Stratford Police Services Board

Stratford Police Service Board:

Every municipality in Ontario that maintains a police force (service) is required to have a Police Services Board.

Here in Stratford, we have a five member board and pursuant to the Community Safety and Policing Act (which replaced the Police Services Act), our board consists of:

two members of city council;
a person appointed by a resolution of council who is neither a member of council nor an employee of the municipality; and
two citizens appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.

Current members of the Stratford Police Services Board:

Steve Cousins, Chair - Provincial Appointee
Mayor Martin Ritsma - Member of City Council
Councillor Harjinder Nijjar - Member of City Council

Individuals who cannot be a member of a Police Services Board:

judges
justices of the peace;
police officers; and
persons who practice criminal law as defence counsel.

Police Service Boards are responsible for:

Responsibilities for police service boards are set out in section 37 of the Community Safety and Policing Act and include:

Ensuring the provision of adequate and effective policing
Employing members of the police service
Appointing members of the police service as police officers
Recruiting and appointing the Chief of Police and any Deputy Chief of Police and determining their remuneration and working conditions, taking their submissions into account
Monitoring the Chief's performance
Conducting a review of the chief of police's performance at least annually in accordance with the regulations made by the Minister, if any
Monitoring the chief of police's decisions regarding the restrictions on secondary activities set out in Section 89 and reviewing the reports from the chief of police on those decisions
Monitoring the chief of police's handling of discipline within the police service
Ensuring that any police facilities used by the Board comply with any prescribed standards
Preparing and adopting a diversity plan
Preparing and adopting a strategic plan

The oversight of Ontario’s police services by civilian boards, which ensure that police services operate at arm’s length from their respective municipal councils, is a governance model that is admired around the globe.

Interesting facts concerning our Police Service Board include:

The Police Service Board submits its annual operating budget and an annual capital budget to City Council.
Members of the police service, whether they were appointed by the board or not, are under the board’s jurisdiction.
The board may give order and directions to the Chief of Police, but not to other members of the police service, and no individual member of the board shall give orders or directions to any member of the police service.
The board shall not direct the Chief of Police with respect to specific operational decisions or with respect to the day-to-day operation of the police service.

Meeting Minutes:

2025 Meeting Minutes

2024 Meeting Minutes:

January 17, 2024

February 21, 2024

March 13, 2024