​​PC government refuses to explain its removal of former chair Ron Chatha from Peel police board months after shocking decision  

Months later, questions around why the PC government removed long-time Conservative supporter Ron Chatha from his role as chair of the Peel Police Services Board, a move that stunned local officials and residents, continue to swirl, with no explanation from the Province. 

Only a few months after being re-elected as chair of the police services board in January, Chatha, a politically connected Peel resident and Brampton realtor who was in the midst of his second 3-year term on the board, quietly had his position terminated by the Province in April after being reappointed by the PC government in 2022.  

The provincial appointee was re-elected in January by his fellow board members to chair the civilian panel, which oversees the regional police force that serves the cities of Mississauga and Brampton. The Province removed him from the position suddenly without warning to elected officials, fellow board members or police leaders.  

The PC government has refused to provide an explanation as to why the chair of the Peel Region police services board was abruptly removed. The only words a spokesperson from the office of the Solicitor General Michael Kerzner has repeatedly offered since Chatha’s removal are, “We are in the process of renewal, and the replacement is forthcoming.” When The Pointer asked Kerzner’s office why Chatha was removed the solicitor general declined to provide the reasons for the unexpected move. Requests to Chatha from The Pointer have gone unanswered. 

Chatha is a former federal Conservative Brampton riding association president, and trumpeted his close relationship with Doug Ford prior to first being appointed by the PCs to the police board.

  Ron Chatha with Doug Ford in a 2018 photo posted to Twitter before Ford became premier and before Chatha's appointment to the Peel Police Board. 

(X, formerly known as Twitter)

At the time of Chatha’s departure, Ford told reporters he could not disclose the reasons behind why the provincial appointee was removed from the board, but that more information would be coming “in the near future.” Four months later, the public has received no explanation as to why the former chair was ousted. 

Chatha had been a vocal political supporter of Ford prior to his appointment by the PCs to the police board. 

Premier Doug Ford and his PC colleagues have repeatedly refused to explain the decision for removing Ron Chatha from his position as chair of the Peel Police Services Board.

(Alexis Wright/The Pointer files)

Chatha, a Brampton real estate agent who had no experience in the criminal justice field at the time of his appointment to the board in 2019, labelled the sudden change a “transition away from my role on the board”, saying he  would “shift my focus to better support my family and grow my business.” Peel critics have questioned why people with no connection to the complex world of criminal justice keep getting put on the police board; the board often appoints people with backgrounds in real estate, automotive sales and other unrelated professions.

Chatha faced controversy prior to his appointment to the board. In 2017 Chatha was accused by local residents of violating federal Conservative party rules, when he allegedly tried to discreetly pay the membership fees for people within the party when he was president of the federal Brampton East Conservative Riding Association while also working with Kevin O’Leary, who was trying to win the Party’s leadership race. 

At the time, the Globe and Mail reported it had received a sworn affidavit by six men stating Chatha had attempted to commit membership fraud in order to help O’Leary while he vied for the leadership. Chatha denied the allegations made against him. 

Another question around Chatha is how he has held onto his position on the Brampton Committee of Adjustment, deciding on property matters while simultaneously working as a local real estate agent, and after he was removed by the PC government from the police board.

Chatha has frequently publicized his close relationship with Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown.

Chatha’s termination from the police board also happened at a crucial time for policing in Brampton and Mississauga, as the board makes “pivotal” moves in its ongoing partnership with the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) to eliminate systemic discrimination within the Peel Police force. 

In June, the board, in collaboration with the OHRC and Peel Regional Police, released a draft document of 64 recommendations aimed at addressing and dismantling systemic racism and discrimination that has been historically profound in the regional police force. The document, which also establishes accountability and transparency measures, is a culmination of work that began in 2020 to develop strategies to identify and combat systemic racism within the force after a disturbing report in 2019 revealed the inner workings of widespread misconduct.

Chatha was largely silent while serving as chair when issues of systemic discrimination in the force were brought forward to the board by residents and other stakeholders.  

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