The mayor of Lakeshore is concerned about a move by the provincial government to restructure Ontario Provincial Police service boards.
Tom Bain says the province wants the OPP boards to amalgamate as part of changes made to the Police Services Act in the government’s Safer Ontario Act, which was passed in March.
Locally, that would be the boards for the OPP in Essex, Kingsville, Lakeshore, Tecumseh and Leamington.
Bain tells CTV News it was the main topic of interest at the Ontario Association of Police Service Boards conference in Windsor last week.
Bain admits the regulations are still incomplete, but he expects the five police service boards may dissolve into one or two under the provincial mandate.
Bain says his biggest concern is ensuring each community has a voice on the 'new look' board.
“That we get proper representation,” admits Bain. “That in all this amalgamation we don't really lose our voice in what's happening.”
Bain also tells CTV Windsor that policing is one of those issues that impacts everyone, and the role of a police board is to listen to citizens concerns.
“We are at the local government, municipal government and the people that elect us feel strongly that we need a voice of what's happening with policing in the area,” says Bain.
