President's Message

June 2007

I look forward to the challenges of leading the Board of the Ontario Association of Police Services Boards (OAPSB) for a second term as president and being part of the team the members of the OAPSB have elected to the 2007-08 Board of Directors. There is no question that the Association has improved through the individual and combined efforts, hard work and dedication of the Board of Directors that have come before the current Board.

As president for 2006, I continued along the path the Board set for the organization by ensuring the finalization of the Association’s next strategic plan, which takes the OAPSB from 2007 to 2012. My particular interests will include advocacy, collaboration, and continuous improvement through board governance training. In 2007 I have added the OAPSB’s internal governance to my list of things to accomplish – with a plan to renew the OAPSB’s corporate by-law in partnership with the Board of Directors and the membership.

If you are a member of the OAPSB I would encourage you to take a look at the OAPSB’s year in review, posted in the members’ only section of the web site to gain a better understanding and appreciation for the work we have been doing. If you take a look at the OAPSB’s strategic plan you will gain some insight into where the OAPSB is going over the longer term.

There is more than enough work for us, whether we are from police services board of large municipal police services or from smaller communities – north or south and I look forward to the opportunity to work with all of our members and the 2007 Board of Directors, staff, and all of our partners.

This Association is the single strongest voice for police governors in the province of Ontario and through the participation and support of the membership the Board will continue its efforts on your behalf. I feel very strongly that we will have to be strategic in our advocacy work.

The Association cannot continue to improve without our members’ input and participation. In order for us, for example, to share best practices we need to hear from you about the work your Board is doing - be it a new initiative, a new policy, your collective agreements or challenges your board has faced and successfully addressed.

Your zone directors are here to listen to your constructive input and to keep you up to date on our activities as an Association – get to know them and please keep the lines of communication open! The Provincial Association encourages your participation at the zone level. As the year unfolds please look to your zone director for information on what the Provincial Association is pursuing and tell him/her what is happening at your board.

I am truly looking forward to this year and to meeting and talking with many of the members of the Association. I believe we will be seeing a lot of change in 2007 with the provincial elections set for October 2007. In April of 2008 the OAPSB will be hosting its annual conference in Stratford Ontario and I look forward to meeting you in that beautiful, historic community.

Yours truly,

Bernie Morelli, President