Southgate and Grey Highlands councils are grappling with the absence of liaison boards with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
According to a report from The Flesherton Advance, the old boards for each municipality were shut down due to provincial changes. While setting up the new Joint Boards, the municipalities discovered they couldn’t qualify for insurance.
The Grey Highlands council requested a report in mid-June to determine whether its former board could continue meeting until the new boards are operational. Southgate addressed the issue by sending correspondence to the province and seeking quarterly reports directly from the council.
“The new regime is not recognized as a municipal board, so insurance companies won’t touch it,” Southgate Deputy Mayor Barbara Dobreen said.
Complicating matters, the province has yet to appoint all three provincial members required for the boards. The Public Appointments website notes that Carol Reaney of Owen Sound was appointed with a term from June 6, 2024, to June 5, 2026.
In May, the Ontario Association of Police Services Boards said that the Association of Municipalities of Ontario is working to find a solution. They hope to develop an insurance product for the boards. The association has recommended against meeting until the issue is resolved.
Due to the provincial changes, there is now only one board for all Grey and Bruce municipalities and First Nations peoples.
The new boards are designed to operate at arm’s length from the participating bodies, instead of acting with “municipal influence.” Georgian Bluffs has been managing the administration, which included advertising for public members, who have now been selected. However, the provincial appointees have not.
Grey Highlands Mayor Paul McQueen has expressed concern over the lack of information flow from the police. His suggestion to reinstate the old board met with a query from Clerk Amanda Fines-VanAlstine, who noted that the Act under which it was established is no longer in force.
Councillor Monica Singh Soares, representing Southgate on the joint board, noted that the Georgian Bluffs clerk and the OPP sergeant are awaiting further instructions. She requested “breathing room” for the process.
Despite this, the Southgate council has chosen to advocate with the province to remedy the insurance situation and appoint its members. The motion, proposed by Deputy Mayor Dobreen, emphasized the importance of collaboration with Coucilor Singh Soares on the issue.
The Community Safety and Policing Act of 2019, which brought these changes, only recently came into effect. The new boards were supposed to be operational from April 1, 2024.
The new board is expected to cost Southgate twice as much, factoring in the part-time administrative staff position at Georgian Bluffs and other member costs.
The board will include municipal and First Nations appointees, three provincial appointees, and four community members selected from advertisements across the detachment area.
Due to the board’s 16 members and the large area it covers, meetings will have a hybrid option. Grey County or the Shallow Lake arena will provide meeting space.
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