Sohi defends controversial private council meeting with police commissioners

Edmonton city councillors met with members of its police commission for more than two hours Wednesday, but the public video feed was cut before the discussion started.

In a vote of 10-2 council decided to make the meeting private, over concerns the discussion could be "harmful" to law enforcement and intergovernmental relations.

"I believe that good governance is governance that happens in public," said Coun. Anne Stevenson who voted against making the meeting private.

She argued that allowing Edmontonians to watch would be good for the relationship between the police and the public.

Disagreements over the policing of convoys and the revelation that the Edmonton Police Service is purchasing a new "covert" plane have caused controversy recently in Edmonton.

"I think a lot of the conflict and confusion that we've seen in recent weeks comes down to a lack of transparency, openness and communication," Stevenson argued.

Coun. Michael Janz also voted against the private meeting.

Councillors Andrew Knack and Ashley Salvador initially voted in favour of the private meeting, but joined Janz and Stevenson in voting to make the information public afterwards.

"Not only do we need to be building a relationship and trust between council and the commission, but we also need to build that accountability, transparency and trust with the public as well," Salvador said as she suggested another public meeting soon.

BAD TIMING AND BAD OPTICS: CRIMINOLOGIST

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi defended the decision to go in-private, because he wanted to make everyone more comfortable to speak openly. He pointed out that the new Edmonton Police Commission is a diverse group, with a variety of experiences.

"We want to make sure that when people are sharing their personal stories, when they are sharing some of their vulnerabilities, their privacy is protected," Sohi argued.

He added that it was the first ever meeting between council and the police oversight body.

Sohi didn't back down from his decision to vote for the private meeting, despite the anger some have towards police over convoy protests.

"No police service got it perfectly right. Every service, every institution including political leaders struggled to respond properly to this crisis. So I think it's learning for all of us," he said.

But council's explanations for privacy didn't sit well with a criminology professor at the University of Alberta.

Temitope Oriola, a criminology professor at the University of Alberta, in an interview with CTV News Edmonton on Feb. 23, 2022.

Temitope Oriola calls it bad timing and bad optics considering the scrutiny police, and the commission, are facing regarding the plane and the convoy protests.

"A meet-and-greet, I don’t think meets the threshold for secrecy or the need for secrecy and the need for confidentiality of discussions," Oriola said.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson