On Saturday, June 15, 2023, ExperienCity held a rally on the sidewalk outside CPS headquarters to publicly show support for Chief Shawna Spowart.
Spowart recently came under scrutiny after a Cornwall Police Association employee survey was leaked stating that confidence in the Deputy Chief of Police Vincent Foy and direct supervisors is high (86 and 77 percent, respectively), while confidence in the Chief of Police Shawna Spowart and HR is much lower (31 and 21 percent). The survey also pointed to issues with low morale within the CPS.
Chief Spowart went on sick leave just before the survey was leaked to local media. Deputy Chief Foy has taken on the role as acting Chief of Police in Spowart’s absence.
The survey results without context have created a one-sided narrative of dissatisfaction amongst CPS employees which doesn’t acknowledge the exemplary work done by Chief Spowart in her 26+ years with the service. This includes important work towards EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) and nurturing positive police-community relations. It also doesn’t consider the role that other issues like COVID, and short staffing have had on morale.
“Often people who are in public facing roles can’t respond publicly because it could be misconstrued, it can be used against them in legal proceedings and things like that … That is our basic feeling about why [Spowart] hasn’t spoken out publicly,” co-organizer Nick Seebruch told Seaway News.
“What we’ve seen publicly is unfair treatment of the Chief and furthermore, the leaking of this survey we feel is a way for the Cornwall Police Association to decide who runs the Cornwall Police Service and how it is run,” added Seebruch.
A number of well-respected community leaders came together to voice their concerns over the situation and voice their support for Spowart. Former Mayor of Cornwall and past member of the Cornwall Police Services Board, Glen Grant, took the time to speak in person as well as former Chair of the Cornwall Police Association, Michel Payette.
Letters of support from community leaders were read aloud, including letters from Diane Brown & Michel Payette (Freeholder letter), Michelle Allinotte (CUREA & Journey Law), Jeannette Despatie (CCH), Rachel Daigneault (CAS), Neha Chugh (Chugh Law), Juliette Labossiere (UW), and Bernadette Clement.
To conclude the rally, a call to action was put out by organizers encouraging the public to have their voices heard on this matter by emailing or submitting letters to the Cornwall Police Services Board.
