Decision on new Winnipeg police chief on hold as selection committee takes more time

Posted on December 18, 2024 by Peggy

The Winnipeg Police Board will take more time to decide on a new chief for the Winnipeg Police Service, board chair Markus Chambers said Wednesday.

The police board is looking for a replacement for Danny Smyth, who served as chief of the Winnipeg Police Service from 2016 until late this summer. Smyth, a Winnipeg police officer for more than 38 years, was one of the longest-serving police chiefs in Canada at the time of his retirement in September.

On Dec. 6, Chambers said the board’s selection committee had chosen a candidate and the identity of the proposed new chief would be made public before the end of 2024.

On Wednesday, Chambers said the police board is taking more time to ensure the selection is the best decision for the police service.

Chambers did not commit to announcing a decision prior to 2025. A decision this year is now unlikely, as city council has already embarked on its informal two-week break for the December holidays.

The police board’s selection must be approved by city council’s executive policy committee and city council as a whole. In order for that to happen this year, special meetings of both bodies would have to be held.

Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham, who sits on the police board, suggested Tuesday no decision is imminent.

He also appeared to walk back Chambers’ earlier contention a candidate has been selected.

“The board is in a process right now of recruiting the next chief of police. That’s a very thorough process, and so we have to complete that process,” Gillingham said. “It will complete the process before we make any formal announcement.”

The new Winnipeg police chief faces a host of challenges, including officer burnout due to rising calls for service, tightening budgets and changing views on the role of police in responding to mental health and addictions issues.

Chambers said earlier that the selection committee for the new chief took those challenges into consideration when it developed search criteria.

“People are looking for transformational change and looking for a leader that works both well internally and externally,” he said on Dec. 6.