SooToday received the following letter to the editor in reaction to members of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Services Board resigning.
It was submitted on behalf of Joseph Velho, who died in 2023. SooToday confirmed that Velho's grandson, Joshua Vierimaa, wrote and submitted the letter. Vierimaa knocked on doors during Hugh Stevenson's campaign.
Over the past couple of days, the two provincial appointees, Chair John Bruno and Vice Chair Ian MacKenzie, resigned from the Police Services Board, citing political interference, bullying, and dysfunction.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that the former Chief’s application to return to service was not even given fair consideration due to the fact that Mr. Stevenson happens to wear different political stripes than our mayor. While details remain murky, there is a growing perception that politics, not merit, influenced this process.
On Monday, city councillor Sandra Hollingsworth publicly condemned the state of the board, calling it toxic, unsustainable, and in need of a fresh start. Yet rather than show leadership and heed the calls for renewal, the mayor has chosen to double down, preserving a failed structure that no longer serves the public interest.
The truth is, this Police Services Board has lost the trust of the people it was meant to serve. Instead of fostering solutions, it has become a theatre for political battles with the mayor blaming the police and board members blaming the mayor. The dysfunction is undeniable when respected members with decades of experience walk away citing manipulation and vindictiveness.
The mayor seems to think he can absolve himself of blame while waging a political crusade against our own police service. In the mayor’s view, everything that has gone wrong is the fault of the police department or “the other guys” on the board. Of course, the mayor is not the only one responsible for the budget issues at the police department but his leadership has made the situation worse, not better.
This mess has shaken trust in the entire system.
Sault Ste. Marie deserves leadership focused on community safety, not political games. We need an independent, accountable police board that answers to the public, not to private agendas.
We need transparency in budgets, staffing, and operations not scapegoating or secrecy. The men and women who protect our city deserve respect, not threats of an OPP takeover every time council gets frustrated.
It’s time for a clean slate. The mayor should step down from the Police Services Board, and new appointments, provincial and municipal, should focus on restoring trust and integrity. Our community deserves nothing less.
Joshua Vierimaa
Sault Ste Marie