The massive number of work sites we saw in 2016 may have caused you headaches on the road, but they ended up being very profitable for Montreal police officers.
According to the latest numbers from the SPVM, overtime pay for officers directing traffic is expected to cost $13.8 million. The original budget was just over $2 million, a gross underestimate based on recent years.
The bill has seen a massive spike, costing $4 million in 2014 and $8 million last year.
Police chief Philippe Pichet told City of Montreal officials the rising costs are due to the increased number of construction sites.
According the collective agreement directing traffic is a job reserved for police officers, and they must be paid overtime for the task, which works out to about $60 per hour.
Pichet said discussions are ongoing with the Police Brotherhood to have cadet's take over the growing number of assignments, but the union is blocking the proposed pilot project.
Despite overtime costs rising considerably over the past three years, the SPVM has budgeted $6 million for traffic detail costs for 2017.