Windsor City Council has approved a move to expand the number of members on the Windsor Police Service Board of Directors.
Council is adding two more board members, bringing the total to seven for the body that oversees police in Windsor and Amherstburg.
Under Ontario's new Community Safety and Policing Act, police service boards are allowed to have either five, seven, or nine members.
One of the new members must be a member of city council, while the province will appoint someone to fill the other seat.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens says the new legislation that governs policing in Ontario gives city council an opportunity to decide what size of board they want.
"So there's now a new process where anyone who's put forward has to go through vetting, so it's not just as-of-right once council votes; it is what it is. Once we get to the end of that process, we'll be happy to announce who that councillor is, and the province will have to do the same vetting on their side when they make their Order in Council appointment," he says.
Dilkens says the new police act has more requirements on the board for different work and accountability.
"It requires, I think, more hands around the table to make sure we're hitting the mark and certainly having more eyes on the function of policing because it's so important and there's such high sensitivity to the work police do. Making sure that we have two more members who can help row the boat and make sure we're hitting the provincial legislative marks, I think, is really, really important," he says.
Dilkens currently serves as chair of the board.
Ward 6 Councillor Jo-Anne Gignac and Sophia Chisholm also serve on the board, as appointed by city council.
Robert de Verteuil and John Elliott serve as provincial appointees on the board.
Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue is also a member of the board, but only in an advisory role.
