Gignac is the new chair of the Windsor Police Services Board

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There’s a new but familiar face at the head of the Windsor Police Services Board.

Ward 6 Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac was elected chair of the board on Thursday after Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, who first took on the role in 2015, stepped aside.

Gignac told reporters after Thursday’s board meeting that she expects her time at the head of the table will involve contending with some ongoing themes.

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Among them are the unique impact on policing that comes with being a major border town, and the increasing strain that mental health and addictions issues are putting on resources and officers.

“The challenges are not getting easier,” said Gignac, who was first elected to city council in 2003. “They aren’t disappearing. So, we’ve got to encourage our frontline workers and our senior leadership teams just to hold it. It’s becoming more and more challenging.”

The first Windsor Police Services Board meeting of the year began Thursday with the selection of a new chair and vice-chair.

Sophia Chisholm, senior vice-president of Finance at Windsor Family Credit Union (WFCU), is the new vice-chair. She returned to the Windsor Police Services Board in 2023 after previously serving from 2016 to 2018. Chisholm is also a board member with the Windsor Port Authority.

Before the process to choose the chair began, Dilkens asked that no one nominate him for the job, stating it was time someone else took over. He remains a member of the police board, but that will also come to an end next year.

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Provincial legislation that took effect on April 1 prohibits former members of a police service from sitting on a board in the city where they served.

Dilkens was a Windsor Police Service auxiliary officer from 1992 to 2006. He must resign his seat on the board when the current term ends in 2026.

The legislation — the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019 — replaced the Ontario Police Services Act, 1990.

Gignac, who served on the police board from 2011 to 2019 and returned in December 2022, said that new legislation will also be something she contends with as chair.

“We’re still dealing with the newness of the Community Safety and Policing Act update,” said Gignac. “Our secretary had 25 policy amendments to make for us to be in compliance. And I expect that as we move through we’re going to notice changes in ongoing training that we receive. It’s always interesting.”

twilhelm@postmedia.com

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