Len Carby appointed into Peel Police Board after many calls for Black representation

Len Carby, a resident of Brampton and financial advisor that has volunteered with a lot of community organizations and worked as co-chair on Peel Regional Police Anti-Racism Advisory Committee, has been appointed to the police board at the Region of Peel Council.

Before his appointment, three people came forward to request that the Region of Peel Council appoint Carby, a Black representative, in the citizen appointee position.

Ahmad Attia, who was appointed on May 23, 2019 to the Peel Police Service Board by the Regional Council of Peel for a tenure ending in November 2022, had the responsibility of appointing a representative this year.

After Carby’s appointment, the council requested that the province consider Attia’s appointment to the board. After the request, the province removed Peel Regional Police Board Chairman, Ron Chatha.

The Peel Police Board comprise seven members: the head of the Regional Council, Nando Iannicca; two other members of the Regional Council that were appointed by the council, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown; one citizen appointed by Region of Peel Council, Carby; and three people appointed by the Ontario province.

The selection process of the Region of Peel Council should have been private but community members revealed they knew Carby was up for the job.

Annette Power, a resident of Brampton who has been employed by Peel Regional Police to speed up conversations in respect of the relationship between police and diverse communities, asked the council to appoint Carby.

Power said: “Communities across Peel have been speaking out for decades about how Black people experience policing in Canada, I have heard time and time again, how important it is to build trust and to have qualified Black representation at every level of policing, including the police services board.”

Delegates revealed that Black community member has rarely been on the board.

Power asked: “What does it take for a qualified Black person to be named to the police services board?”

She stated that police service boards possess the power and responsibility to effect meaningful and institutional change.

She said: “They create policies to ensure compliance with human rights obligations, including anti-racism policies, they oversee the police budget, their decisions can reinforce and alter attitudes around what is effective and bias-free policing.”