The battle between Edmonton Police Commission Councillors will attend a council meeting next week after the commission refused to take part in an internal audit and review of the project.
In December, councillors approved a motion asking the committee to prepare an audit plan outlining which parts of the audit Edmonton Police Service is being audited and provides insights into policing priorities.
In a letter sent to councillors on April 19, which will be formally presented to the council next week, the committee refused to provide the city council with “information about EPS' internal audit programme”.
“Similarly, due to the significant program changes that the Police Department has recently undergone, the committee wishes to advise that a program services review will not be conducted,” reads a copy of the letter obtained by Global News.
“Commission recognizes that collaboration with other partners and all levels of government will benefit all Edmontonians and build a truly safe and vibrant city.”
On Friday, April 19, 2024, the Edmonton Police Commission sent a letter to city council in which the commissioners refused to provide council with “information relating to the EPS internal audit program.”
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The council said it believes a collaborative approach drives community safety and supports EPS in making “changes that will deliver better policing services across Edmonton.”
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Councillor Keren Tang introduced the bill in December, with the aim of promoting greater public discussion, transparency and accountability.
She noted that policing costs make up a large portion of the city budget.
“I was very disappointed when we received a letter from the committee in April saying that these were internal uses and if they were used for public purposes it would reduce their effectiveness,” she said.
“For me, it's disappointing that we didn't sit down and negotiate.”
In a statement to Global News, commission chairman John McDougall said the police commission exists in part to “separate the political decision-making process from police management.”
He said the commission already has an auditor and is responsible for the audit function, adding that the board does not support sharing that responsibility with the City Council.
“The committee approved a multi-year audit plan based on the auditor’s recommendations and the commissioners’ input,” McDougall said.
“This audit programme is designed to focus on topics that pose internal risk to the organisation. Reports are submitted to the governing body on a regular basis and include the findings and mitigating measures that the police need to take.
“In short, the committee already conducts regular audits of the police service.”
McDougall said the council already has the power to request records from the commission and audit those records.
He noted that there were two MPs on the committee who scrutinized the work of the committee and EPS to Parliament.
Councillor Jo-Anne Wright and Councillor Anne Stevenson are members of the committee, but spoke to Global News in their capacity as councillors.
Both said the public needs more transparency about EPS priorities.
“I’m disappointed in this decision,” Stevenson said.
“I think the audit function has really achieved some great results, but Edmontonians haven’t seen that.”
Councillor Jo-Anne Wright said it would be difficult for councillors to make a sound decision without the information requested from the Edmonton Police Board.
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Wright said section 29.2 of Alberta's Police Act states council can request information related to the efficiency of police operations.
“Council is trying to get the information to make a reasonable decision and without that information I don't know how we can move forward,” she said.
Lawmakers are due to review the letter on Tuesday to determine if more action can or should be taken.
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