New police commission chair humbled by position
- EFN Staff | March 17, 2016
Darlene Brander is only the second woman and civilian to be voted chair of the board of police commissioners for the Saskatoon Police Service. For the first time since 2003, someone other than Mayor Don Atchison is the Chair. The current board is made up of city councillors Darren Hill and Charlie Clark, Mayor Atchison and two members of the public-at-large, Brander and Carolanne Inglis-McQuay. Usually the Mayor is chair of the board.
Councillor Darren Hill nominated Brander for the Chair at the January meeting and she was voted in. “I was surprised but honoured,” said Brander of the nomination. “Carolanne and I had been getting more involved as civilians and we have hosted public consultations. Mayor Atchison ran great meetings and I learned a lot from watching him. He has offered me his guidance as well.”
Brander is the Chief Human Resources Officer with Athabasca Catering and is from the Red Earth Cree First Nation. She believes that her work experience will be valuable in her role as Chair. “There are a lot of transferable skills in HR. We look at policies and procedure and always make sure we act in the best interest of the organization,” said Brander who has a long track record of community service including chairing boards and committees. “I like to approach issues in a collegial and collaborative way.”
Being on the Board of Police Commissioners is a volunteer role that not only has zero pay it also takes lots of your time. “I try to schedule meetings and such at lunch or after work. There are lots of hours but I try to use my time very strategically,” she added. “Thankfully my company is very accommodating.”
The last civilian appointment to be chair was Leanne Bellegarde who had to deal with the star light tour controversies of the early 2000’s. Though Brander isn’t becoming chair in such a trying time, there are a couple of issues that she sees as priorities. “Missing and murdered indigenous women and girls is certainly an important issue and we also have to develop policy around carding and street checks,” said Brander of the policing tactic that has raised the ire of some community members. “But there will always be pressing issues in policing and we will be making a strategic plan to guide us into the future.”
Accepting the Chair position was not a decision that she took lightly either. “At the end of the day I have been a citizen of Saskatoon for a long time, I’ve talked to a lot of people and I know the issues,” said Darlene. “I am humbled and honoured with my responsibilities and I take them very seriously and will do my best at it.”