Well here we go again.
THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO ~~~~ April 23, 2022 (LSNews) This week it was announced that once again, in a matter of 4 years, the management of Thunder Bay Police Services Board has been taken away from itself.
In 2018 the board lost all administrative control for other reason’s and once again we have an administrator taking over the control of the board rendering the current structure wasteful and truly redundant.
We must understand that the two reason are not the same but the result is.
I contacted the office of the Solicitor General of Ontario, some months ago, as this latest show of a structural failure started to evolve. I asked why, if a police board is intended to keep an arms length between the police service and government bodies, are all the members of the board either current members of City Government or appointed by that same government or alternately are appointed by another Government body, specifically the Solicitor General.
Currently, we have a Mayor, one City Councillor, a Council appointee and two members selected by the Provincial Government. In my mind how can you consider a board “arms length” from government when all members come from government. It seems like a complete lack of understanding of the English language and what Arms Length means.
Is it any wonder that we are in this situation, again. Simply it’s because of a system that has not been reviewed since around 1998 and, if Thunder Bay is any indication, the proof is out there that the structure is so flawed it will continue to fall flat until a real analysis of the root cause is completed and basic structural change enacted.
Let’s face it, not one of the people sitting currently on the Police Services Board where selected by the community they serve to sit on that specific board. An assumption was made over twenty years ago that, the powers to be, in Queens Park, are the all knowing all seeing wizards of policing. But that belief has been proven a failure twice in the 21st century, let alone in four short years.
Our city is served quite well and adheres to legislation on school curriculum by elected School Board(s) that to my recollection have never been made redundant by shear selection process failures as we see with the Police Services Board.
Why must we accept a, proven, failure prone appointment process because a Wizard in Toronto deems the failed structure is acceptable. Get down to the root analysis and maybe an elected Police Services Board, truly at Arms Length, with members of the community serving for and selected by the community would resolve the problems the Solicitor General’s office is unable or unwilling to get to the root of.
By: Vern Seymour
Since this letter was written Chair Kristen Oliver and members Roydon Pelletier and Michael Power have resigned. Leaving Mayor Bill Mauro and Georjann Morriseau who is off on leave of absent
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