THUNDER BAY — The Thunder Bay Police Services Board has appointed a new chair and vice chair as it prepares to receive voting rights back next month.
Karen Machado was appointed as board chair during a meeting on Tuesday, while Denise Baxter was appointed vice-chair.
“I was very humbled and honoured that they thought of me in that regard,” Machado said. “I was surprised, pleasantly. I do believe I have what we need but I was very humbled and honoured to be selected.”
The previous chair of the board, Kristen Oliver, resigned in April 2022 along with members Roydon Pelletier and Michael Power just days after the Ontario Civilian Police Commission appointed administrator Malcolm Mercer to oversee the board.
The OCPC cited an emergency within board and that an administrator was necessary to restore proper governance.
Mercer has held the sole vote on the board since his appointment.
Machado, a member of the Red Rock Indian Band, was appointed to the board this January while Baxter, vice-provost of Indigenous initiatives at Lakehead University, joined a month later in February.
According to Machado, she was approached by Mercer asking if she was interested in becoming chair, saying there was consensus among the board members that she take on the role.
“I think I do have the skill set necessary. The team itself, the board, is very positive,” Machado said. “We are all committed. In that regard, I don’t see a challenge. We are all forward thinking and wanting to do what’s right for the board, the force, the city, and community surrounding us.”
Baxter said the appointment of herself and Machado into the role of vice-chair and chair reflect a recommendation that leadership of the board rest with members not appointed by city council.
“There are only two community members on the board. When I joined this board I knew there would be a time to step up,” Baxter said. “I think as a leader, in my particular world that I walk in, there is a time when you just have to step into those positions. It may not always be fun or convenient but they are necessary.”
Mercer's appointment as administrator continues until March 2024 after being extended in March of this year, one of several extensions implemented by the OCPC. The rest of the board will be permitted to vote again effective July 1, 2023.
And with board members once again having the right to vote, both Machado and Baxter said the members are ready.
But Machado said even though Mercer held the sole vote for more than a year, there was always consensus around the table.
“Although we don’t formally vote, we have open dialogue about it,” she said. “I do believe it is stable and we are set to move forward in.”
“Our discussions are really built around consensus,” Baxter added. “We have those opportunities to dialogue and hear those different points of view. I don’t see that changing.”
