City councillor resigns from ‘dysfunctional’ Winnipeg Police Board

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This article was published 07/03/2022 (1281 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Coun. Brian Mayes has resigned from the Winnipeg Police Board, deeming its relationship with city council “dysfunctional.”

In a tweet Monday morning, Mayes revealed he would no longer serve as a member of the civilian board, which oversees the Winnipeg Police Service.

“Earlier today, I resigned from the Winnipeg Police Board. While I continue to support the efforts of the chair, Coun. (Markus) Chambers, I believe the board’s relationship with city council has become dysfunctional, with ongoing arguments over respective roles and jurisdiction,” Mayes posted on his Twitter account.

In a Monday interview, The St. Vital councillor declined to elaborate on why he framed the relationship using that term.

Mayes noted the police board is required through provincial legislation. He urges the Manitoba government to “consider other alternatives for civilian oversight of policing.”

“I do think (the province) should look at something other than what we’ve got now, that’s for sure,” he said.

Heated debates over the police board have taken place during recent public meetings.

In November, Coun. Sherri Rollins complained about the board answering some budget questions on behalf of the WPS, which she claimed impeded the finance committee’s ability to get details directly from police.

“I think this meeting will go down in history as the moment where we cease to have civilian oversight in the police,” Rollins said at the time.

During the most recent Winnipeg Police Board meeting, on March 4, Rollins suggested board members should either ask tough questions over the police response to a recent anti-COVID-19 mandate protest in the Manitoba capital or resign their roles.

The weeks-long demonstration near the legislature triggered complaints over noise, verbal harassment and traffic offences.

The chairman of the police board said some dysfunction has been created by the fact the city hasn’t updated its bylaws to clarify the board doesn’t, and shouldn’t, report directly to a standing policy committee at city hall.

“It is dysfunctional because the bylaws have to be updated… (We need to) update those organizational bylaws to ensure that there’s no meddling from other standing policy committees, with respect to the work that’s being undertaken by the Winnipeg Police Board,” said Chambers.

He noted there are two clear exceptions to that rule: finance committee handles WPS budget overrun requests; council sets the overall size of the WPS budget.

Chambers said the police board is an effective oversight body that should not be eliminated.

“We’re nowhere near at that stage where people need to consider a mass exodus of the Winnipeg Police Board. There is room for improvement and with (those) improvements will come greater accountability,” the St. Norbert-Seine River councillor said.

A spokesperson said WPS Chief Danny Smyth met Monday with Mayes for a “private conservation” and would not comment publicly on the resignation.

After the March 4 meeting, Smyth said the board does hold police accountable: “We spend a lot of time on finance. They set the strategic direction.”

Council selected Mayes to join the police board in November 2020. Council can fill the board position with a council member or citizen or opt to leave it vacant, said Felicia Wiltshire, Winnipeg communications director.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga