Edmonton police commission moves meetings online, removes public speakers through year-end

Edmonton's police oversight body is shutting out in-person public input for the rest of the year. The Edmonton Police Commission will hold all remaining public meetings online via Zoom — September 17, October 22, and November 19 — and has eliminated the public-speaking portion of its agenda.

Chair Ben Henderson said the decision comes after months of "personal attacks, defamation, threats and intimidation" directed at commissioners and staff. He cited safety concerns for staff as the reason, though he declined to elaborate on specifics. The commission will revisit the policy before 2027.

The shift follows a heated July 16 meeting where public speakers called for Chief Warren Driechel's removal over his February attendance at a Major Cities Police Chiefs conference in Israel. Henderson said the discussion moved beyond criticism of governance into territory outside the commission's jurisdiction. "It has not been discussions of the chief's trip to Israel," he said. "The discussion has moved on to what is happening in Israel. It's not something we have jurisdiction over; it is not something we or the chief have any power over. It's personal, it's defamatory, it's attacking individual commissioners."

The commission says written submissions from the public will still be accepted if they relate to the board's mandate. Virtual meeting links and agenda packages will be published and distributed in advance. The public can join the Zoom meetings but will not be able to speak.

As HighOnCity reported in July, the commission faced accusations of silencing public criticism following earlier contentious meetings.