Part 1: PEC Police Services Board Approves Mental Health Funding and Reviews 2023 Policing Report - 02/22/2024
- PECConnect
- Feb 22, 2024
- 3 min read
The meeting opened with the formal election of board leadership. A new Chair and Vice Chair were selected, after which the agenda was confirmed with one late addition related to a Lunch and Learn proposal. Previous meeting minutes were approved, and there were no public comments or deputations.
View the entire PEC Council meeting, or continue to speaker comments and councillor votes>
Community Safety and Well-Being Plan funding
The main discussion focused on the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, specifically the Mental Health and Problematic Substance Use Action Team. Staff presented a request for up to $5,000 to continue using a professional facilitator to support the work of this action team.
Board members discussed how mental health collaboration has been difficult since the pandemic. Agencies are stretched, understaffed, and often work in silos. The conversation shifted from short-term support toward a longer, more meaningful commitment that would allow trust-building and real coordination between agencies.
The board agreed that a brief three-month effort would not be enough. The proposal was expanded to up to $10,000 for approximately one year of facilitation support. The intent was to allow time for agencies to properly engage, define their roles, and reduce repeat police calls related to mental health crises.
Online training requirements
The board reviewed correspondence from the province about mandatory online training related to upcoming policing legislation. Members expressed confusion about timelines, expectations, and access to the training. There was no clear guidance yet, and the board agreed to wait for further direction, including updates expected from an upcoming provincial summit.
Police activity and year-end reporting
A detailed 2023 year-end policing report was presented. It covered complaints, staffing, crime trends, calls for service, and community engagement.
Key themes included fewer calls for service overall, no traffic fatalities in 2023, fewer break-and-enters, stable impaired driving numbers, and an increase in fraud and criminal harassment cases. Most public complaints against officers were screened out or resolved early, with no findings of misconduct.
The board discussed how crime statistics should be interpreted carefully, especially where increases reflect reporting changes or economic pressures rather than new patterns of harm.
Community engagement and prevention
The board heard about proactive work including school safety efforts, senior fraud education, traffic enforcement tied to collision data, and ongoing community outreach. There was strong interest in sharing more positive public-facing information, especially around declining calls for service and prevention efforts.
Lunch and Learn initiative
The board approved up to $500 to support a Lunch and Learn program focused on mental health and substance use awareness for first responders. Members emphasized the value of these sessions for officer wellness and leadership support, and encouraged board participation.
Upcoming legislation and meeting schedule
The board scheduled a special meeting for March 21, 2024, ahead of new provincial legislation coming into force April 1. The meeting will focus on understanding and preparing for the Community Safety and Policing Act. There was also discussion about meeting frequency. Some members felt long gaps between meetings risk missing emerging issues and weakening oversight. As a result, an April 18 regular meeting was scheduled, with an interest in more consistent meetings going forward.
The meeting adjourned at 11:24 a.m.
Key Takeaways
The board committed more funding and time to mental health coordination, recognizing short-term fixes will not work.
Police calls for service and serious incidents are trending downward, showing positive local impact.
The board is preparing for major legislative change but still lacks clear guidance from the province.
Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 1:19:20. Due to the length of the meeting, our team was not able to independently review the full recording in its entirety. As a result, we relied on software-generated transcription, automated summarization, and automated recognition of speakers and participants, which may not be entirely accurate. All transcriptions, summaries, and related content are prepared by our team in good faith and on a reasonable best-efforts basis. The content is provided for general informational purposes only and is intended to support public understanding of the topics discussed. While reasonable efforts have been made to present the information accurately, automated processes may result in errors, omissions, or unintended misinterpretations. This article does not constitute an official, certified, or verbatim record of the meeting, and it should not be relied upon as such. Readers are encouraged to consult original source materials, official minutes, or recordings where available for confirmation or clarification. Questions, requests for clarification, or suggested corrections may be submitted to hello@pecconnect.ca for review and consideration.
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