Key Dates

POSTPONED

An invitation to join the  discussion between 2SLGBTQQIA+ community members and service providers and the Ottawa Police Service. How do we strengthen our relationship and better service the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community in Ottawa?

When: Wednesday January 19th, 2022 from 6:00PM - 8:00PM.

Where: Online (platform and link to be provided)

For almost 30 years, the former OPS GLBT Liaison Committee played a vital role in improving service delivery and building trust between the OPS and the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community in Ottawa.

In 2019 and 2020, the OPS reached out to the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community in two separate engagement process, in order to look at ways to strengthen the relationship between the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community and OPS (please see the attached documents for the survey results and interview report, which were composed by Catalyst Research and Communications).

Both processes resulted in a number of recommendations, some of which included:

• The former OPS Liaison Committee be honoured and retired (this was done in early 2020);
• The intersectional needs of the broader 2SLGBTQQIA+ be a focused priority;
• That a city-wide 2SLGBTQQIA+ advisory committee be considered, which would include multiple city and community services, who can better respond to the specific needs of the 2SLBGTQQIA+ community;
• Creating a 2SLGBTQQIA+ sub-committee of the OPS Community Equity Council (CEC).

We need to hear from you on how best to move forward. It's our strongly held belief that broad and inclusive public engagement leads to better insight into community preferences, more logical plans, and more efficient implementation.

If you would like to provide input, but the above date does not fit your schedule, please reach out to Constable Meagan Blair, at blairm@ottawapolice.ca, in order to ensure that your valued ideas can be contributed through a different means.

Your participation and input is highly valued.

Meeting Minutes are available for download here.

Dear community members,

On the 21st of September, the OPS Strategic Partnerships and Engagement unit along with 6 members/organizations of the 2SLGBTQQIA community met to discuss the revitalization of a 2SLGBTQQIA+ committee.

It was a productive and encouraging initial meeting

Collectively we have made progress with an interim agreement to activate a 2SLGBTQQIA+ working group within in the structure of the Community Equity Council (CEC) specific to policing issues.

There was also recognition that a more inclusive City-Wide leadership group is desired as recommended from the “Ottawa 2SLGBTQ+ Service Needs, Gap, and Recommendations Report” (Nov 2019) to facilitate collaboration across the community, health and social service sector supported by the City of Ottawa.

Furthermore, a few points raised in the meeting to take into considerations moving forward in regarding OPS and police led initiatives:

• The need for sharing the duties of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ Liaison position.
• The need to be clear on what this position is and what it is not
• The need to build trust by the way of being transparent
• The need to recruit more members of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community for inclusion in the discussions
• The need to include youth and racialized members from the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community 
• Commitment to meet monthly
• Commitment to an annual or semi-annual round table meeting with frontline organizations
• Make use of the online Engagement Platform

Next Meeting:

Orientation to the CEC
Friday November 4th, 2022 at 14:00 hrs located at {TBD} 

Resource group for OPS members who self identify as 2SLGBTQQIA+ and allies.

Dear community members;

On September 21^st 2022, the OPS Strategic Partnerships and Engagement unit along with 6 organizations of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community met to discuss the revitalization of a 2SLGBTQQIA+ Liaison committee.

Collectively, we have made progress with an interim agreement to activate a 2SLGBTQQIA+ working group within in the structure of the Community Equity Council (CEC) specific to policing issues.

I encourage those interested to attend the next meeting with the CEC [opscommunityequitycouncil.com] regarding orientation to further enhance the voices at the table to continue the momentum forward. This will be hosted by representatives of the CEC itself.

The meeting will provide an overview of the Community Equity Council mandate and the committee structure, including the 2SLGBTQ+ committee. We will have a discussion on whether this structure can meet the needs of the group.

CEC committees are co-chaired by an OPS and community member of the Community Equity Council.  

The Objectives of the Council

• Community and police service members will provide meaningful and honest feedback about the ongoing relationship with the community and police.
• Community members will provide strategic advice, based on input from the community, to the Ottawa Police Service on how to improve the relationship.
• Community members will provide engagement support when a critical incident occurs between the community and the police.
• Police members will offer insights into police processes and systems to influence positive change within the police systems while recognizing the limitations of the police structure.
• Police service members will be advocates for change within the police service.  AND     The CEC will provide suggestions to change OPS systems and processes.

Next Meeting:
Orientation to the CEC
Friday November 4th, 2022 at 14:00 hrs via Microsoft Teams
Please RSVP to ensure you receive the link williamsa@ottawapolice.ca

So far, the OPS and members of the community have continued to push forward regarding the establishment of a working group to discuss and advise OPS regarding 2SLGBTQQIA+ matters within our city.

We continue to discuss: 

• Transparency
• Consistency
• Intersectionality 
• Form and Function
• Community Equity Council (CEC) and its mandate

There were many points raised in identifying potential positive and negative impacts regarding initiating a working group directed by the CEC and how that may look for the 2SLGBTQQIA communities. 

On December 14th 2022 we will continue that discussion at Ottawa City Hall - Room - TBD

Discussing our next steps as the OPS and the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community connect through dialogue.