News
Orangeville mayor resigns from police board, calls for replacement

April 6, 2021 – At Orangeville council’s special meeting March 25, Deputy Mayor Andy MacIntosh was selected to replace Mayor Sandy Brown on the Orangeville Police Service Board

A new member of the Orangeville Police Service Board will be selected Thursday after Mayor Sandy Brown decided to give up his seat.

Brown announced he would resign his seat after learning the Ontario Civilian Police Commission had launched an investigation, one that he called politically motivated

He called for a meeting at 11:30 a.m. Thursday to select a new member.

“I believe that the mayor represents the taxpayers of the Town of Orangeville and has a duty to speak freely and report on issues of concern, particularly fiscal management and should not be muzzled,” said Brown in a news release.

Brown said he believes chair Todd Taylor instigated the investigation. He said the current members of the PBS are populated with supporters of the now-defunct Orangeville Police Service, including Taylor, who he said continues to advocate for them.

“I voted in favour of keeping OPS because I was concerned about the financials that a consultant presented, and I brought those financials forward in previous council meetings,” said Taylor to the Banner. “Here we are, a year later, and those financials are quite different than what was presented by the consultant.”

Brown called OPS one of the poorest managed police services in Ontario.

“Now that I am free of my bonds—there will be a lot more to report to town council and the citizens of Orangeville,” said Brown.

The mayor is automatically on the board unless he steps down, as he did, or is removed. Brown will be recusing himself from the vote as he is under investigation.

“The province wouldn’t investigate a politician or a board member unless they had reason to do so,” said Taylor. “The fact he can’t continue his duties, I think, is the story.”

He said, however, that he strongly believes Deputy Mayor Andy MacIntosh should be his replacement. MacIntosh has a long career in emergency services and understands policing through close interactions with police services, he said.

“I am extremely proud of leading council and taxpayers of Orangeville in the replacement of OPS with OPP,” said Brown. “We are already seeing cost savings—and when we step into the new billing model, the savings will be millions of dollars per year.”