Russell County OPP Detachment Board

A. Purpose

While it is the legislative mandate of the Detachment Board to work with the Detachment Commander to make decisions where appropriate and submit information to the Councils in other matters in accordance with the Community Safety and Policing Act (CSPA), the purpose of OPP Detachment Board is to:

1. Comply with the prescribed standards, if any, with respect to the exercise of its powers and the performance of its duties under the Act;
2. make decisions on matters within their jurisdiction and provide advice and information to Municipal Councils on specialized matters as outlined in the Act;
3. facilitate public input on programs and ideas when appropriate and approved by the Detachment Board to ensure the work of the Board is representative of the communities they serve;
4. make decisions in enhancing the quality of life and ensuring the safety and security of all persons and property in the community, in keeping with the Minister’s Strategic Plan and the Detachment Board strategic plan or the annual objectives and principles as established by the Detachment Board; and
5. conduct itself in keeping with the prescribed Code of Conduct under the CSPA (Section 35(6)) and in keeping with the Detachment Board’s Procedural By-law.

B. Roles and Responsibilities

Per Section 68 (1) of the Community Safety and Policing Act, the OPP Detachment Board’s roles shall include:

1. Consulting with the Commissioner regarding the selection of a detachment commander and otherwise participate in accordance with the regulations in the selection of the detachment commander;
2. Determining objectives and priorities for the detachment, not inconsistent with the strategic plan prepared by the Minister, after consultation with the detachment commander or his or her designate;
3. Advising the detachment commander with respect to policing provided by the detachment;
4. Monitoring the performance of the detachment commander;
5. Reviewing the reports of the detachment commander regarding policing provided by the detachment; and
6. On or before June 30 in each year, providing an annual report to the municipalities regarding the policing provided by the detachment in their municipalities.

C. Authority

Authority delegation is restricted to the scope described in Section 42 of the CSPA.

The OPP Detachment Board members:

1. Shall ensure that all outgoing communications are in accordance with the Detachment Board’s policies;
2. Shall not communicate externally on behalf of the Detachment Board except as authorized by the Detachment Board;
3. Shall not post independently to social media but rather social media postings shall be forwarded to the Detachment Board Administrative Assistant for distribution which may be shared by the Detachment Board members;
4. Shall not authorize any expenditures outside their Detachment Board approved budget unless authorized by each of the Councils of the OPP policed communities comprised by the Board;
5. Shall have the authority to undertake special projects, or research matters that arise and that are within the scope of these Terms of Reference. The responsibility for these assignments remains with the Detachment Board or designate.

D. Reports To

The Detachment Board reports to the respective Municipal Councils comprising the Detachment Board as required in accordance with the CSPA.

E. Composition

Unless otherwise determined by Provincial Legislation, membership shall be comprised of four (4) Council representatives based on one (1) per OPP policed municipality, three (3) community representatives to be comprised of an uneven number of board members and two (2) provincial representatives.

1. Qualifications of the Community Representatives
   • To qualify for the Community Representative on the Detachment Board, applicants must be eligible to vote in the respective municipality they are appointed from.
   • Community Representatives shall not be employees of their respective Municipality.
   • Preference will be given to people demonstrating knowledge or experience specific to the subject Committee / Board.
2. Appointments to the Detachment Board
   • i.    Appointments to the Detachment Board shall be made in accordance with the provisions of Section 33 of the Act.
   • ii.   Council Appointments to the Detachment Board shall be made by the respective municipal Council;
   • iii.  Community Appointments to the Detachment Board shall be made by all 4 municipal Council; three (3) total for the 4 municipalities.  In considering Community Appointments, preference should be given to Municipalities who do not have a provincial appointee and persons demonstrating knowledge or experience in one (1) or more of the following areas:
     • Finance
     • Social Services
     • Education
     • Governance
     • Legal
     • Health Care
     • Mental Health
   • iv.   Provincial Appointments to the Detachment Board shall be made by the Provincial Government.
3. Term of Membership
   • The Term of office for Council and Community Appointees on the Detachment Board shall be concurrent with the term of Council.
   • The Term of office for Provincial Appointees on the Detachment Board shall be as determined by the Provincial Government.
4. Absence
   • Any Community Representative who is absent from three (3) consecutive regular meetings without leave of absence or without satisfactory reason shall forthwith cease to be a member and the Administrative Assistant shall advise the liaison so that the vacancy may be filled.
5. Resignation of Representatives:
   • Any Council or Community Representatives wishing to resign shall provide their resignation in writing to the Chair (or Vice-Chair if the Chair is resigning) with a copy to the Administrative Assistant and shall notify the liaison so that a replacement may be appointed.
   • Any Provincial Representative wishing to resign shall provide their resignation in writing to the Chair with a copy to the administrative assistant and shall notify the Provincial Appointments Secretariat so that a replacement may be appointed.
6. Filling Vacancies:
   • Vacancies of Council and Community Representatives shall be filled at the discretion of the respective Municipal Councils and within 3 months of the vacancy occurring.
   • Vacancies of Provincial Representatives shall be filled at the discretion of the province.
7. Responsible Party:
   • The Administrative assistant appointed by the Detachment Board shall be responsible for all actions of the Detachment Board unless delegated otherwise by the Detachment Board in accordance with Section 42 of the CSPA.
8. Structure:
   • Chair and Vice-Chair

• • • In accordance with Section 36(1) of the CSPA, the Chair and Vice-Chair shall be elected annually at the first meeting of each year by a vote of the majority of the Detachment Board members.
    • In the absence of the Chair at a meeting, the Vice-Chair shall Chair the meeting. In the absence of both the Chair and Vice-Chair at a meeting, an Acting Chair shall be elected at the beginning of the meeting for the duration of that meeting.
  • Support Resources
    • i) The Detachment Board shall determine the support resources it requires to assist them with fulfilling their roles.
    • ii) Recording Secretary: The Recording Secretary shall be the administrative assistant appointed annually by the Detachment Board members at the first meeting each year and shall act as the Recording Secretary for the Board’s meetings.

 F. Procedures

1. All applicable Federal, Provincial and Municipal legislation and regulations shall be adhered to. This includes, but is not limited to:
   • i)   The CSPA and its regulations
   • ii)  Code of Conduct Regulation
   • iii) The Detachment Board’s
     • a.  Accountability and Transparency Policy
     • b. Procedural By-law
     • c. Procurement By-law;
     • d. Terms of Reference; and
   • iv) The Detachment Board shall determine the frequency of reviewing its documents identified in 1.iii) and amending them, as necessary.
2. The Detachment Board shall meet at least four (4) times per year, preferably every third Thursday of every three month, where possible and/or at such time and place as the Board Chair or Board determines necessary and shall publish its annual meeting schedule on the Russell Township website. The schedule shall include at least four (4) regular meetings per year with allowances for summer and Christmas breaks.
3. Unless excluded by legislation, all Detachment Board members eligible to vote, including the Chair, shall vote.
4. The Detachment Board may solicit, document, and consider public input where appropriate.
5. The agenda shall be distributed and posted at least seven (7) days before the Detachment Board meetings on the Russell Township website.
6. The minutes shall be posted once approved by the Detachment Board, in a timely fashion on the Russell Township’s website.
7. Provide the approved minutes, signed by the Chair and Recording Secretary, to the Clerk of the Russell Township for official record keeping. With respect to the last meeting prior to an election, the minutes shall be approved per the Procedural By-law.

G. Quorum

Greater than 50% of the Detachment Board members eligible to vote and not excluded by legislation shall constitute quorum.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) provide policing services to the Townships of Russell County on a contractual basis. If you have specific concerns or comments about the Police Services, please contact any member of the Police Services Board or the Detachment Commander at 613-443-4499.