OTTAWA — Ontario’s police chiefs say numerous criminal cases, including drug trafficking charges, have been stayed in the province since January because of “budget cuts” at the federal prosecution service limiting how much it spends on contract prosecutors.

In a letter sent to Chief Federal Prosecutor Tanit Gilliam on Tuesday, Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) President Roger Wilkie expressed his consternation over “cuts” at the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) that he says have led to the decision to abandon certain cases.