KENORA — The Kenora Police Services Board will look a bit different at the start of next month, which is the same day some new provincial legislation will come into effect.
On April 1, the Government of Ontario will officially introduce its new Community Safety and Policing Act (CPSA), which will change some elements of how policing is conducted across the province.
When the time comes, the makeup of the board will have to change to include three city councillors, three community members and a provincial appointee.
Currently, the board consists of five members, two of whom were appointed by the province—Sara Dias, the local executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association, and former Mayor Dave Canfield, along with Coun. Kelsie Van Belleghem, Mayor Andrew Poirier and community member Joel McGrath.
Moving forward, the CPSA will mandate that all members of the province's policing boards undergo specific training, including on systemic racism, human rights, multiculturalism, and the rights of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit (FNMI) peoples.
"We're waiting on the government to provide direction on the first training module for the newly appointed board," Poirier said.
"But I think the training is good for individuals when they come on. I'm glad they've done that, I think it's long overdue."
At the end of Feb., Poirier attended a summit for the CPSA in Toronto, which also delved into topics such as First Nations policing, labour relations, and the roles and responsibilities of everybody in the new system, from Ontario's Ministers all the way down to special constables.
Most of what was discussed was about municipal police forces, which Poirier said he felt was largely irrelevant for Kenora, as the city will be policed by the Ontario Provincial Police for the foreseeable future.
Nonetheless, the mayor told the Miner and News he feels the CPSA has been a long time coming, and that he's felt that way since it was first tabled back in 2019.
"I guess we'll have to wait and see what things are implemented and how things evolve over time with some new provisions," he said.
The CPSA will require the OPP and police service boards to create and adopt local plans for policing that address the community's needs and diversity, the detachment's goals and priorities, and data on community satisfaction with policing. These plans will also address how to best serve youth and individuals with mental health conditions.
Poirier, meanwhile, made it clear that the cost of policing in Kenora remains one of the city's biggest issues, as it continues to have some of the highest service costs in Ontario.
"That's not a good thing," Poirier said, "because that means we are spending a lot of money on policing and we're not spending it on other things."
The main reason for the high costs is Kenora's high amount of calls for service, which Poirier tried tackling alongside the LCBO last month by trying to introduce a controlled entrance program.
The program would have required LCBO customers to show their IDs to get into the store in an effort to reduce theft and other crime. However, the province quickly canceled the pilot after concerns were raised about shoppers' privacy.
"We will continually look at and discuss areas that we can look at to make changes that would bring those calls for service down on a sustained basis," concluded Poirier.
The City of Kenora is currently seeking individuals to serve on the new Kenora Police Services Board.
The deadline to apply is March 15.
Kenora Miner and News / Local Journalism Initiative
