Sault Ste. Marie police board chair and vice-chair resign amid tensions with city council

Faith Greco · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 14, 2025 6:16 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

The seat and vice-chair of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Services Board person resigned, citing concerns astir governmental interference from metropolis assembly and Mayor Matthew Shoemaker.

Former seat John Bruno and vice-chair Ian MacKenzie stepped down Friday, their resignations travel amid increasing tensions implicit the constabulary force's fiscal absorption and committee governance.

Both had served connected the committee for respective years and resigned arsenic the metropolis continues its hunt for a caller constabulary chief.

MacKenzie opposed the board's determination not to see erstwhile main Hugh Stevenson for reappointment. After 7 years arsenic chief, Stevenson resigned successful March to tally arsenic a national Conservative campaigner and aboriginal expressed involvement successful returning. 

In a connection to CBC News, Mayor Shoemaker said the resignations followed a May 12 assembly gathering wherever the committee seat was asked to respond to concerns astir back-to-back fund deficits totalling astir $5 million.

"Nearly 2 months aboriginal – earlier responding to Council – the Chair and Vice-Chair resigned alternatively of providing the responses they had been preparing for months," Shoemaker said successful the statement. 

"Contrary to the suggestions successful their resignation letters, this enactment of questioning is not an enactment of inappropriate politicization – it is simply a indispensable and liable effect to a profoundly troubling situation. You cannot simply hand-wave speech a $5 cardinal deficit. Hard questions indispensable beryllium asked truthful the nationalist tin person honorable answers and the enactment tin determination forward."

Shoemaker said that the erstwhile seat and vice seat are present deflecting scrutiny by questioning the motives of those asking morganatic questions.

"I person seen this dynamic play retired repeatedly since I rejoined the Police Services Board successful February – soon earlier the shortage came to light," helium said. 

Shoemaker volition service arsenic vice-chair of the constabulary committee for the remainder of the existent term.

The committee met the time aft the resignations and named erstwhile metropolis solicitor Nuala Kenny arsenic chair. 

In a statement, the board thanked Bruno and MacKenzie for their work and said it remains "fully committed to its mandate of ensuring capable and effectual policing."

The committee said hiring a caller constabulary main remains a apical priority, with interviews underway and a caller assignment expected by the extremity of August. Ward 4 Coun. Marchy Bruni volition instrumentality Bruno's spot connected the recruitment committee.