Woodstock Police Service - Anti-Racism Advisory Committee

Committee Members Agenda & Minutes Contact Us

MANDATE OF COMMITTEE

To collaborate with the Chief of Police to provide guidance and insight on ways of improving and strengthening relationships between the Woodstock Police Service and Indigenous and racialized communities in the City of Woodstock.

Provide guidance to the Chief of Police on embedding strategies and processes within the Woodstock Police Service to combat racism, engage in actions to eliminate it and foster a culture that seeks to understand the unique identities of all races and cultures within the community.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Enhance, enrich, and when required establish positive connections between the office of the Chief of Police and the multiracial/multicultural communities within the City of Woodstock;
Assist in the assessment of the implementation of the employment equity plan and development of strategies to promote equitable multiracial/multicultural representation throughout the various positions within the Woodstock Police Service;
Assist in the assessment and development of the promotional processes to ensure fair opportunity for all Woodstock Police Service members to pursue personal career goals;
Assist in the assessment of operational policies to ensure inclusivity is evident;
Promote events that will support the purpose of the Race Relations Committee
Continue efforts to promote inclusivity and build healthy relationships with students and new comers new to our community.

TERM

Positions on the committee will be in effect for a minimum of one year to a maximum of three years.

MEMBERSHIP

Membership shall have a balanced representation of members of diverse racial groups from with the community and two senior members of the Woodstock Police Service.

FREQUENCY OF MEETINGS

Every 4-8 weeks; or at the call of the co-chairs

CO-CHAIRS

The Committee will be co-chaired by a member of the Woodstock Police Service and one other community member.

Co-chairs agree to:

Ensure that the activities of the committee align with the mandate established by the committee
Facilitate discussion in a way that ensures all members have the opportunity to participate
Address opportunities for collaboration in each meeting
Prepare and circulate agendas and materials in advance of scheduled meeting
Chair all meetings
Ensure meeting minutes are distributed to the committee membership within 2 weeks of the meeting

A secondary co-chair will be identified from the community and Police Service who will act as co-chair in the absence of the primary co-chair.

Co-Chairs will serve a maximum term of one year. At the conclusion of the one-year term, the secondary chair will move to the primary chair and a new secondary chair will be chosen.

MEMBER ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Engage and communicate with one another with the underlying assumption that each member has good intentions towards the community as a whole
Attend meetings regularly and send regrets for non-attendance to the co-chairs in advance of the meeting
Participate in the meeting as an equal; communicate respectfully; be open to the viewpoints of others
Protect and honour confidentiality
In the event that a member is no longer able to fulfill his/her commitment, the member will seek replacement from within the community that they represent.

MEDIA

Any media releases will be agreed content as approved by the Co-Chairs
Any comments made to the media on behalf of the committee will be made by one or both of the co-chairs, the content of which shall be agreed upon by both of the co-chairs.

DELIVERABLES/OUTPUTS

To assist and guide the development of a Diversity Plan for the Woodstock Police Service.
To guide and facilitate anti-racism and bias-awareness training to be delivered to Woodstock Police Service members.
Additional items to be identified as the committee evolves.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS


	Jessica Hofstetter - Primary Co-Chair Jessica was born and raised in Woodstock Ontario. Attending high school at CASS and WCI, later studying photography through Conestoga College. Jessica now owns two businesses in Woodstock and is a mother to two boys. In Jessica's words "We have such an amazing community. There is so much support in our small town. I see it everyday. I know we can continue to make our town a safe and happy place for everyone" "Racism comes in many different forms but it does exist whether we want to believe it or not. I hope we can all stand together, in solidarity as a community to make a change and truly make this the friendly city we all love, for each and every one of us"
	Hannah Hodder - Secondary Co-Chair Hello! My name is Hannah and I am currently a third-year student at Brescia University College, studying Criminal Justice. Over the past few months, and in light of recent events around the world, I have been a strong advocate on police brutality and human rights among the black community. Throughout the summer, I not only helped Jessica Hofstetter organize a peaceful protest to help raise awareness, but I also created a BLM Facebook page that is specifically dedicated to helping better our understandings on systematic racism and how we as a community can improve our understandings. I am honoured to be part of this wonderful committee as I believe we can help create a safe and welcoming space to all within our community. It’s my hope to inspire others to share their passions and affect change, because change is possible. It takes time to research and an openness to learning from others whose experiences differ from our own but I hope our committee will inspire you to help be a part of the change and work towards an inclusive and diverse environment for everyone!

	Jaspreet Sandhu Jaspreet has been a resident of Woodstock since 2017. She moved from Brampton, where there is a large South Asian community. She believes in equality and acceptance of all races and cultures. As Woodstock grows and the city becomes more diverse, Jaspreet would like to ensure the city understands some of the cultural differences so they can address them accordingly. Ultimately, enabling Woodstock to be accepting and understanding to everyone that comes to this lovely city. Jaspreet has an education in Law Enforcement and currently works for the Federal Government. Jaspreet is involved in the Punjabi community and spends a lot of time volunteering in different sectors. She has volunteered with the Canadian Mental Health Association, Sexual Assault and Rape Crisis Centre, Children’s Aid Society and Coached soccer to U5. Jaspreet wants to give back to the community she lives in and wants to help make it a safe and accepting place for current and the future generations.

	Jag Rai Jag Rai is an Educator and a devoted coach for the last 20 years. Jag graduated from the University of Windsor with a BA and a BEd. He was a member of the Varsity Track and Cross Country teams. Born and raised in Woodstock as a Punjabi-Sikh, Jag understands the challenges of being a minority. He has experienced and seen both positive and negative acceptance of different cultures. These experiences contributed to his decision to volunteer with community activities. Jag wants to see inclusiveness in the city. He volunteers his time to the Recreational Advisory Committee and helping athletes of all ages from a variety of backgrounds achieve their goals. As a youth, Jag found athletics played an important role in teaching him about cultural differences, providing him with strategies on how to cope with them. Jag values kindness and respect, which he believes is fundamental to welcoming diversity. Jag recognizes how the diversity in our beautiful city has flourished. He believes he has the strengths to support the needs of our growing community.

	Mohamed Ismail Mohamed is currently serving as Vice President of the Muslim Association of Woodstock (Charity) originally from the UK. Mohamed has served on various faith and community boards at a local and regional level in the past and has been involved in fund raising and delivering on local charity projects.

	Ruth Blass My name is Ruth Blass. I am originally from Nicaragua. I left my country when I was 14 years old. I have been living in North America for 32 years now. I lived in the United States for almost 4 years then my family decided to move to Canada which I think was the best decision they made for me. I met my husband in London, ON and we had two wonderful sons who were born in London. I went to Fanshawe College and graduated from the Business Marketing program and almost immediately got a job in the non-profit fundraising sector. I worked for an organization that helps orphans and children that come from low income families in 9 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. I have also worked and volunteer for agriculture migrants during the period they come and work here in Canada. Being a visibly minority in Canada and seeing that my Latin community is growing here in Woodstock and also in many parts of Canada; has brought attention and an interest to join this committee. I am very excited to see how can we help our communities informing, reaching or any form of help they need to make people more comfortable in Canada.

	Daryl Longworth - Primary Co-Chair Daryl Longworth was born and raised in the Woodstock area where he continues to live and raise his family. Daryl started his policing career in 1992 with the Halton Regional Police Service before returning to the Woodstock Police Service (WPS) in 1995. He has served in a number of positions, including as Deputy Chief at WPS from 2009-2015. In 2015, Daryl accepted a position as a Deputy Chief with the London Police Service. In September, 2019, Daryl returned to WPS as Chief of Police. Daryl is committed to the community safety and well-being of EVERY MEMBER of the community. He recognizes that the police service needs to work collaboratively with the community to continuously improve the services that the police provide. Daryl sees this committee as an opportunity to open lines of communication and to actively and regularly engage with members of diverse Indigenous and racialized communities as the police service works towards organizational change and accountability.

	Marci Shelton - Secondary Co-Chair Inspector Marci Shelton grew up in the Oxford County area and has been with the Woodstock Police Service for 27 years. Marci spent most of her career working front line patrol and supervision and Criminal Investigations. In her role as Inspector, she oversees the support service divisions within the service. She has always held a passion for Sexual and Child Abuse investigation, Incident Command, Media Relations and Community engagement. Marci’s involvement with many professional and personal committees over the years has given her an opportunity to work closely with other community partners and organizations that are dedicated to the wellness and safety of the community of Woodstock. She values the importance of working with members from our diverse communities to strengthen relationships with the service.