Councillor Gregory Ridge joins Kingston Police Services Board

King's Town District Councillor Gregory Ridge will be one of two new faces on the Kingston Police Services Board (KPSB) in 2025.

At a swearing-in ceremony at Kingston Police Headquarters on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, all present members of the board renewed their oaths alongside the new appointee.

The Honourable Justice Graeme Mew presided over the ceremony, adding a bit of pomp to the proceedings. 

“It's a real privilege to be invited to conduct the formal swearing-in of one new member of the Police Services Board, but also to effectively refresh the oaths of the other members of the board, [taking] into account that the government legislation has changed since you last did that,” Mew said. He called swearing in new officers one of the perks of his job, and he joked that Kingston Chief of Police Scott Fraser is a regular customer of his at the courthouse, “for all the good reasons.” 

“I think we've developed a very nice tradition in Kingston of recognizing the importance of the public service that members of the public do when they become officers,” Mew noted. “A lot of communities don't do it the way we do here in Kingston, and I think it's a nice tradition that I attend, [one that] I'm sure my colleagues at the court intend to continue.” 

With that, he invited each of the board members forward to renew their oaths: “I solemnly swear (affirm) that I will uphold the Constitution of Canada, which recognizes and affirms Aboriginal and treaty rights of Indigenous peoples, and that I will, to the best of my ability, discharge my duties as a member of the Kingston Police Service faithfully, impartially and according to the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019, any other Act, and any regulation, rule or by-law.”

Vice-Chair Mayor Bryan Paterson, provincial appointee Christian Leuprecht, community member Gail MacAllister, and Councillor Jimmy Hassan were followed by Councillor Gregory Ridge, who is new to the KPSB. Chair Jarrod Stearns was absent from the meeting.

Ridge’s appointment follows a Kingston City Council vote in October to add two new members to the existing five-member police board in the new year: one councillor and one public appointee.

"It is an honour and privilege to be appointed as a new member of the Kingston Police Services Board. Community safety is a top priority for me and for my constituents, and policing is a critical component of ensuring everyone is safe in their communities. I am looking forward to working with my fellow board members and Kingston Police to continue and build upon engagement and various initiatives," Ridge told Kingstonist after the meeting.

"Increasing diversity within the force, establishing clearer and more consistent channels of communication between the Kingston Police and communities, and bolstering financial sustainability for operations are all key commitments that I aim to focus on as a board member."

The Police Services Board, which governs the Kingston police department, hasn’t changed its size in several decades. But new provincial legislation, which no longer correlates a police board's size with the municipality’s population, allows communities to pass a resolution to have a five-, seven-, or nine-member governing board.

Citing an increased concern for public safety, Mayor Paterson introduced the motion to expand the board to seven members, which passed unanimously at the Kingston City Council meeting held on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. Paterson had given notice to the board at its Thursday, Sep. 19, 2024, meeting that he would be bringing the motion to Council.

As stated on the Kingston Police Services Board website, "Effective January 1, 2025, by resolution of the Council of the City of Kingston the board shall be composed of seven (7) members: three (3) appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council and three (3)  appointed by Kingston City Council:  (the Mayor, or their delegate and two (2) Councillors appointed by Council resolution, as well as one (1) person appointed by Council resolution who is neither a member of Council nor an employee of the municipality)."

According to its mission statement, the Kingston Police Services Board must perform both a governance function and a civilian oversight function. The purpose of the governance function is to control and direct the development of policy as the vehicle for directing and influencing decisions made by the police force. The purpose of the civilian oversight function is to increase demonstrably public confidence in the provision of police services.

Order-in-council appointments are made through the Province of Ontario Public Appointments Secretariat. Information on this process may be obtained from the province's website. 

In response to inquiries from Kingstonist, Lorie Sargeant, Board Administrator with the KPSB, indicated that it is unknown when the province will announce its appointee to the board, which is done by the Solicitor General's office.

"The Solicitor General has not appointed a provincial appointee to the Kingston Police Service Board," Sargeant told Kingstonist in an email.

"The Solicitor General’s office will advise the Board when they advise the provincial appointee."