1. Ontario Association of Police Services Boards on Bill 175
Standing Committee on Justice Policy, 22 Feb 2018
Good afternoon. My name is Eli El-Chantiry. I am the chair of Ontario Association of Police Services Boards, and the Ottawa Police Services Board. With me is Fred Kaustinen, Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Police Services Boards.
We are here to share our views on what we like about Bill 175. These views and suggestions are based on our participation in over 200 Future of Policing meetings, from hosting several conferences and seminars about police reform, and from surveying our 500 members.
Fred will now address the details of our submission.

2. Overview What we like What we take exception to Other suggestions Q&A
Thank you Eli, and good afternoon Committee Members.
On behalf of the Association, I will offer comments on:
What we like in Bill 175
What we take exception to in the Bill
Other suggestions

3. What we like
Progressive reforms regarding police oversight, as per Justice Tulloch
Special constable code of conduct and oversight, and the introduction of standards for special constable employers
Mandatory community safety & well-being plans, as a catalyst to interagency cooperation for improved overall results
Flexibility to outsource some community safety tasks to non-police including private companies
Clarifications on the board’s responsibility to strategically govern police operations, without interfering with a specific police activity
Minister now responsible for police board training
In the interests of brevity, allow me 3 areas of Bill 175 that deserve special recognition:
The new oversight provisions, as envisioned set a new global standard for investigative independence and transparency. This is very impressive.
There is a concerted attempt to clarify police board responsibility to strategically govern police operations through policy, without interfering with any specific police activity or investigation
The Minister is identified as responsible for police board training – something that is woefully lacking in Ontario
It is also great that these features have been offered to First Nations’ communities

4. What we take exception to
Section 67 – while the creation of OPP detachment boards is supported, the disbandment of any Section 10 OPP contract boards should be a municipal decision, rather than a provincial one
Section 164, 42(4) - boards should be allowed to be represented in collective agreement negotiations by professional staff of their choosing, without having to accompany them in the process – just like any other employer in Ontario
There are 4 areas we think need correction, in the public interest.
Section 67 – while the creation of OPP detachment boards is supported, the disbandment of any existing Section 10 OPP contract boards should be a municipal decision, rather than a provincial one
Section 164, 42(4) - boards should be allowed to be represented in collective agreement negotiations by professional staff of their choosing, without having to accompany them in the process – just like other employer in Ontario. AMO, OACP, ESSC and PAO all support this proposal. OPPA bargain with the province, who is represented by professional labour relations staff not accompanied by board members (or in this case cabinet ministers).

5. What we take exception to
Section 38 (5) and 40(4) – police boards should be able to make policies about police deployment, while being prohibited from making any decisions about the deployment of an individual officer or in response to an individual event
Section 50(9) the board’s strategic plan for policing in its jurisdiction should carry the same weight as provincial adequacy standards, in budget arbitration decisions
Section 38 (5) and 40(4) regarding Restrictions on Police Board Policies and Decisions – police boards should be able to make policies about police deployment, while being prohibited from making any decisions about the deployment of an individual officer or in response to an individual event. This is common sense.
Section 50(9) regarding Arbitrating of Budget Disputes between municipalities and police boards - the police board’s strategic plan for policing in its jurisdiction should carry the same weight as adequacy standards for the province as a whole, in budget arbitration decisions. Otherwise the police board’s strategic plan is irrelevant, and by extension - so is the police board.

6. Other suggestions
The creation of OPP detachment boards should be a consultative process involving local stakeholders
Implementation of changes to investigations under the Complaints Review Director should be phased in
Former police officers serving on the police board who was their past employer, should be grandfathered from ineligibility
Recognizing that implementation of the Act will not happen overnight, we offer the following additional suggestions:
The creation of OPP Detachment boards should be a consultative process involving local stakeholders
Implementation of changes to investigations under the Complaints Review Director should be phased in
Former police officers serving on the police board who was their past employer, should be grandfathered from ineligibility
We recognize that much needs to be done in Regulations, including much needed board performance standards and board training

7. Thank you for listening!
[Eli] Thanks for your interest. We really want to work with you to ensure the new police legislation and its regulations really serve the public interest of today and tomorrow. We are pleased to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you for listening!
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