‘Manipulation’: Ex-police board chair blasts spending $104K on PR firm

Article content

The London police board’s decision to spend $104,000 on a public relations firm to help promote its largest-ever budget is “unprecedented” and action should be taken so it doesn’t happen again, says a former head of the board.

Police board chair Ali Chahbar signed a contract with Navigator, a crisis communications firm with a long track record of representing high-profile clients, in January, according to documents obtained by The London Free Press through a freedom-of-information request.

Article content

The Toronto-based firm sent the police board six invoices for a total of $104,662 between Jan. 4 and May 15, the documents show.

Chahbar has defended hiring Navigator to help the board develop a communication plan and materials for the $672-million, four-year budget request that was approved as part of the overall city budget in February.

But his predecessor is blasting the board for spending taxpayers’ money to garner support from the public and politicians.

“As a former board member, I want to make it crystal clear that this is absolutely unprecedented and should be treated that way,” former board chair Susan Toth said.

Toth, a lawyer who served on the board from 2017 to 2022, said she never thought it was necessary to pay a high-priced agency to help promote a proposed police budget.

“For me . . . this isn’t about communication, this is about manipulation,” she said.

Toth also took aim at the board for making the decision to hire Navigator behind closed doors – it was first revealed through the freedom-of-information request – rather than during a public portion of a police board meeting.

Article content

“If this is just par for the course, hiring an expert, why would you hide it?” she said.

Chahbar, who was elected as board chair after Toth’s surprise resignation, fired back at her criticisms.

“Ms. Toth, like everyone else, is entitled to her opinions about the direction of this board. Had she not prematurely resigned a mere two months after city council re-appointed her for a four-year term to the board, she could have continued to be a valued voice at the table and had a direct say in the decisions of this very board,” he said. 

“While I respect all perspectives, this board is resolute in our conviction that London deserves a modern and effective police service that can address the pervasive issues of crime, violence and community safety plaguing our city. While this may not sit well with some, including Ms. Toth, this board will not be dissuaded from making the long overdue and necessary investments in our police service to bring safety and security back to our city.”

The four-year police budget includes additional funding to hire 189 officers and civilian employees, outfit front-line officers with body cameras and build a new police training centre.

Article content

The four-year city budget crafted by Mayor Josh Morgan – who sits on the police board – and approved by city council contains a serious of steep tax increases. Taxes are jumping 8.7 per cent this year followed by increases of 8.7 per cent in 2025, 5.7 per cent in 2026 and 6.7 per cent in 2027.

More than half of the 2024 increase was driven by the police budget.

Several city councillors have raised concerns about the board hiring Navigator, saying it gave the board an edge over other city-funded agencies that don’t have the money to bring in outside help.

Ward 9 Coun. Anna Hopkins said she hasn’t discussed the issue with her colleagues yet, but it “is top of mind.

“I’m not exactly sure what the process that we have as a council to move forward on this . . . But I’m going to be asking questions at every opportunity,” she said.

Toth suggested council could demand to see an unredacted copy of the board’s contract and correspondence with Navigator – the bulk of the 285-page package provided in the freedom-of-information request was redacted – and has the option of removing the two city councillors, Susan Stevenson and Steve Lehmen, who were appointed to sit on the seven-member police board along with Morgan.

Article content

The provincial government could also get involved, Toth said, citing the recent announcement by Ontario’s education minister to audit the Thames Valley District school board executive operations after The Free Press reported on a three-day retreat at a Toronto hotel for 18 senior staff that cost more than $38,400.

“This was a very serious error in judgment and what is really bothering me is that there is zero remorse right now,” Toth said.

A spokesperson for Ontario’s inspector general of policing, Ryan Teschner, who monitors police and police board performance, said the issue of whether the London police board broke any rules by hiring Navigator doesn’t fall under its mandate because it happened when the Police Services Act was still in effect. The legislation was replaced on April 1 by the Community Safety and Policing Act, leading to the creation of Teschner’s position.

Spokesperson Nadine Ricketts declined to say whether the office has received any complaints about the London police board, citing confidentiality concerns.

“Generally, the inspector general has the ability to conduct an inspection on whether a police service board is in compliance with or has complied with provisions outlined in the CSPA and its regulations,” Ricketts said in an email.

with files from Free Press reporter Jack Moulton

dcarruthers@postmedia.com
@DaleatLFPress

Article content