Councillor Prue expressed his disappointment over the motion to hire a regional policing consultant. I hope he has a better understanding of how disappointed people with disabilities in Amherstburg are; twice he has publicly declared that in this town we have not brought it (AODA) into force.

During the April 16 Essex County Council meeting, Warden Hilda MacDonald introduced the regional policing study cost of engaging a consultant as a result of Councillor Sherry Bondy’s April 2 Notice of Motion regarding the cost of engaging a consultant to perform a regional policing study. 

Bondy brought it forward for a topic of discussion; THAT Essex County Council direct administration to provide a report on the cost estimate for engaging a consultant to perform a feasibility study on regional policing at the June 4 meeting. Councillor Shepley seconded.

Bondy then stated that she would not be supporting this motion, but she wanted to say that she thinks they’ve had a healthy conversation here and she went back and Essex Council also had a healthy conversation about the timing of investigating regional policing, and although it’s something they didn’t want to investigate right now, she personally spoke: she didn’t want to ask administration to spend any time on this. It doesn’t mean that in the future, this may not be a discussion that they want to have, perhaps in the next term of council. So, she did not support her motion, but just wanted to say that she would not be supporting her motion, but she didn’t want to slam the door.

After seeking clarification from the county clerk, Councillor Akpata declared a conflict of interest due to his responsibilities bound by the Windsor Police Services Board.

Listen to the audio of Councillor Prue. Text transcript below.

I want to say how disappointed I am that the mover is not supporting her own motion. The staff very kindly sent us all a study from, I think it was 1997 signed by Bob Runciman. Now I knew Bob Runciman; he was in the legislature through most of the time that I was there. He was quite the law and order guy, and very, very good on police issues, and his report very clearly says, and I know it’s dated, it’s 30 years old, but the best way for Essex County going forward was to have the OPP run the various municipalities and have an overarching body which would be efficient and save money. And so I’m disappointed it’s being withdrawn, because I don’t think that’s really changed in the or not been withdrawn, sorry, that she’s not supporting her own motion. I will support her motion, because I do think going forward, it’s not going to cost very much money to look at that report and see whether or not there are cost savings to go forward, if it isn’t in this term of Council, it can be ready for the next term of Council, but I think we should start the ball rolling tonight. (There are well documented savings; the cost of policing is readily available to all municipalities to compare so it would be a waste of taxpayer money to hire a consultant).

Warden MacDonald read the motion: THAT Essex County Council direct administration to provide a report on the cost estimate for engaging a consultant to perform a feasibility study for regional policing at the June 4 meeting.

Without further discussion, the electronic vote indicated that Prue, Gibb and MacDonald were the only ones to vote in favour; therefore motion failed.