Who We Are
We are a group of concerned individuals who believe there is overwhelming evidence of a need for transformation in how police officers in Canada are educated and trained. We come from 5 provinces and 1 Territory. We have policing backgrounds, academic backgrounds, legal backgrounds, and medical background.
We wish to advance the knowledge of Canadians about how police professional education could be remarkably improved and how police could move towards professional status just like every occupation that serves others: teachers, lawyers, doctors, and nurses.
Board of Directors of the Coalition for Canadian Police Reform
Following 30 years of service with the Edmonton Police, David was appointed Chief of Police in Winnipeg, Canada. He served on the Advisory Board of the Law Commission of Canada and several other government and community Boards locally, provincially, and nationally. As a life member of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, he served on the Board of Directors, Law Amendments Committee, Human Resources Committee, and Identification and Laboratory Services Committee. As Winnipeg Police Chief, he planned and directed the department’s reorganization, implementing a decentralized community policing model.
As Operational Commander, David was also responsible for the response and recovery during the Edmonton Tornado (1987), and the Winnipeg Red River Flood (1997) and assisted the RCMP with the recovery effort following the Okanagan Mountain Park wildfires in 2003.
For the past 22 years, David has provided consulting services to several government departments. He was directly involved in the formation of the South East Europe Police Chiefs Association, the reorganization of the San Jose Police Department, Costa Rica, and Co-founder of the Coalition for Canadian Police Reform (C-CPR)
Michael Federico has 50 years of policing experience, 45 of those as a serving police officer and, more recently, in retirement, as a consultant and court-recognized expert. He has theoretical and practical knowledge in the development of policy and practices on matters related to police accountability, training, supervision, use-of-force, member wellbeing, and relations with persons with mental health issues. He is qualified with a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Justice Studies from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate of Management from the University of Virginia.
Mike retired as Deputy Chief of Police after serving in all ranks with the Toronto Police Service. During his service, he co-chaired the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police Use-of-Force Advisory Committee and was the Use-of-Force and Mental Health Advisor to the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police. He was also a member of the Future of Policing Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and a member of the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services’ Civil Liberties Advisory Group. Mike was the Service Advisor to the Toronto Police Services Board’s Mental Health Committee and its Joint Committee on Members’ Psychological Health and a member of the Pearls in Policing which is a global think tank where top executives in law enforcement meet to discuss the strategic and personal challenges of their organizations. For Mike’s long and exemplary career, he was inducted as an Officer of the Order of Merit of Canada, received the Police Exemplary Service Medal, and was bestowed with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Currently, Mike has multiple governance roles:
• Member of the Commissionaires, Great Lakes Division. A not-for-profit organization that provides meaningful employment that meets the needs of veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, their families, and others who wish to contribute to the security and well-being of Canadians.
• President of the Board of Directors of the Vitanova Shelter Corporation, and Past President of the Board of Directors of the Vitanova Foundation, a not-for-profit, community-based mental health and substance use treatment facility.
• Member of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police Use of Force Advisory Committee.
• Life Member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy Associates.
Dennis Shepp has over 43 years of experience in law enforcement and as a security management practitioner in North America and the Middle East. Dennis managed private sector investigative and security
projects and recently was a professional development advisor for a major international energy company based in Saudi Arabia. He has managed curriculum development projects, built investigative and
security operations organizations, and was an independent security management advisor on several major projects.
Dennis has been a faculty member for an international college and Alberta universities. He’s worked with internationally recognized education and training accreditation programs as part of curriculum development. He joined ASIS International in 1983 as a pioneering member of the first chapter in Canada and has been an avid volunteer at the chapter, regional, and international levels. Dennis currently represents ASIS International HQ as a faculty member on the CPP® (ANSI/ASIS Certified Protection Professional) Review Program. Dennis has his MBA (Master of Business Administration) from Royal Roads University, and is a Life Member CPP®, PCI® (ANSI/ASIS Professional Certified Investigator), and CFE (Association of Certified Fraud Examiners).
Dr. Lilley is a Founding Member of the Coalition for Canadian Police Reform. He is a retired anesthesiologist but continues as a Clinical Professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta. John is a member of the Alberta Premier’s Council on Charities and Civil Society. He was nominated by the Premier of Alberta to receive the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.
He was Chair of the YMCA of Northern Alberta Foundation as well as Co-Chair of the Pregnancy Pathways Steering Committee for homeless pregnant women until June 2022. He is a prior Police Commissioner in Edmonton.
John is proud to have established a consultation practice for non-profits in Alberta which is now part of the Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations and is called the Alberta Community Support Network.
Chief Johnston has dedicated 27 years to policing, covering a spectrum of roles within the Barrie Police Service, from Operations to Executive Services.
Significant achievements mark his academic journey: A Bachelor of Arts Honours in Philosophy from Queens, a Master of Arts in Leadership Studies from Guelph & a Master of Studies in Applied Criminology & Police Management from Cambridge.
Chief Johnston is committed to Evidence-Based Policing. He is a Director of Research for the Canadian Society of Evidence-Based Policing & he is recognized as a National Institute of Justice L.E.A.D.S Scholar (Law Enforcement Advancing Data & Science).
Wally is an experienced counsel and strategic advisor. His practice focuses on alternative and traditional dispute resolution as well as Indigenous law.
After graduation from the University of British Columbia Law School, Wally went into private practice for a number of years. During this time he was appointed as a Special Prosecutor on many high-profile criminal and commercial cases.
In 2005, he was appointed as Attorney General of British Columbia and served as Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism until 2009. Wally was involved in many significant reforms of the justice system, including the establishment of Canada’s first community court to deal with chronic offenders, developing new Rules of Court to promote quicker resolution of disputes, and developing new initiatives in dealing with violence against women.
A lifetime resident of British Columbia, Wally has dedicated his entire working life to the pursuit of social justice and community safety. His landmark report on policing in British Columbia led to many policing reforms after its publication in 1994. Wally’s service to the public of this province, most recently as Commissioner of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry is of special significance.
CEO, Indigenous Reconciliation Group, Certified as a First Nations Health Manager (CFNHM) and in Prosci Change Management
Rose LeMay is an unrelenting champion for the inclusion and well-being of Indigenous peoples. As a facilitator and trainer in cultural competence and anti-racism, she has supported thousands of Canadians from coast to coast to coast to deepen understanding and capacity for reconciliation. As a keynote speaker, she can take people through difficult topics of racism and reconciliation to find common ground and hope for the future. She writes for The Hill Times to press for Indigenous equity and wellbeing. Rose is a 2021 Global Pluralism Award Laureate for her work for reconciliation.
Rose has over 20 years of experience in policy and program development in health and mental health in government and non-profit sectors. She was the founding chair of the Wharerātā Group, an international network of Indigenous leaders and their allies working in mental health and addictions.
Rose is from the Taku River Tlingit First Nation in BC and is honoured to have worked with Indigenous peoples and Elders across Canada, the US, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, and Norway. Rose is a mother and grandmother, 2Spirit, and based in Ottawa.
Rose LeMay brings her an Indigenous perspective, a wealth of contacts and connections, and the wisdom of years of experience in supporting reconciliation to C-CPR.
Serving 29 years in The Winnipeg Police Service, retiring as Chief of Police in 2016.
After his retirement, Devon joined U.S.-based Matrix Consulting Group where he worked. In October 2020, Devon joined the Ontario Government in the role of Inspector General of Policing and helped establish The Inspectorate of Policing, the first of its kind in Canada.
Devon was president of the Manitoba Association of Chiefs of Police and was awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for the Advancement of Inter-religious Understanding in 2017.
Devon has served on numerous boards and is a strong advocate for community-focused groups.
Devon co-authored two children’s books, The Little Boy from Jamaica, and The Little Girl from Osoyoos, with his wife, Pearlene. Both books speak to addressing equity, diversity, and inclusion collaboratively and constructively.
Yvonne Niego is the Nunavut Deputy Minister of Environment. She came to the position with more than 25 years of experience in Nunavut’s justice system, as well as 8 years as Assistant Deputy or Deputy Minister in the Nunavut government.
Yvonne was the first female Inuk from Nunavut to become a full regular member of the RCMP and was also the first female Inuk from Nunavut to be promoted to Corporal, and then Sergeant. Her extensive experience within the RCMP led to roles with the Community and Aboriginal Policing Directorate in Ottawa and as a non-commissioned officer providing oversight on community policing initiatives across Nunavut.
Throughout her career, Yvonne has held several positions with various levels of government, including Assistant Deputy Minister of the Department of Justice, where she led work towards Nunavut’s Crime Prevention Strategy, supported community justice initiatives, and efforts to end family violence, and as Family Services Deputy Minister leading work in the areas of food security, poverty reduction, status of women, income support, career development and trade apprenticeship, and social services.
Yvonne has been involved with a variety of community and territorial organizations, with areas of focus on community policing and drug prevention, firearms safety, family violence, children and youth wellness, and suicide prevention. Yvonne is a past president of the Embrace Life Council, a non-profit suicide prevention organization in Iqaluit, and was a member of the implementation committee for the Nunavut Suicide Prevention Strategy.
Dr. McNaughton works with many professional groups both within and beyond healthcare, designing and delivering curriculum, assessments, evaluation programs, research projects, and remediation activities.
Nancy’s work with police education for over 20 years and more recently community mental health care workers focuses on the crucial connections between effective communication, problem-solving, decision-making, and implementation strategies with special attention to responding to people experiencing mental and emotional crises.
She is an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Toronto and a Scientist with the Wilson Centre for Research in Education.
Dr. Harris is a Professor Emeritus at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario (UWO) having spent 25 years in active teaching practice of Vascular Surgery.
During his time at Western, he served terms as Richard Ivey Chair of Surgery as well as Associate Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education.
Subsequently, he was Director of the Office of Specialty Education and later Vice-CEO of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He retired from the Royal College in June 2022.
Detective (Staff) Sergeant Les Titleman is a top-performing, award-winning, police leader with a 26-year portfolio of success driving Organized Crime investigations, Special Investigations & Support, Major Projects, and Major Collision investigations He has previously been the officer in charge of York Regional Police’s Guns, Gangs & Drug Enforcement Unit, the Major Projects Unit, the High Risk Offender Unit, the Mobile Surveillance Unit, and currently the Criminal Investigations Bureau for the City of Markham. He holds a Masters Degree in Leadership from the University of Guelph and a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology from the University of Toronto.
Les is a long-time member of our Operations Committee and performs authoring tasks as well as moderating webinars. We are pleased to have his current front-line policing expertise.
Board Advisor
Senator (retired) Vernon White holds a Doctorate in Police Leadership from Charles Sturt University, a Master of Arts in Conflict Analysis and Management from Royal Roads University, a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Psychology from Acadia University, is a graduate from the National Executive Institute-FBI, has extensive education at managerial and investigational levels within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, is a graduate of the RCMP Training Academy.
Senator White has worked with the RCMP, moving from Constable to Assistant Commissioner. He has served in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Ontario, and spent almost 19 years in the Arctic. He was Chief of Police for Durham as well as Ottawa.
He has held professorship roles at the Universities of Ontario Institute of Technology, Charles Sturt, Ottawa, Carleton, Simon Fraser, and Royal Roads. He is a Fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
Mr. White has received a number of commendations over the years, including a Commissioners Commendation, a Queen’s Jubilee Medal, and a United Way Community Builder of the Year Award.
He was appointed to the Senate of Canada, representing the province of Ontario in February 2012. He was a member of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) until he resigned from the Senate in October 2022.
The Honourable Vern White brings a wealth of policing experience and educational experience as well as wisdom to the board of C-CPR.