June 27, 2025
RED FM News Desk
OAK BAY, BC – A crucial policing agreement that provides Oak Bay, B.C., with the necessary resources for major crime investigations is set to expire in just days, with no immediate sign of a renewal.
The five-year service agreement between the Oak Bay Police Department (OBPD) and the Saanich Police Department (SPD) is slated to end this Monday, July 1. This long-standing contract allows Saanich police to either assist with or take the lead on significant crime investigations in Oak Bay, a smaller community with a more compact police department.
OBPD Chief Julie Chanin confirmed in an email to CTV News, “We are actively engaged in the negotiation process.” Should discussions extend beyond Monday, Chanin indicated that both departments could agree to an extension. An SPD spokesperson also assured in a statement, “During negotiations, all services provided by SPD under the current agreement will remain uninterrupted.”
The two departments initially forged this service agreement in 2007 and have since renegotiated it multiple times, most recently in the summer of 2020. The Saanich Police Association confirmed that it was consulted during the early stages of negotiating a new agreement, but it’s not currently part of the ongoing, confidential discussions.
Even if the contract were to lapse, former B.C. solicitor general Kash Heed noted that Oak Bay would still have access to investigative support.
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