Ottawa police budget proposes $18-million increase — with some creative accounting

Ottawa police are proposing an $18-million budget increase that would meet the three per cent cap on tax increases laid out for all city departments by city council — but not without some creative accounting.
The force would see a gross operating budget of $349.5 million, with 82 per cent of costs going towards $286 million in salaries. The budget would ask taxpayers to foot the bill — the average homeowner would pay $18 more to the police over last year. The total police cost f