Police Association to elect president in December

The Edmonton Police Association will elect new leadership in December after a year with an interim president at the helm.

The association, which represents sworn Edmonton Police Service (EPS) members, has been without a permanent president since August 2016, when Maurice Brodeur was removed pending an internal investigation after publicly criticizing the leadership style of police Chief Rod Knecht.

The association said at the time the internal investigation related to the organization’s bylaws as a result of Brodeur’s comments.

The association negotiates collective agreements and handles work environment issues for about 2,000 EPS members.

Insp. Bob Walsh has been serving as interim president. Walsh said last week he is not running for the position and plans to step back into the vice-president role.

Brodeur, at the time a sergeant, was partway through his threeyear term. He had cited a union survey of officers that said a “culture of fear” existed among members.

He called for an independent review of the service.

Knecht later said he welcomed a review if members asked for one, but took issue with the personal criticism, saying he has “very little discretion” over the way he leads the force due to provincial legislation.

Brodeur, who has since retired, declined to comment last week.

Until recently, the association’s bylaws did not allow for byelections to fill vacant posts, Walsh said, which is why an election has not been held in the meantime.

“Our bylaws don’t dictate that we can have a byelection,” he said. “We’ve revamped our bylaws and hopefully we’ll pass them next month that will give us power and authority to do a byelection if need be.”

Edmonton has had a police association since 1919. The modern association was formed after the passage of the 1953 Police Act to provide for collective bargaining by police officers.

Tony Simioni, a retired police officer and president of the association before Brodeur, said the president serves as a media spokesperson, assists officers accused of misconduct and manages staff on a daily basis, he said.

Simioni said the president should be someone with specific experience in running association affairs.

The president is elected to a three-year term, Walsh said. Nominations are due by Nov. 17, with elections to be held Dec. 4 to 8.