At its in-camera Council meeting on July 4th, 2012, Esquimalt Council formulated its next steps in response to the recent decision by the Ministry of Justice to maintain an amalgamated police department and board structure for policing in Victoria and Esquimalt.
Council’s action plan comprises:
- Directing that the Ministry of Justice mediator’s report be added to the public agenda for the Monday July 9, 2012 Council meeting for full public discussion.
- Seeking legal advice regarding jurisdiction under the Community Charter and the Police Act in the provision of policing services in the community.
- Requesting that both VicPD and the RCMP, the two policing services proponents who submitted proposals under RFP # ESQ-01-11, release their proposals to the public.
All interested members of the public and media representatives are invited to attend the July 9th meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers at Municipal Hall, 1229 Esquimalt Road. Esquimalt Council will be in summer recess from July 10 to August 12, 2012.
Background:
The Esquimalt Policing and Law Enforcement Advisory Panel has been involved in a process driven by public input since June of 2010, when it was established by provincial Order in Council #303 by the Ministry of Justice. Along with gathering public input, the Panel conducted research, collected data from other communities, conducted a rigorous RFP process, and provided policing recommendations to Township Council, which were forwarded to the Provincial Ministry of Justice. The Ministry, on June 27 2012, rejected these recommendations and instead accepted the recommendations from an independent mediator to maintain the current amalgamated police department and board.
Independent Mediator's Report on Victoria and Esquimalt Policing
For more information, please contact:
Barbara Desjardins, Mayor of Esquimalt
Phone: 250-883-1944