Proposed changes to police act would amount to 'takeover of a police service' by province: Winnipeg mayor

WinnipegMayor Brian Bowman has targeted a report to Manitoba's justice minister on suggested reforms toprovincial policing legislation, calling some of the recommendations apotential attack on local democracy.

Justice Minister Cameron Friesenresponded that Bowman should"stop his complaining."

The review,completed last fall by theCommunity Safety Knowledge Alliance a Saskatoon-based non-profit think tankprovided 70 recommendations on overhaulingManitoba'sPolice Services Act.

Those includereforming police oversight from theLaw Enforcement Review Agencyand the Winnipeg Police Service's professional standards unit, as well as theIndependent Investigation Unit of Manitoba, which is mandated to investigate all serious incidents involving police in the province.

The report also proposesa significantincrease in authority and governance on policing issues fortheManitoba Police Commission.

The authors of the report include former RCMP officers, a criminologist and theexecutive director of the Ontario Association of Police Services Boards.

Bowman was prompted to raise concerns after a City of Winnipeg report on the recommendations was made public this week.

"Effectively it's a takeover of a police service by a provincial government," Bowman told reporters Thursday.

Many of the report's recommendations are based on comparisons with how other provinces and their municipalities manage oversight of police services.

Bowman's concerns speak to other proposals in the Safety Alliance report.

Among those are replacingtwo municipal appointees on the Winnipeg Police Board with two provincial appointees.

The report also suggests the boardbecome the employer of thepolice chiefand take responsibility for collective bargaining with the union representing officers.

"If these recommendations move forward, the province will have full control over the Winnipeg Police Service, less input from residents, and they will dictate the price the city must pay," Bowman said.

Winnipeg's mayor urged provincial MLAs to speak out about some of the changes.

The justice minister's response was swift and pointed, with Friesen saying he's met with St. James Coun. Scott Gillingha, who is thecity's finance chair, and St. Norbert Coun. Markus Chambers, who chairs the Winnipeg Police Board.

"I encourage the mayor to stop his complaining, speak further with his own city councillors about our recent meetings, and commit to engage in this important work that we are committed to moving forward," Friesen wrote in an email late Thursday.

Chambers told CBC News earlier this weekhe sees some of the proposed changes as"problematic," and is "OK with the way it [the police board] is set up now."

He was emphatically opposed to therecommendation the province take over the responsibility from the city for selectingboard members, saying those non-elected appointees would be beholden to the province.

He said, however, he'd like to see members of Winnipeg's police board withmore expertise in finance issues and hopes to see someone with a background in mental health issues appointed to the board.

In his email, Friesen said no decisions on the recommendations have been made yet and the government was engaged with numerous municipal and community stakeholders.

"The work continues with the Manitoba Justice team undertaking outreach and consultations to further inform our path forward," Friesen wrote.