About the Board

What is the Police Service Board?

Every municipality in Ontario with its own police service must have a civilian board to govern that police service. Police service boards are independent bodies established by provincial legislation called the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019. The board represents community interests and are accountable to the Ministry of the Solicitor General as well as the Inspectorate of Policing.

Who are the members of the Police Service Board?

The Ottawa Police Service Board (PSB) has seven members: three members of City Council, three citizens appointed by the Province as community representatives, and one citizen appointed by City Council as a community representative. The current members of the Board are:

Provincial Appointees

   
Salim Fakirani (Chair)  613-560-1270
Peter Henschel  613-560-1270
   

Citizen appointed by City Council:

Dave Donaldson  
   

City Council Representatives:

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe (613) 580-2496
Marty Carr (Vice Chair) 613-580-2488
Councillor Cathy Curry  613-580-2474
   

Acting Executive Director / Senior Policy Advisor

Habib Sayah 613-580-2400 Ext: 26597
   

Board Assistant

Randa Ben Guedria  (613) 560-1270  

The Council members and the citizen appointed by Council serve for the duration of the Council term. The provincial appointees serve up to three year terms, which expire at various times. At the first meeting each year, the Board appoints a Chairperson for that year.

What does a Police Service Board do?

Section 37 of the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019, sets out the duties boards must perform on behalf of the residents of their municipality. The primary role of the board is to establish, after consultation with the Chief of Police, the overall objectives and priorities for the provision of police services and the safety and security of citizens. Some of its other key responsibilities include:

  • Recruiting and appointing the Chief of Police and Deputy Chiefs of Police;
  • Annually reviewing the Chief's performance;
  • Approving annual operating and capital budgets for the Police Service;
  • Establishing policies and by-laws for the effective management of the police service;
  • Preparing a strategic plan for the Police Service at least every four years.

The Board cannot direct the Chief with respect to specific operational decisions or day-to-day operations of the Service. The Chief of Police is responsible for administering the Police Service and overseeing its operation in accordance with the objectives, priorities and policies established by the Board.

 

Marty Carr

Marty Carr is a community organizer, consensus builder, and former public service executive. A long-time volunteer and resident of the Alta Vista community, she was elected to Ottawa City Council (Ward 18) in October 2022 following a 20-plus year career in the federal government.  

Marty excels at establishing and maintaining effective partnerships and bringing diverse perspectives together to negotiate successful outcomes. She brings a wealth of experience in strategic planning, policy development, communications, stakeholder engagement and project management to her role with the Ottawa Police Services Board.

Born in Belleville, Marty spent her early years in Prince Edward County before moving to Edmonton. She has lived in Ottawa for over two decades with her husband and two children. She is passionate about fostering community connections and supporting healthy, vibrant, and safe neighbourhoods. Her community service work includes leadership roles on school councils, three years as a member of the Blair Court Community House Board and four years on the Heron Gate Steering Committee. She also served for five years on the Alta Vista Community Association, including three and a half as its President.

Marty holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in French Language and Literature (University of Alberta), and a Master of Arts degree in Linguistics (Laval University).  As a member of Ottawa City Council, she serves on the Transit Commission, Ottawa Board of Health,  Ottawa’s Community Housing Corporation, as well as the Community Services Committee, Environment and Climate Change Committee and Audit Committee. She is also a member of the advisory committee that oversees the City of Ottawa Superannuation Fund, a member of the City’s Service Review Working Group and serves as the Council Liaison on the Accessibility Advisory Committee.

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Councillor Cathy Curry

Cathy was appointed to Ottawa City Council to represent Ward 4 (Kanata North) on November 10, 2021. Cathy was raised in Scarborough, Ontario and summered with her family in Carmanville, Newfoundland. Moving to Kanata in 1992 as a high school teacher, Cathy taught English Literature at Sir Guy Carleton SS, Sir Robert Borden SS, A.Y. Jackson SS and West Carleton SS. 

While raising her four children, Cathy represented the Kanata community as a school council chair, Kanata Inter-School Council Chair, School Board Trustee and Chair of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.

Since 2016, Cathy has been a member of the Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre Board, the CHEO Board, the Ronald McDonald House Board, and Chair of the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Children and Youth Mental Health Strategic Advisory Committee. Cathy also served on the Ottawa Community Foundation’s Grants Committee, the Caldwell Family Centre Board, and the Ottawa Fusion Volleyball Board. At home, Cathy plays the piano and the guitar, and plays French horn in the Concert Band of Kanata. 

Cathy has a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature and a Master of Science in Education. Cathy is currently working on her Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology.

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Dave Donaldson

Dave Donaldson is the retired Dean of the School of Business at Algonquin College with over 20 years as a senior college administrator in Vancouver and Ottawa, following a career with several organizations in senior marketing roles. His community activity includes work with the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Canadian Business Schools, and the Tourism Development Council of Ottawa Tourism where he was a director. He was also a member of the Yes 2010 Steering Council which won the referendum for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and a founding principal in Stars4SUCCESS, a partnership with Vancouver hotels which worked with street-involved youth. He is currently the Board Chair of the Shepherds of Good Hope and a member of the Ottawa Safety Council Board.

His formal recognitions include a lifetime membership with the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, the Best Ottawa Business Community Booster award, a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal, the Order of the Tulip, as well as an Algonquin College Student Association award for outstanding contribution to student life.

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Salim Fakirani

 

Born in Uganda, Salim and his family alongside thousands of South Asians were forced to flee their homes in 1972. After spending almost one year in a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camp in Italy, Salim and his family arrived in Canada in 1973, first calling Kitchener-Waterloo, and now Ottawa, home.

Salim has always held a passion for international affairs, rights-based dialogue and community service. He obtained an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a specialization in International Trade from the University of Waterloo before obtaining his law degree from the University of Ottawa and a Masters in International Affairs from Carleton University (NPSIA). 

Salim articled with the Law Commission of Canada before starting his career as a lawyer with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.  After 5 years with the Canadian Human Rights Commission, Salim joined Justice Canada.  At Justice Canada, his duties have included, Acting Corporate Counsel; advising on the legalization of non-medical cannabis in Canada; supporting the offices of the Associate and Deputy Ministers of Justice on complex and sensitive legal matters in the areas of criminal, public law, Indigenous and litigation; and providing strategic advice on justice and security sector reform in fragile states.  

Salim served his community in a number of areas including, Member of the Ismaili Council for Ottawa (1999-2002), and Member of the Aga Khan Conciliation and Arbitration Board for Ontario (2005 - 2009), and for Canada (2012 -2015).   Salim is currently engaged with others in the community to plan commemorations marking the 50th anniversary of the South Asian exodus from Uganda to Canada that will take place in Fall 2022.  Salim also served as an international observer for the referendum in East Timor, and the elections in West Bank & Gaza, Lebanon, and Ukraine.

Salim is honoured to serve on the Ottawa Police Service Board.

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Peter Henschel

Peter Henschel is a retired RCMP Deputy Commissioner. During his 36-year career, he was involved in a diversity of policing and law enforcement activities and held a series of senior leadership and executive positions. While Director General of Major Events and Protective Services, he oversaw security planning for the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, and later served as Gold Commander for the Olympic Games. As the Deputy Commissioner, Specialized Policing Services, Peter was responsible for the leadership, strategic direction and national delivery of a broad range of critical policing services, including National Police Services (NPS), a suite of specialized services delivered to the broader Canadian law enforcement community and Criminal Justice System. During his tenure, he transformed the governance and service delivery of NPS and oversaw the development of the RCMP’s first Cybercrime Strategy. 

Peter is active on several boards and advisory committees, particularly in the charitable and not-for-profit sectors, and is a Distinguished Fellow at the Canada School of Public Service. He is also a strategic advisor in the private sector and a strong advocate for diverse leadership and inclusive organizations. 

Peter is an Officer of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, and was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee (2002) and Diamond Jubilee (2012) Medals.  

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Mayor Mark Sutcliffe

Mark Sutcliffe was born at the Riverside Hospital to parents John and Florence, who were both immigrants to Canada. Mark has lived his whole life in Ottawa. He was elected Mayor of Ottawa on October 24, 2022.

Prior to entering municipal politics, Mark was an award-winning journalist, entrepreneur, volunteer, and community activist.

For over 30 years, Mark covered politics and current events as a broadcaster for CFRA, CityNews, Rogers TV, and CPAC, and as executive editor and columnist for the Ottawa Citizen.

Mark started his first business when he was 19 years old. He co-founded the Ottawa Business Journal in 1995 and founded and led several other small and medium-sized businesses. He has been a coach, mentor, and adviser to more than one hundred CEOs, entrepreneurs, small-business owners, and not-for-profit leaders.

Mark has been a passionate volunteer and fundraiser. He served as chair of the board of United Way Ottawa, the Ottawa Board of Trade, OrKidstra, the Great Canadian Theatre Company, Ottawa Community Housing Foundation, and Run Ottawa. He also served as board member for Algonquin College, Invest Ottawa, Kind Ottawa, the Ottawa International Writers Festival, and the Royal Ottawa Hospital Foundation. His contribution to the city was recognized in 2016 when he was inducted into the Order of Ottawa and named the United Way’s Ambassador of the Year. In 2018, Mark delivered a highly regarded TEDx Talk about the role of luck in his life.

Mark is an avid marathon runner who has raised more than $250,000 for Ottawa charities with his fundraising runs. He is the author of four books, including Long Road to Boston, which chronicled his quest to qualify for the Boston Marathon, which he completed in 2015 and 2018. Mark and his wife Ginny have three children.

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Provincial Appointments - How to Apply

Three members of the Ottawa Police Service Board are appointed by the Province of Ontario.  

Police Service Board vacancy information can be found here: https://www.pas.gov.on.ca/Home/Agency/135