Photo by Darren Goldstein/DSG Photo.
Good morning folks
Choosing the next Ottawa Police chief
A lot of material has been written about the process of choosing of Ottawa’s next police chief. The departure of Peter Sloly from the position, has left red faces on the people in the position to support and assist him in this thankless job. But be that as it may, the process of hiring his successor must go on unheeded. But truth be told, the strategy of using an independent agency to conduct the selection process cannot be faulted as, on the face of it, it makes for objectivity and transparency in the process. A survey was conducted by Hefid Solutions to gauge the views of the city’s residents on what to look for in the next police chief. Not surprising the resulting report indicated that residents were asking for the “impossible”. To those who have followed the Ottawa Police Services over the years, it is obvious that the problem is not determining the attributes of the new hire; it is simply the system that has been entrenched over the years. The system that ensures that the white male dominated culture of entitlement continues, with its determination to sabotage any new person who dares to institute reforms. And reforms are what is needed to make the organization more inclusive of Ottawa’s diverse population, gender, religions, sexual orientation and other attributes of this multicultural and multifaced community. Until this culture of white male entitlement is harnessed and brought under control, the morass that resulted in the ignominious exit of Peter Sloly will continue. And the city will continue to lose outstanding and highly respected officers like Isobel Granger, whose recent retirement is featured in this edition, and her counterpart Debbie Miller. A word to the wise!
Denying Canadian visas to African AIDS activists and researchers
The denial of visitors’ visas to African AIDS activists and researchers to the international AIDS conference that started on Thursday 28 July in Montreal has brought to the fore the racist and discriminatory practices of Canadian immigration officials. As reported elsewhere in this edition, the absence of key players and stakeholders from Africa is deeply troubling, given the fact that African has the highest incidence of this deadly health disorder globally and this conference was planned as a platform to share the challenges, best practices and strengthen collaboration in the fight against this global epidemic. But as usual Canadian immigration officials have the last say as to who attends, despite their invitations coming directly from the International AIDS Society. And the failure of International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan to attend and speak at the conference is very telling as to the disregard the government deals with one of the world’s deadliest pandemics. Time for Canadians of African descent to ask questions of the Prime Minister and their respective members of Parliament for an explanation.
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In this edition
Our Top Story for this month is the appointment of Isobel Granger as chief of Security Royal Canadian Mint, following her retirement from the Ottawa Police Service after a 28-year career in policing. We wish our favourite police officer the very best as she undertakes this new phase in her life’s journey.
In this edition we feature our annual tribute to our graduates, ranging from primary school to university, and we also include a healthy dose of honourary degree awards to prominent Black community leaders and activists. Other news we are following this month are the appointment of lawyer and community leader Mante Molepo to the Board of Directors of the Ottawa Hospital, a conversation with book lover Tanya Lee, and a return to social life by the St. Vincent & Grenadine’s Association and the Nigerian Canadian Associations respectively with their first in-person summer picnics post-covid pandemic.
All these and more in the August 2022 edition of your favourite news magazine. Here is the result of the July 2022 poll: Do you believe the war in Ukraine will be over by the end of the year? Yes 20% No 80%. Thank you to all who voted. And remember to take part in this month’s poll: Is your workplace doing enough to keep you healthy?
Wishing you and your loved ones an enjoyable and restful summer.
Godwin Ifedi Editor