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For Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, recommending a prominent youth psychiatrist to chair the Ottawa Police Providers Board was about backing the very best particular person for the job.
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“However clearly Dr. (Gail) Beck’s expertise within the space of psychological well being has extraordinary worth right now,” the mayor stated Tuesday.
Council members will think about at their Wednesday assembly whether or not to nominate Beck to the board charged with governance of the Ottawa Police Service, in addition to one other ask by a variety panel that they advocate Beck as its chair.
A member of that panel, in addition to the police board, Sutcliffe was requested in a Tuesday interview about any message residents ought to take from the advice of Beck – the interim chief of workers and psychiatrist-in-chief on the Royal Ottawa Psychological Well being Centre, in addition to the scientific director of youth psychiatry at The Royal.
Beck’s appointment comes at a time of reckoning — in society, and inside metropolis corridor — with the function of the police on the subject of psychological heath and addictions. The town, with the involvement of the Ottawa Police Service and different institutional and group companions, has been engaged in work to arrange an alternate response to such calls.
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“The sign that I hope we’re sending with this, is that this can be a actually essential function and that there are some terrific folks in our group … who need to make investments their time and vitality and need to commit themselves to serving to discover options round policing going ahead and need to be concerned in that dialogue,” stated Sutcliffe, about Beck’s potential appointment.
His marketing campaign stance included a promise to not defund the police, however quite, “modernize our emergency providers to make sure we’re delivering a safer Ottawa for everybody.”
Whereas there was some pushback across the council desk, the 2023 Ottawa police finances finally handed with out change to what the pressure had requested; it was based mostly on 2.5-per cent enhance to the police levy on property tax payments endorsed by council and the police board.
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Greater than 100 folks utilized for the council-appointed, public-member place on the board, in keeping with a workers report, and 4 folks had been interviewed by the choice panel. They had been jockeying for considered one of seven seats on the OPS oversight physique, and the one one which goes to a non-elected official appointed on the native authorities stage.
Sutcliffe – whose mayoral marketing campaign additionally included a promise to “recruit a powerful, impartial group member” to function police board chair – stated he was “actually happy on the calibre of candidates who utilized.”
In describing Beck as a “unbelievable alternative,” Sutcliffe famous her intensive board expertise. “And he or she may be very passionate and considerate and he or she’s a frontrunner.”
Historically, the chair’s function has been taken on by one of many metropolis council members on the board. It was Diane Deans final time period, and Eli El-Chantiry earlier than her.
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The mayor stated he may perceive why the put up wouldn’t be attraction to some folks, between the excessive visibility and scrutiny surrounding the police board, the protests it’s seen and the “assaults on social media.”
“And but we had loads of nice candidates, together with Dr. Beck, who put their names ahead. And I feel that sends a extremely robust sign that individuals are dedicated to the way forward for policing, and to the way forward for our metropolis.”
The board itself must elect Beck as chair to would exchange present public member Suzanne Valiquet. A communications marketing consultant and former board member, Valiquet returned throughout the board’s convoy-era membership shakeup and has been filling the seat on the head of the desk since El-Chantiry left workplace final fall.
The remainder of the board seats are occupied by three provincial appointees and three members of council – this time period, councillors Marty Carr and Cathy Curry, in addition to Sutcliffe.
In December, council voted to extend compensation for the public-member function to $54,000 yearly if chosen to chair the board, contemplating the duty of the function and time required. The earlier chair’s honorarium, which Valiquet receives, is $1,000 a month.
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