More than a dozen letters urge council to rethink choice for London Police Services Board

A push for city council to rethink appointing Ryan Gauss to the London Police Services Board (LPSB) is gaining traction.

More than a dozen letters expressing concern about a lack of diversity have appeared on the council meeting agenda.

A letter from the Indigenous Leadership Circle reads, “We are very concerned that there is not adequate representation on the board. As it stands, who on the board will understand and carry our concerns forward?”

From a list of 54 applicants, Ryan Gauss was chosen in the second round of a selection process after receiving eight votes from the 14 members of city council sitting as their Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee.

The choice will leave only one person on the seven-member police board from a diverse background, chair Ali Chahbar.

“We have welcomed you to our ceremonies and celebrations and you have told us that our community is important. To put it plainly, we feel this decision is an action that very clearly counters those words,” the letter from the Indigenous Leadership Circle concludes.

Gauss is the director of operations and personnel for London North Centre MP Peter Fragiskatos and served as campaign manager for Mayor Josh Morgan in 2022.

He previously worked for over a decade in a civilian role with the RCMP.

Second place finisher Joseph Wabegijig, who received six votes during the selection process, has expressed disappointment.

He has served on the Wikwemikong Tribal Police Services Board, which is one of Ontario’s largest First Nations Police Boards, and held an advisory role to the federal government and prime minister’s Office.

Meanwhile, seven former board members, with a combined 26 years of experience, have co-signed a letter asking city council to rethink the selection of Gauss before the appointment is finalized.

The letter reads, “The next appointment needs to bring the lived experience of being from a marginalized and overpoliced community.”

The letter is signed by:

• Susan Toth
• Jeff Schlemmer
• Dr. Javeed Sukhera
• Jesse Helmer
• Matt Brown
• Stephen Turner
• Vanessa Ambtman-Smith

As an Indigenous woman, Ambtman-Smith tells CTV News that not having representation from her community on the board (since her departure in 2019) has left a critical gap.

“As someone who brought forward life long learning as an indigenous person (to LPSB), we knew that there was a significant gap that needed to be attended to within the police services board,” she said.

The letter from former LPSB members warns against contributing to the systemic barriers experienced by Black and Indigenous people, “We know that it may be easier to choose someone who runs in your circles, feels familiar, has access to you and can pick up the phone and call you. This is how systemic barriers work.”

“It’s kind of a whiff of old-style London politics, backroom politics of political favours that I think London has moved past. Josh (Morgan), I don’t think is like that at all, but that’s kind of how it looks,” another one of the letter’s authors, Jeff Schlemmer, says.

“This is a classic case of the words have been there, the promises have been there, but this is how we demonstrate action,” adds Ambtman-Smith.

The former-board members emphasize that it is not too late to choose a member of the BIPOC community to fill the vacancy.

“To be clear, none of us are disputing that Mr. Gauss is a committed community member with the qualifications for the role. Many of us know Mr. Gauss personally and agree that he is a very qualified and dedicated person. None of us doubt his initial motivations for applying for the job.”

The letter adds, “You have an extraordinary opportunity to re-evaluate your position, and consider appointing someone that can bring not just extensive experience, but also brings an equity lens.”

Council will make a final decision on Tuesday, April 4.