.

Contractors are working on repairs at the downtown building after yet another issue. This time, flooding impacted three of the six floors.

The latest problem was the last straw for the Sudbury Police Association, which is concerned for the health and safety of its 400 members using the facility daily.

"We’ve put on all the Band-aids we can put on this building right now," said union president Matt Hall. "Unfortunately, it’s going to get a few more Band-aids ... But us as an association, want to work with new chief Sarah Cunningham as well as the police services board on getting a new building for the community … It’s not something that we want -- it’s a need."

Hall said the building has high levels of lead in the drinking water, as well as leaking, flooding, crumbling facia and electrical issues. Twice within a one-week period, 911 communicators were evacuated, meaning calls were taken from a secondary location.

The police union says it wants a safe workplace not just for its members, but the public using police headquarters. It's calling on the Greater Sudbury Police Services Board to make a new building a priority.

The union sent a letter to board chair Al Sizer and other members of the board detailing the issues and raising concerns about the failing infrastructure.

"The stress of the failures of the building is making it hard for members to provide adequate and effective policing to the community when we are constantly being disrupted and not permitted to work safely in our own police building," the memo said.

"We need some planning," Hall added.

"If this goes to council it’s going to be a minimum two-year build. So, we need to have that time to really process this. We can’t just keep talking about this. It’s been talked about for years from council and in the community."

The request is timely. A facilities’ review is on the agenda at the police board meeting Oct. 16.

"It’s almost the perfect storm in that this occurred just as we were ready to provide the latest study on the facility," said board chair Al Sizer.

"It supplants some of the information that we’re going to provide to the council and the public on the 16th."

Sizer said the board has $7.3 million set aside -- not nearly enough to fund a new building.

Meanwhile, he reassures the public everything is still business as usual and that the most recent flooding did not impact police operations.