2025 Ottawa Police Service budget includes funding for new mounted unit [Video]

Ottawa’s police chief says the new Mounted Patrol Unit will be a “game changer” for the service in 2025, helping officers with specialized operations, crowd control and community engagement.

The Ottawa Police Service expects the first four horses to arrive in the spring, with four more horses joining the unit in late 2025 or early 2026.

Chief Eric Stubbs says the Toronto Police Service’s Mounted Unit provided a “positive impact” to Ottawa police during previous work in the capital.

“One horse can equate to 10 to 12 officers, in terms of boots on the ground,” Stubbs told the Ottawa Police Services Board on Friday.

“The words that they use is invaluable or game changer when they’re present.”

The 2025 Ottawa Police Service budget outlines the plan to spend $1.4 million a year for three years to launch the new Mounted Patrol Unit. Funding from the Ontario and federal governments will …