2021 Board Chair and Vice Chair Appointments

At the regular public meeting of the Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners held Thursday, January 28, the Board appointed a new Chair and Vice Chair to lead the Board in 2021. The terms of both past Chair Darlene Brander and Vice-Chair Carolanne Inglis-McQuay were completed at the end of 2020.

Police Commissioner Jyotsna (Jo) Custead will lead the Board as Chair in 2021. Commissioner Custead was appointed to the Board in December 2017. Commissioner Kearney Healy, also a three-year Board member, was appointed to the role of Vice Chair for 2021.

Commission Custead has a strong background in board governance, having served in various board capacities such as the United Way of Saskatoon, the YWCA National Board, India Canada Cultural Association, the Saskatoon Police Advisory Committee on Diversity, and others. As Chair of the Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners, her top priorities are to ensure the Police Commission continues to perform in its role as defined in The Police Act, 1990, which states that the Board is responsible for the delivery of policing services, which includes providing general direction, policy and priorities and developing long-term plans for the police service.

In 2021 particularly, Commissioner Custead is interested in ensuring that the Board continue on its mission to create culture of community safety, and to be an effective conduit between the Saskatoon Police Service and the public. For example, the public can participate in the Board’s monthly public meetings, and can contact the Board at any time with a question, concern or idea. In addition, the Board normally holds a public community consultation each year whereby the public has an opportunity to provide feedback on how community safety can be enhanced in Saskatoon.

“We want to continue having conversations with the public on how to create a culture of community safety in Saskatoon,” says Chair Custead. “Hopefully as the pandemic comes to an end this year, and depending on public health regulations, we can get back to engaging with the public in person, but regardless, the Board will be looking at additional ways to ask for public feedback in 2021.”

Commissioner Healy is a retired lawyer who worked for Saskatchewan Legal Aid for 32 years. His top priorities as Police Commissioner revolve around providing objective oversight of the Saskatoon Police Service while identifying potential strategies for the interaction between the Police Service, marginalized youth and all members of the community in order to continue to reduce violence in Saskatoon.

More details on Commissioner’s Custead and Healy are available here.