A new two-storey detachment will be built in Bracebridge at the same location where the current police headquarters is at 690 Cedar Ln.
Insp. Wade Beebe, detachment commander for the Bracebridge OPP, broke the news to Gravenhurst council during its June 18 meeting. He said the province has selected them as “first on the list for 2026.”
“We’re just right now in the structure phase of what it looks exterior wise,” he explained. “It will be rather robust with two floors and allow the growth that we’re experiencing with officers inside the detachment.”
Beebe pointed out how the current building was constructed in 1957 and they’ve “outgrown its four walls.”
However, he didn’t speak to council to share that news, rather he was asking to support police as they look to implement the CAMSafe program.
Beebe said Gravenhurst has dealt with a rash of break-and-enters in recent weeks. He added the suspects were caught thanks in part to one of the businesses having a camera that recorded the pair in the act.
“We can only do so much,” he said. “The police need help from the community.”
Beebe explained how the program provides police with a list of people who have registered their cameras. He said police would use the program to see who has a camera in the area where a crime is believed to have happened, reach out the person who registered the device, and ask for permission to access only the data, not the camera itself.
He said he’s walked through downtown Gravenhurst since becoming detachment commander earlier this year and noticed many businesses – including banks – don’t have cameras installed.
Mayor Heidi Lorenz put forward a motion, which was unanimously approved, to have town staff develop a new program through the Community Improvement Plan (CIP), to fund businesses who want to purchase a camera. The $5,000 fund would be dished out on a first-come-first serve basis.
Lorenz clarified it will not affect future funding through the CIP, rather this would be a staff-led initiative unlike the usual CIP process which requires council approval.
She added they could provide more funding if there is enough community demand.
Beebe made the request ahead of 12 officers set to join the detachment this year, which will put them over 80.
“This is the highest numbers we’ve seen in the detachment in probably 25 years,” he added.
In turn, Beebe said it allows them to do more, including creating new positions to oversee intimate partner violence investigations and to keep tabs on people who are out on bail or at risk of becoming a repeat offender.
He added the influx of officers also allows the detachment to create a four-officer marine unit for the first time in a long time and expand foot and bicycle patrols.
As well, Beebe said the mental health crisis response team that’s being done as partnership with the Huntsville OPP since Jan. 2024 has been extended. The program sees an officer and crisis worker from the Canadian Mental Health Association attend mental health-related calls together. He said the program has helped reduce related hospital admissions by 18 percent. “It’s going very well for us and we’re hoping it will have a continued impact,” he said.
Beebe also touched on the opioid crisis, noting how police have been working to share naloxone kits with anyone in need of one. The kit can be used to temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, giving first responders time to arrive.
“Unfortunately, it’s not going away,” he said of the crisis, however, he expressed how police will continue to provide education on the issue.
Beebe said recent news – specifically about the new detachment – is positive news for the force, “especially [officers] that have been here for an extended period of time.”
