Strengthening Police Governance, Modernizing Labour Relations Top Priorities for Legislative Action

TORONTO, Feb. 6, 2017 /CNW/ - A survey of over 100 police governance agencies across Ontario shows that strengthening police board governance and modernizing labour relations practices require urgent legislative action.

The top five priorities identified in the survey were:

• Strengthening police board governance
• Modernizing police labour relations practises
• Facilitating alternate service delivery of some police service responsibilities
• Mandating interagency cooperation between police and other agencies such as health and social services
• Improving police oversight by third parties, i.e., the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the Office of Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD), and the Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC)

The Ontario Association of Police Services Boards (OAPSB) surveyed its membership in anticipation of the Ontario government's updates to the Police Services Act (PSA), the legislative framework for community safety in Ontario. This is the first update to the PSA in over 25 years.

QUOTES

"The Ontario government's commitment to modernize the Police Services Act will help ensure that police governance works, and that police efforts reflect the needs, values, and expectations of the communities they protect. The OAPSB looks forward to working with the government to strengthen governance and keep communities safe."
—Eli El-Chantiry, Chair & President OAPSB

"For years, the OAPSB has argued that police chiefs should be able to suspend officers charged with egregious offences without pay. The survey shows that 100 per cent of respondents agree."
—Kevin Eccles, Vice-President OAPSB

QUICK FACTS

• The current PSA became law in 1990, and has not been extensively revised since then
• The government is updating the PSA to modernize policing and police governance
• Revising the legislative framework for community safety has been the OAPSB's top priority
• The survey measured the degree of support for 56 specific reform ideas

Read the Backgrounder: www.oapsb.ca/news/
Read the Full Survey Report: www.oapsb.ca/advocacy

SOURCE Ontario Association of Police Services Boards

MEDIA CONTACTS: Sarbjit Kaur, Kaur Communications, E: [email protected], C:416 274-5324; Fred Kaustinen, Executive Director, OAPSB, E [email protected], T: 647 343-1557, C: 416 270-7081