E-Paper
NRI elected to Toronto Police Board
The appointment has caused a stir within and outside Toronto City Council.
The Toronto City Council elected Indo-Canadian Alok Mukherjee, a human rights advocate and educator, to the city's Police Services Board.
The appointment has caused a stir within and outside the council with accusations that Mayor David Miller influenced the choice.
Mayor Miller, who on Wednesday endorsed the choice, said at a press briefing that Mukherjee was ideally suited to the job.
"It's time for some new blood and (Mukherjee's) credentials are incredibly impressive and I think he also fills a need for people who understand the diversity of Toronto," Miller said when the council voted 29 to 12 to appoint Mukherjee to succeed departing board chair Alan Heisey.
Mukherjee came to Canada in 1971, according to Skills for Change, an organization that recognizes the work of outstanding immigrants. He experienced disinterest in his Indian education and teaching experience and a prevalence of racist attitudes in the community. "As a result of this experience he became a community activist working for equity and fairness in educational, government and community organizations."
Mukherjee is a partner of Partners in Equality and a member of the Doris Marshall Institute for Education and Action. He served as acting chief commissioner and vice chair of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, was a member of the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services and also serves as a member of the board of governors of Centennial College.
He is active in several community organizations including the South Asian Fellowship, the National Association of Canadians of Origins in India and South Asians Fighting Against Racism. He is frequently called upon to speak and write on human rights, employment equity and anti-racist education issues.
The Police Department has over the last few years been headed by Chief Julian Fantino, who was brought in to fight the dramatic rise in deadly crime and gang violence in this multicultural city. However, some ethnic groups and activists believe Fantino has not been successful in bridging the racial divide and building consensus as well as in reducing levels of crime.
