Ontario Government to Purchase 5 Police Helicopters for $134 Million

Ontario will buy five new police helicopters at a cost of about $100 million more than what the province earmarked for leasing the choppers in this year’s budget.

Premier Doug Ford announced that the province decided to purchase the helicopters rather than lease them, responding to requests from several police forces.

“This new fleet of helicopters will be a massive boost for community safety,” Ford said on Monday. “It will help keep our highways and roadways safe from violent carjackings, auto thefts, street racing, and impaired drivers.”

Initially, the province announced in March it would lease four police helicopters for the Toronto area at a cost of $36 million, plus $10 million to operate them.

The Ontario Provincial Police will receive two helicopters to support Ottawa and Toronto police forces. Three other helicopters will go to Durham, Halton, and Peel Regional Police services.

“A car is stolen every 14 minutes in Ontario, the worst jurisdiction for vehicle theft in North America,” Ford said.

The province has yet to purchase the helicopters but plans to do so shortly, aiming to have them operational by 2026.

Ontario Liberal Party Leader Bonnie Crombie criticized Ford’s government, stating it has failed to address auto thefts effectively.

“He complains about auto theft and blames everyone — but himself,” she said in a statement.

“The truth is that after six years of inaction, Ford isn’t interested in fixing what’s broken.”

He stopped short of pledging a legislative change to bring down car insurance rates for those living in high-priced insurance neighbourhoods and cities.