NEW BOARD POSITIONS
Bortolin tackles police issues
Coun. Rino Bortolin says his appointment to the Windsor Police Services Board is signal that city council wants transparency, openness and change.
“I won’t be shy to bring forward ideas or question, or press hard questions when necessary,” the second-term Ward 3 councillor said. He represents the downtown core, an area where a majority of police calls originate, due largely to escalating problems of opioid addiction and homelessness. Issues he wants to discuss around the police board table include: officers carrying the anti-overdose drug naloxone, something Chief Al Frederick has opposed; adopting more community-based policing initiatives to deal with problems in the core; and improved transparency when it comes to issues such as the recent controversy over how a 911 hang-up call from the chief ’s residence was handled. “When we’re looking at the issues plaguing both the board and the department right now, someone there to push the questions, push for openness, transparency, was one of the reasons you saw council support for my nomination on that board,” Bortolin said. He said issues such as the hangup 911 call could have been handled differently.
“I’m not saying anything was done wrong per se, but my M.O. is to be as open and transparent as possible and include the public in anything that is going on.” His appointment was one of more than 200 to be approved Monday, to about 40 committees, boards and agencies. A striking committee comprised of the entire council recommended them a week ago in a closed-door meeting. Many of the appointees are community volunteers. Councillors combed over their resumes last week to see who’s the best fit for the Transit Windsor Advisory Committee or the Committee of Adjustment. The councillors also appointed themselves, spreading out the work among dozens of boards and committees. Bortolin replaces the police board’s current vice chair, Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac, who had been on the board since 2011. Gignac couldn’t be reached Sunday. She had told AM800 that she put her name forward to serve again, but that “the will of council was to have somebody else represent.”
Mayor Drew Dilkens, who has chaired the police board the last four years, is the other recommended appointee.
“It was good to have strong council support,” was all that Bortolin said of what happened during the in-camera meeting.
“I was able to garner strong support from council because of how I’ve approached issues and how I haven’t backed down on issues.” Bortolin said he lobbied fellow councillors for the appointment, arguing that 85 per cent of calls for service for police come from an area that makes up about half his ward — the downtown. He’s been dealing with the opioid epidemic and homelessness issues since he was elected in 2014, and has seen those problems escalate in the last two years.
He’s organized Coffee with a Cop events and safety and security roundtables for downtowners to meet with officers, and talks regularly to police about downtown issues.
MAKEUP OF BOARDS AND COMMITTEES
The councillors each will be sitting on between six and 15 different boards and committees. Some of the recommended appointments include: Development and Heritage Standing Committee: Councillors Bortolin (chair), Chris Holt, Ed Sleiman, Irek Kusmierczyk and Jim Morrison; plus citizens Anthony Gyemi, Dorian Moore and Jake Rondot dealing with planning matters only; and Lynn Baker, Jolene Bulmer, Joseph Fratangeli, Andrew Foot and John Miller dealing with heritage matters. Environment, Transportation and Public Safety Standing Committee: Councillors Fred Francis, Fabio Costante, Holt (chair), Gary Kaschak and Kieran McKenzie. Community Services and Parks
Standing Committee: Bortolin, Sleiman, Gignac, McKenzie and Morrison. Windsor Public Library Board: Mayor Dilkens, councillors Bortolin, Kusmierczyk and Morrison; and community members Holly Dougall, Waseem Habash, Massimo De Menech, Teresa Piruzza (the former Liberal MPP) and James Stuart. Windsor Canada Utilities (parent company of Enwin): Councillors Francis, Gignac and Morrison, and Mayor Dilkens, plus community members Kevin Laforet and Jerry Udell. Windsor Detroit Tunnel Corp.: Mayor Dilkens and councillors Gignac, Kaschak and Kusmierczyk, plus community member Charles Pingle.
Roseland Golf Club: Councillors Francis, Kaschak and Morrison, plus community members Diletta Casey and Bruce Wintermute. Essex County Health Unit: Councillors Bortolin, Costante, Holt and Sleiman. Windsor Utilities Commission:
Mayor Dilkens; Councillors Kusmierczyk, McKenzie, and Morrison, plus community members Julian Hawkins, Douglas Lawson, Mario Sonego and Edigio Sovran. Your Quick Gateway (Windsor
Airport) Board: Mayor Dilkens, councillors Francis and McKenzie, and community members John Chisholm, Renato Discenza, Mike Ray, Toni Scislowski and Kulveer Virk. Enwin Energy: Mayor Dilkens and Coun. McKenzie are the council appointees. Citizen appointees still must be confirmed by the board of parent company Windsor Canada Utilities.
Enwin Utilities: Mayor Dilkens and Coun. Gignac are the council appointees. Citizen appointees still must be confirmed by the Windsor Canada Utilities board. Essex Windsor Solid Waste Authority: Windsor representatives are the mayor (ex-officio), and councillors Kaschak, McKenzie, Morrison and Sleiman.