Review of Laurier’s Special Constable Service underway

NEWS RELEASE
WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY
*************************

Wilfrid Laurier University is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) as part of its core values. After hearing from students, faculty and staff, the university set a number of goals to address systemic racism of Black, Indigenous and racialized people in our community. In a concerted effort to realize those goals, an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Indigeneity Action Plan, was put in place with timelines and accountability leads.

As part of that plan, the university is undertaking an external review of its multi-campus Special Constable Service (SCS). Laurier's Special Constables are first responders to the needs, concerns and emergencies of our diverse community, and the goal of the review is to strengthen and improve the way in which Special Constable Service supports students and employees who identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of colour.

“The Special Constable Review is an opportunity to have important conversations with our community about how to better serve our diverse community, with a particular focus on Black, Indigenous and racialized individuals,” said Ivan Joseph, Vice President: Student Affairs. “I encourage our community to be a part of this process and share their ideas and critical feedback to help us all improve our services.”

“I'd like to thank the three external reviewers who are sharing their time and expertise in support of this important process, and we look forward to receiving their recommendations,” said Lloyd Noronha, Vice-President: Finance and Administration.

SCOPE AND PROCESS

Three independent external reviewers will examine how Laurier's Special Constable Service interact with Black, Indigenous, and racialized members of the Laurier community, and how reports of racism are responded to and addressed. With this context, the review will assess the operations and responsibilities of the Special Constable Service, including its organizational structure, staffing, training, accountability and oversight.

The review will gather information from stakeholder meetings, anonymous individual surveys, and focus group conversations with community members. The reviewers will present their findings and recommendations to the university in early spring 2021, which will be made public on Laurier's website.

An essential component of the review will be community consultation that will include:

Meetings with key stakeholder groups, which will start in late January;
A university-wide, anonymous survey will be distributed in early February;
Focus groups will be conducted in late February;

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Laurier community members who require a different opportunity to present feedback, can email scsreview@wlu.ca to arrange a time to connected with a member of the review team.

ABOUT THE EXTERNAL REVIEWERS 

The independent reviewers are tasked with basing their recommendations on both their expertise and on feedback from the Laurier community. The reviewers are:

Teneile Warren is an anti-racism and equity consultant with specialization in restorative empowerment, transformative mediation and culturally fluent organizational practices. 

Philip Semple is a Professor and Program Coordinator of Centennial College's Police Foundations Program. As a racialized youth in southern Ontario and as a former police officer, he has extensive expertise in addressing racism.

James (JD) Marchand is a proud member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg Algonquin First Nation whose career has spanned many facets of law enforcement and restorative justice.

For more information or to ask questions about the review, email scsreview@wlu.ca.

*************************