Membership

Membership brings boards, governance professionals, and partners into a province-wide community focused on strong, consistent, and informed police governance. Members gain access to supports that help them meet their legislated responsibilities under the Community Safety and Policing Act and adapt to the evolving landscape of policing and public safety.

These descriptions follow the Community Safety and Policing Act definitions, ensuring clarity and consistency.

These boards oversee municipal police services within their communities. Membership supports their governance responsibilities, ongoing training, and alignment with provincial best practices.

These boards provide governance and oversight for First Nation police services. Membership connects them to resources, peer networks, and learning opportunities across the province while respecting the unique needs of their communities.

These boards provide civilian governance for municipalities and First Nations policed by the Ontario Provincial Police within a detachment area. Membership supports board development, access to governance tools, and province-wide collaboration.

(Note: some First Nations policed by the OPP are represented within a detachment board model. The membership structure supports this.)

Affiliate organizations are sector partners who are a part of our Expert Partner Program and are subject to the fees associated with their sponsorship level.

The following fees reflect the current schedule for Municipal and First Nation Police Service Boards and remain accurate.

Membership fees are based on the size of the police service.

These fees align with the OPP municipal billing structure.
Current fee: 0.21 per property within the detachment area.

This approach reflects the governance responsibilities of detachment boards and ensures fairness across the province.

Many boards participate in regional or zone associations. Where applicable, these fees are collected alongside PGO dues. If integrated through GrowthZone, the system should clearly itemize PGO dues and zone fees at checkout. The fee for zone 1, 1A, 2, 3, 4, 6 are $150 per board and Zone 5 is $250 and covers all board members.  These funds are collected at the time of membership renewal and dispursed back to the zone committee for zone expenses.

Police governance changed in Ontario when the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019 (CSPA) came into force on April 1, 2024. As part of those changes, boards that oversee Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) detachments are now established under provincial regulations and are no longer considered “local boards” under the Municipal Act. This has important implications for how these boards obtain insurance coverage.

OPP Detachment Boards have legal and operational responsibilities. To meet those responsibilities responsibly, boards need appropriate insurance coverage. This protects the board and its members from liability related to decisions, meetings, programs, training and other official activities. Insurance helps boards operate with confidence and meet statutory governance expectations without exposing individual members to personal financial risk.

Because OPP Detachment Boards are no longer defined as local boards under the Municipal Act, they cannot automatically access municipal insurance programs that previously covered police service boards. Some detachments found that their existing coverage lapsed or was unclear once the new governance framework came into force.

As a result, boards must now secure their own liability and risk protection coverage. This includes standard coverages such as:

• Directors and Officers Liability – protection for board members for decisions made in their official capacity.
• Commercial General Liability – coverage for claims arising from board activities.
• Errors and Omissions / Professional Liability – coverage for advice or service delivered by a board.
• Cyber Liability – protection for digital risks.
• Non-Owned Auto Liability – covers vehicles used for official activities.

For Boards that want to participate in our Group Insurance Program [call to action button – email for details] can get more information and can download the brochure for discussion [we need to update the brochure with PGO branding but it should be available here].  Along with the coverage, check the member portal for board policy documents that may be required to complete the insurance coverage process.

• Confirm Coverage Before Meetings
  Boards should not meet until they have confirmed appropriate insurance coverage for all board members and activities.
• Talk to Your Municipality
  If your board previously relied on municipal insurance, contact your municipal clerk or risk manager to confirm whether coverage still applies or if additional arrangements are needed.
• Work with a Broker
  Experienced brokers can help identify policies that meet legal requirements and provide the right level of protection for your board’s size and activities.