EdmontonPoliceCommission

The Edmonton Police Commission is composed of a 12-member civilian board, seven appointed by council, three appointed by the provincial government and two City Council members, Anne Stevenson and Jo-Anne Wright. Growing tensions in the relationship between council and the commission led to the Police Commission requesting that the two City Councillors be replaced with two members of the public.

Tensions between City Council and the Police Commission run high, but John McDougall, chairman of the Edmonton Police Commission, told council the tension isn’t the reason why this is being recommended. McDougall said a 2023 governance review by an external consultant was the reason for the commission’s recommendations.

On Tuesday city council considered the recommendation and voted 11-2 to not make any changes to the makeup of the Police Commission.....at least for now.

Edmonton City Council will meet on September 10th to consider a request to replace its two members on the Edmonton Police Commission with community appointees. Jo-Anne Wright and Anne Stevenson are the city council members who would transfer their seats to two council appointees, increasing the majority of appointees on the 13-membe board The request to change the makeup of the Police Commission comes at a time when tensions between the commission and council are strained. Read the JOURNAL article below to familiarize yourself with the pros and cons associated with the request.