City councillor wants province to explain itself over police commission appointments

By COLLIN GALLANT on June 23, 2023.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant

New provincial power to appoint municipal police commission members has the potential to nearly double the size of the local law enforcement oversight body, according to new city analysis of changes to the Police Act late last year.

Last month the News broke the story in the days leading up to the provincial election that the province had already named two new members in late April, but they theoretically can’t join the body until cities amended their commission bylaws.

Council’s administrative and legislative review committee heard the issue Wednesday.

Coun. Andy McGrogan, the committee’s chair and a former police chief, said he still has concerns about the change, and questions – but some answers – might be presented before a council vote on the bylaw this summer.

“We still don’t know what the goal is from the provincial government’s standpoint,” he told the News on Thursday, the day after his committee dealt with the proposed bylaw change.

“I’d invite Danielle Smith to Medicine Hat to explain it.”

It’s common in other provinces for provincial governments to appoint members to local boards, and Premier and local MLA Danielle Smith told the News during the campaign the measure would create better alignment between Edmonton and ground-level policing throughout the province.

But, municipal councils in both Calgary and Edmonton voiced concerns, and during the election blocked the change by refusing to amend local bylaws to reconstitute the make-up of the board.

Background information presented to a city committee Wednesday states the province could name a total of six additional members to the commission that now has seven seats. That would bring the maximum number of seats stated in the bylaw to 13.

McGrogan also said there is concern over costs, qualifications and vetting processes for provincial members.

“If they’re taking (board) training courses or are attending conferences, who pays for that,” he asked. “I’m not concerned about the people, but the process.”

Local elected officials voted in late 2022 to evaluate the Police Commission bylaw to determine if a dedicated seat for representation of the Indigenous community was required, and also to strengthen language about the body’s role in financial oversight.

Proposed changes in the draft amendment include the need for council to consider “cultural diversity,” reflecting the larger community as a requirement in selecting the make-up of new members. Currently, only the City of St. Albert’s agreement with the RCMP includes such criteria.

The local commission comprises seven public members, including two sitting members of city council. Vacancies for public member seats are filled each December by secret ballot vote among council members of qualified applicants.

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