Essex to create public satisfaction survey on OPP service

The Town of Essex will conduct a public survey to get resident feedback on public satisfaction on Ontario Provincial Police services being provided to the municipality.

Mayor Sherry Bondy, who is also the Essex rep on the Essex County Police Services Board-North, brought this forward as a Notice of Motion at the July 2 meeting Council. It got Council approval at the June 17 meeting, which directed Administration to conduct the survey.

“I think this is good to have a bench mark,” Bondy said of the survey, noting it would also be beneficial to see the results of the one previously conducted in 2020.

Councillor Kim Verbeek spearheaded the previous survey. She served as a member on the Essex Police Services Board at the time, before local Essex County OPP-policed boards had to amalgamate into two local committees.

Bondy hoped to compare the results of this survey to the one conducted four-years ago, and hopes to possibly issue one every two-years to gauge public feedback.

Now that the police services boards have merged, they are scheduled to take place every other month instead of monthly, and are focusing on three municipalities instead of one.

The first meeting of the Essex County Police Services Board-North took place in April. The second was scheduled to take place June 10, but was postponed, Bondy said, because the board needs to get insurance first.

“I really feel there are less meetings, less oversight. So, this is going to be a good gauge to get the pulse of the public,” Bondy said, adding the results can be taken to the OPP to inform personnel of problem areas, or the results can be shown to residents who complain to explain how others in the municipality feel on a certain issue.

Councillor Katie McGuire-Blais liked the idea, but hoped the questions provided will not be too vague. She hoped Council would be able to take a look at it before it is issued to provide suggestions.

CAO Doug Sweet noted staff has found a former survey, has a meeting with the Mayor planned later in the week, and will look at comparable surveys done through other municipalities in preparation of this survey. From there, the survey can go to Council to look over, before it goes public.

Councillor Kim Verbeek was also glad to see this go through, noting it was good it was approved more easily than the previous survey.

Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press