Saint John police chief says he's never witnessed racism in long career

https://twitter.com/DavidRayAmos/with_replies



David Raymond Amos‏ @DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos @alllibertynews and 49 others

Food for thought


https://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2020/06/saint-john-police-chief-says-hes-never.html


#nbpoli #cdnpoli



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88-dV9K_cHE

Enough with the ANTI WHITE NARRATIVE

2,130,684 views

Jun 11, 2020

The Officer Tatum

https://twitter.com/DavidRayAmos/with_replies



David Raymond Amos‏ @DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos @alllibertynews and 49 others

Methinks it should be a small wonder to many folks in BC that CBC did not offer a comment section to oppose this monumental Bullshitter who landed a job in the Maritimes N'esy Pas?



http://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2016/09/re-rcmp-lonnie-landrud-his-knowledge-of.html



#nbpoli #cdnpoli



https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/saint-john-police-chief-racism-diversity-1.5618773

Saint John police chief says he's never witnessed racism in long career

Policing agencies need to do things differently and involve people, says Stephan Drolet

CBC News · Posted: Jun 19, 2020 3:01 PM AT



Stephan Drolet began his new role as chief of the Saint John Police Force on Feb. 24. (City of Saint John/Twitter)

Saint John police Chief Stephan Drolet says he's never witnessed racism as a police officer, but he promises he's ready to deal with it in his new job.

Public trust is just one of the biggest issues the police force has to deal, he added.

"Regaining the community's trust and having a dialogue on how we move forward from what's happening and make sure we do engage with our community and that people have a say in how we police their city — to me, that's the biggest challenge."

With calls to defund the police from the Black Lives Matter movement and the deaths of two Indigenous New Brunswickers, policing agencies in New Brunswick are under increasing scrutiny.

Drolet said the message is loud and clear that policing agencies need to do things differently and involve people.

"What I'm going to do moving forward is I'm going to reach out, so I want to create a diversity advisory committee. For me, I want to have key people in the community come and meet me every three months."

Drolet said he can see the advisory committee's terms of reference being to consider how the Saint John Police Force can  do better and how can it serve the community better.

"Basically, it's for them to give me their opinion on how we can do better and work together to forge those bridges and make sure we get our relationship going."

Strategic plan

The chief said he is also going to work to develop a five-year strategic plan that will include input from internal and external stakeholders on how they see the police force operating for the next five years.

"I come from outside the province, as you know, so I've got no preconceived ideas, but I need to go and talk to the people who are involved in delivering the service and receiving the service and how to do we go from there delivering in the next five years."

Information Morning - Saint John

Chief Stephan Drolet; busy first months on the job in Saint John

Chief Stephan Drolet started his new role back in late February. Since then there has been an ongoing pandemic, cuts greater than $1 million to the force's budget, and policing agencies in New Brunswick are under more scrutiny than ever before. 16:14

When asked how diverse the Saint John Police Force is, meaning how many members were Black or Indigenous, Drolet said he didn't have that information.

Asked if he thought there was systemic racism in Canadian policing, Drolet responded by saying there was racism in the the community.

"Every community has some racism issues and policing is no different," said Drolet, who was with the RCMP for 27 years, most of that time in British Columbia.

" I'm a Caucasian male. I don't know, I never seen it, but it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I don't know."

• First Nations chiefs push for inquiry into systemic racism in N.B.

• First Nations chiefs and N.B. premier meet to discuss systemic racism

Despite this, Drolet said he is committed to dealing with racism.

"As the leader of this department, I need to deal with it to make sure our diverse community is engaged and they see themselves in their police force."

Asked if he had ever directly witnessed racism in his time as a police officer, Drolet said, "I've never been witness to it."

But Drolet said that was his experience.

"Am I saying it doesn't exist? I'm sure it does and I need to make sure we have a process in place to listen to our community that if it does exist, we do better at serving them."

• Social workers should help with wellness checks, says association

• 3 grief-stricken Indigenous families meet to share pain, call for justice reform

In other issues, Drolet said an upcoming partnership with the mental health crisis team at Horizon Health to work with the force is positive.

He said he's also not opposed to having officers wear body cameras when out on calls.
Both initiatives will be in place by late summer.

With files from Information Morning Saint John

CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices

City of Saint John appoints new City Manager

03-Dec-2018

Saint John Common Council has appointed Major-General (Retired) John Collin as the new City Manager of the City of Saint John. Mr. Collin will assume his new responsibilities January 7, 2019.

“This is an important leadership role within the municipality and we are delighted to have attracted broad interest from top candidates across the country,” says Mayor Don Darling. “John was selected for his leadership track record, his commitment to creating an exceptional customer service culture, his broader public sector experience and for his drive, clear focus, high-level collaboration and strategic communication skills. We look forward to him leading our organization.”

Mr. Collin faithfully served his country as part of the Canadian Army for 35 years, retiring as a “two-star” general. He then worked as a senior executive with Bruce Power, the world’s largest nuclear power generator. He is also a successful small-business owner; having designed and operated a fine-dining restaurant. 

“I am very excited to be joining the City of Saint John and I look forward to working with my new colleagues to deliver on the priorities and achieve the vision that the Mayor and Council have set for our community,” said City Manager John Collin.

Mayor Darling and the members of Common Council participated in the search process with support from Organization Consulting Limited and received over 70 applications from candidates across Canada.

Chief Drolet Takes On His New Role With SJPF

Wed February 26, 2020

Following an extensive interview process, the Saint John Police Force is pleased to welcome Stephan Drolet into his new role as Chief on Monday, February-24-2020.

“It has been a busy few months moving across the country and getting settled into my new role here in Saint John,” says Drolet. Chief Drolet has served with the RCMP for the past 27 years, spending most of his career in British Columbia.

Drolet just stepped down as the deputy criminal operations officer for the province of B.C. and previously served as the officer in charge of the detachment in Burnaby.

“Over the next few months, I will be meeting with my new colleagues, Police Commission members and staff at City Hall to familiarize myself with my new surroundings,” adds Drolet.

“I want to thank Chief Connell for his time and dedication to the SJPF and the Saint John community during his tenure as Chief,” says Drolet.

A Change of Command ceremony to formally welcome Chief Drolet in his new role will take place in the coming months.

Chief Drolet will be available to the media on Wednesday, March-11-2020 at 10am in the Community Room of the Saint John Police Force Building, 1 Peel Plaza.


Jim Hennessy
Manager of Communications/Public Information
Saint John Police Force
jim.hennessy@saintjohn.ca
1-506-632-6138

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/grand-manan-welcomes-visitors-1.5618067

Grand Manan mayor says unwelcoming message was misunderstood

Tourism operators say New Brunswickers will be warmly welcomed

Mia Urquhart · CBC News · Posted: Jun 18, 2020 6:22 PM AT




The Swallowtail lighthouse is one of Grand Manan's most popular tourist attractions. (Shane Fowler/CBC)

Despite an early morning message from the mayor of Grand Manan, the island is open for business.
Some residents and tourist operators cringed at the unwelcoming tone Dennis Greene took during a CBC radio interview Thursday morning.

Greene said he is still concerned about COVID-19 and doesn't want "off-island" property owners to visit Grand Manan.

"We're just asking in good faith not to travel at this time. Some of them are coming from places that COVID-19 is very, very high …  and we're just not comfortable."

When asked, if the message extends to all New Brunswickers, Greene said, "It's a hard thing to say. I have a lot of friends around through New Brunswick, but if they call me and ask me if they should come to Grand Manan, I tell them, 'No, not at this time'."

But in an interview later in the day, Greene said he never meant to make New Brunswickers feel unwelcome. He said his comments were strictly directed at travellers from outside the province — a position he stands by.



Grand Manan Mayor Dennis Greene (Village of Grand Manan)

Greene said he was aware that his comments had islanders talking. The bottom line, he said, is that New Brunswickers are welcome on Grand Manan

"Yes, they'll be welcomed warmly. We'd love to have them, and probably this is what will keep our tourism business going this summer — is the locals coming and staying in New Brunswick and visiting around in the province."

Some tourist operators were worried about the impact his early comments might have — particularly in a season expected to be devastated by COVID-related travel restrictions.

The president of the Grand Manan Tourism Association said, although residents are concerned about COVID-19 arriving on the island, it's not the time to close the island to visitors.

Greg Pidduck said islanders want New Brunswickers to visit.

"We're open, but there are certain provisos. Please respect the guidelines," he said.


Tents used to dot the cliffs above the Bay of Fundy before the Hole-in-the-Wall campground closed the cliffside sites. (Shane Fowler/CBC)

Kevin Sampson, who has operated Adventure High on the island for more than 30 years, said now is not the time to turn away visitors.

"The idea of saying, 'No, no more tourists coming to Grand Manan' is not realistic," said Sampson, who operates a restaurant, cottages, and adventure travel business.

He said visitors aren't the only way for COVID-19 to arrive on the island. He said islanders are still travelling to the mainland and could "just as easily pick up the virus as a tourist."

"Just shutting the door isn't the answer because you can't shut the door. It's just not possible for us on the island. There's islanders going back and forth for, like Dennis did, just for a doctor's appointment.

You know, he could just as easily have picked it up himself somewhere along the way."

Sampson said it makes more sense for businesses to stay open and focus on staying afloat this season — provided they have put into place measures which allow them to operate safely in the shadow of the pandemic.


Kevin Sampson, the owner of Adventure High on Grand Manan, said his three businesses are ready and eager to welcome New Brunswickers. (Submitted by Kevin Sampson)

For the most part, he said business owners are comfortable with New Brunswickers travelling to Grand Manan.

"We're happy that the Canadian government is keeping the borders closed for another month even though financially, it's devastating to us. But we realize, and we understand, that for the greater good, it's important to be able to help mitigate as best as possible."

For Sampson, that means coming up with three operational plans — one for each of his businesses — that outline how he can minimize the potential spread of the virus.

And so far, New Brunswickers seem to be heeding the province's suggestion to explore our own province.

Shayne McLaughlin has been operating Driftwood Cottages for 30 years. He said he's normally booked solid three to six months in advance of the summer season. While he's had a number of cancellations from out of province, he's almost booked for all of July and August.

• New Brunswick a popular bubble prospect for provincial neighbours

Kenda Wilcox, who runs a bird and whale watching tour company, said she would love to see more New Brunswickers visit Grand Manan.

"We are open for business and we would love for New Brunswickers to come to Grand Manan and go whale watching and go see the puffins," said Wilcox, who owns and operates Sea Watch Tours with her husband Peter.

"We would love to see anybody that lives in New Brunswick to come to Grand Manan," she said.

CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices

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David Amos
Methinks the Mayors of Alma and St Andrews sang the same tunes N'esy Pas?