The recent civic election means some changes are coming to the New Westminster police board.
Mayor-elect Patrick Johnstone will soon take on the role as chair of the New Westminster police board – a role filled by the mayor. He’s set to be sworn in as mayor on Nov. 7 and to chair his first police board meeting later in the month.
New Westminster Police Department Chief Const. Dave Jansen said Johnstone will be sworn into the board in early November.
“I haven't worked out exactly with him and his schedule, what that will look like,” he told the Record. “But we do have several meetings planned in November with the board. So, obviously, we'll have to get up to speed.”
Jansen said some tentative dates have been up for the board to meet in January. He noted that the civic election has kind of delayed the board’s normal schedule for dealing with the police department’s annual budget.
“As per the Police Act, we're required to have an approved budget by the end of November,” he said. “It doesn't mean that the board and council couldn't … adapt it or change it if both parties agree, but by statute, the board has to have an approved budget by the end of November.”
Jansen said the police board also wants to meet with city council to discuss its thoughts on the NWPD’s budget, something that’s happened in past years. He said that will include outlining some of the cost pressures affecting the police department’s budget.
“Hopefully, they can have a great meeting with council, which I'm sure they will,” he said.
The police department’s budget has been a hot topic in recent budget cycles.
In January 2022, two city councillors (Nadine Nakagawa and Mary Trentadue) voted against the city’s five-year financial plan bylaw because it included an increase to the police department’s budget. At $34.4 million, the NWPD’s budget is the largest of all city departments.
In 2021, council voted four to three to send the requested budget increase back to the police board and ask it to return with a budget having a zero per cent increase. The board rejected that request and said it would take the issue to the Minister of Public Safety to adjudicate, with council eventually supporting the requested budget increase.
In an election questionnaire to the Record, Johnstone said he has an excellent working relationship with Jansen and the NWPD.
“The NWPD budget has not been cut, but has increased 18 per cent since 2019, which is larger than the 12 per cent overall increase in city spending over that same period,” he wrote in the questionnaire. “At the same time, council’s ability to be held accountable for the police budget is hampered by the current Police Act structure that asks council to approve a budget, but removes any direct oversight of how it is spent. New West has joined other communities across the province in asking for a review of the Police Act to improve accountability in police budgeting.”
Vacancies
Johnstone will soon take on his role as chair of the New Westminster police board – at a time when there will be two vacancies on the board.
Ruby Campbell, who had been appointed to the police board in November 2021, can no longer serve on the board as she was elected to New Westminster city council.
“The Police Act, specifically states that you can't be a councillor and on the Police Board,” Jansen said.
The police department has reached out to Police Services in Victoria to determine whether Campbell needs to formally resign or if it’s something that occurs automatically when a candidate is elected to city council.
Campbell’s departure from the police board brings the number of vacancies on the board to two.
Jansen noted that board members Sasha Ramnarine and Karim Hachlaf left the board in recent months – Ramnarine’s term came to and end and Hachlaf stepped down just because of other commitments.
Jansen said one replacement was named to the police board, but it’s still down two board members. He said the province oversees the process of recruiting and selecting the new board members.
Heather Boersma, Drew Hart, Shirley Heafey and Patrick Lalonde are the current members of the New Westminster police board.
Follow Theresa McManus on Twitter @TheresaMcManus
Email tmcmanus@newwestrecord.ca
