‘He should resign’: Edmontonians critical of police commissioner serving from Portugal
Posted December 16, 2024 3:41 pm.
A provincial government decision to allow an Edmonton police commissioner to serve the remainder of his term from his new home in Portugal is proving unpopular in the Alberta capital.
Commission chair John McDougall made that announcement Friday, saying he plans to retire in the Western European country. His chair position ends this month, but his appointment to the commission is set to expire in December 2026.
“He should resign his position and I am shocked that Minister Ellis, public safety minister, would consider this to be an acceptable decision,” said David Shepherd, Alberta NDP Public Safety Shadow Minister.
“This is an insult to the people of Edmonton who deserve to have a local representative serving on this commission.”
McDougall refused an interview with CityNews Monday, but has insisted, through a statement, that he can do the job remotely and has promised to decline any payments for doing so.
Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis supported McDougall Friday, although he admitted he was surprised the commissioner is moving before the end of his term.
“I know John is regularly in Edmonton and engaged with the daily activities of the commission. I look forward to John’s continued leadership on the commission at this time,” Ellis said.
But that’s not good enough, say some politicians and people on the streets of the Alberta capital.
“We should get somebody who lives here. How about that?” Edmontonian Jimmy Carter told CityNews during public survey interviews on Whyte Avenue.
“I don’t think he should be allowed to do it from afar. He should either be here or someone else should do it,” Kelly Fischer said.
“I’m not really sure how he can properly do the job without the scope of actually being in the city,” said a man named Evan.
An Edmonton city councillor, a local lawyer and a former deputy premier have also criticized McDougall’s decision to serve from abroad.
RELATED: Edmonton police commissioner plans to stay on from new home in Portugal
The McDougall controversy comes after Ellis also declared a plan for the province to appoint more Edmonton police commissioners.
Right now, city council selects nine commissioners and the province picks three.
Ellis won’t say how many more Alberta appointees he wants on commission or when he’ll do that.
The NDP says no Edmontonians have asked him to do that, alleging the UCP government is more interested in increasing its own influence than improving safety.
“What we need are people on the ground, what we need is this government addressing the root causes of public safety, that is what people are asking for,” Shepherd said.
Edmonton’s mayor says he will reach out to Ellis and try to get a local resident appointed in McDougall’s place.
“The residency exemption is not designed to accommodate someone who has permanently moved out of the city and the country,” Amarjeet Sohi told CityNews.
