Conduct of city’s police board and member now under review
A public complaint against a member of the city’s police services board is being investigated by a provincial oversight agency that will also examine the board’s conduct in handling the matter.
An allegation of misconduct against Walt Juchniewicz, the City of Hamilton’s civilian appointee, was made in a letter dated March 10. Details of the complaint haven’t been released.
The Spectator reported two weeks ago that Juchniewicz had to step aside from the board pending a probe by the Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC).
At its meeting Thursday, the police services board released a July 3 letter from the OCPC advising that it was investigating the public complaint, and that it will review “the conduct of the board as a whole and whether the board neglected its duties” in addressing the complaint.
The letter added there is no requirement for other board members besides Juchniewicz to step aside during the review.
It remains to be seen if a replacement member will be named for Juchniewicz during the probe, which could take “a number of months,” said board chair and city councillor Lloyd Ferguson.
He told The Spectator it is up to council to decide whether to name a replacement. Ferguson was named a replacement board member a few years ago when a member had to step aside during an OCPC review.
Ferguson said the police services board decided it would not advise council either way, but he hopes a fellow councillor will raise the issue at one of their final three meetings before the fall municipal election.
Juchniewicz is president and CEO of a satellite transmission company, and was appointed to the police board by city council in 2013. His term expires with the end of council’s term in 2018.
The OCPC letter explained that commission chair Linda Lamoureux ruled an investigation into the public complaint was warranted based on two sections of the code of conduct for police services board members:
• Section 10: Board members shall not use their office to advance their interests or the interests of any person or organization with whom or with which they are associated;
• Section 13: Board members shall refrain from engaging in conduct that would discredit or compromise the integrity of the board or the police force.