Today’s meeting of the Hamilton Police Services Board promises to be one of the most interesting in memory. First, the board will hear a formal presentation of the report into the Violence in Gage Park at the Hamilton Pride Festival.Toronto lawyer Scott Bergman will be on hand to discuss his report that says that police could have anticipated “homophobes, white supremacists and organized agitators” would attend to disrupt the event, but they didn’t.
Then the board will take up a surprise resolution from Board member Chad Collins for staff to prepare a report showing the impact of a 20 percent reduction in the police budget, presumably with a corresponding transfer of some police duties to other agencies.
Another new item will be consideration of having police and fire co-occupy a new firehall being built in Waterdown. Ward 15 Councillor Judi Partridge days the new Waterdown Firehall that had been approved by council in February, now may be expanded to house a police detachment as well.
The recommendation would see the Police Services Board request the City of Hamilton “confirm and include the construction of a new Police Station 40, as part of and in partnership with the HFD approved Waterdown Fire Station in the 2021 capital budget.
The funding of the police portion of the proposed combined facility, which according to the recommendation, is estimated to be $8 million, is proposed to be funded from the city’s Police Development Charges Reserve.
The matter will be on the agenda at this afternoon’s meeting of the Hamilton Police Services Board
maybe Judy-or a journalist-would like to explore why the Police and Fire Departments stopped operating in mutual facilities decades ago…….that’s right, this has all been done before, Kenilworth Avenue Station used to house both……until bad blood and fist fights forced the City to reconsider. Why is it these clowns never learn from their mistakes?