“The function of police is to address the anticipated large volume of vehicular and/or pedestrian traffic at community events,” said Peel Sgt. Josh Colley. “The primary function of paid-duty officers is overall public safety, through crowd control, general security, and enforcement.”

Historically, there are 12 community events in Peel that receive “internal funding,” either whole or in-part, annually from the police budget, along with waived vehicle or administration fees.

In 2016, Peel police covered about $184,000 in paid-duty policing costs for events in the region. That included covering nearly $48,000 for the Bread and Honey Festival and more than $36,000 for the Brampton Santa Claus Parade, according to the report.

Carlson, who also serves as a director with the Streetsville Business Improvement Association, a major sponsor of the annual Bread and Honey Festival, said it would be “extremely difficult” to put on the popular weekend event in its current form without the funded paid-duty policing.

The Streetsville event wouldn't be eligible for funded paid-duty policing under the new policy.

Richard Beagle, president of the Brampton Santa Claus Parade Committee, an arms-length organization of the Brampton Board of Trade that puts on the popular Christmas season event, didn’t mince words when asked about the impact of losing paid-duty police funding.

"(It) would greatly effect the viability of the Brampton Santa Claus Parade,” he said, noting that having to pay for paid-duty policing would devour about half of the budget for the parade. “We’re still in limbo with this entire process. We have to get this resolved very soon.”

The police board said in its report the revised policy is a decision that comes down to cost savings and fairness.

The review of paid-duty funding by Peel police was sparked in April 2016, when organizers of the Sikh Martyrdom Day Parade in Brampton asked the force to increase their contribution and cover 75 per cent of the paid-duty costs, instead of the 10 per cent from the previous year.

“The Police Services Board did not approve the funding request, but rather assigned the board’s policy committee to initiate a review of (the policy), to assess the current policy requirements related to paid-duty funding for community events,” wrote Mario Ferrante, manager of business support for Peel police.

There are “numerous” community and religious events in Mississauga and Brampton that do not get paid-duty funding, as those expenses are oftentimes covered entirely by the client.

“The board policy does not provide clear guidelines for the allocation of internal funding for paid-duties related to community events” the report reads. “Since there is no clear guideline for the allocation or distribution of funding for community events, there is a funding disparity among the 12 annual community events with no additional funding available for other community events within the Region of Peel.”

While Gibson agrees the new policy will impact the running of community events, he added that “it’s important that we treat all the groups equally.”

In Mississauga, it would appear that none of the major community events fall under the new funding formula, either because they are not fully-funded by the city or permit the sale of alcohol, or both.

New Year’s Eve and Canada Day festivities at Celebration Square are considered “official city events.” But they are not fully funded by the city, “because we do have sponsorships for those events,” according to city spokesperson Carley Smith-DeBenedictis. “But they are run by city staff.”

In Brampton, city staff said several events, including CeleBrampton and Canada Day festivities, wouldn't qualify for funded paid-duty policing.

New Year's Eve in Garden Square would qualify, according to Laura Lukasik, manager of tourism and special events for the City of Brampton.

“I don't believe either event (CeleBrampton or Canada Day) is in jeopardy,” she said. “We will work with our budgets and sponsors to offer the best possible experiences for the residents of Brampton.”

Police in nearby York, Durham and Toronto don’t offer free paid-duty policing at community events, the report stated.

The police board did explore the option of covering all paid-duty costs for events fully-funded by the cities or region, but it was “significantly more expensive,” Ferrante wrote in the report.

Bob Darling, director of economic development and culture for the City of Brampton, said the potential of losing community events such as the Bread and Honey and the Santa Claus Parade is detrimental to cities.

“They serve as community gathering spaces where cultures and communities come together,” he said.

Here are the annual community events in 2016 for which Peel Regional Police covered the cost, whole or in part, of paid-duty policing (dollar figures listed beside each one):

Khalsa Day Parade — $6,140

Bread & Honey Festival — $47,898

Mississauga Waterfront Festival — $6,992

Brampton Flower City Parade — $8,422

Canada Day in Mississauga — $19,800

Canada Day in Brampton — $11,113

Sri Guru Singh Sabha Parade — $4,609

Southside Shuffle — $13,198

Remembrance Day — $2,037

Brampton Santa Claus Parade — $36,277

Mississauga Santa Claus Parade — $17,917

Brampton New Year’s Eve — $8,119

*Figures from the Peel Regional Police Services Board