‘There was no inside baseball here’: London Police Services Board defends hiring of former chair Chahbar as chief’s general counsel

The London Police Services Board has hired former police board chair and TVDSB solicitor Ali Chahbar. CTV’s Bryan Bicknell explains.

The London Police Services Board (LPSB) on Friday found itself defending the hiring of a new general legal counsel to Chief Thai Truong.

The post was given to former LPSB chair Ali Chahbar.

But it was his previous employment connection to a report citing financial mismanagement and compliance issues at the Thames Valley District School Board that raised questions about the hiring.

“But I think it’s important to know, there was no inside baseball here. Mr. Chahbar was not privy to any information,” said LPSB Chair Ryan Gauss.

It was an event held to announce the new leadership structure of the London Police Service. Gauss defended the hiring of Chahbar, his predecessor, to the newly created position.

“Our job is not to worry about optics. Our job is to worry about governance. And our job is to do what’s best for the service of which we are responsible for. And the best thing to do is to put the most qualified people in the positions,” Gauss said.

Chahbar’s hiring is being met with scrutiny after his former role as general legal counsel at the Thames Valley District School Board was cited in an investigation by auditors at Price Waterhouse Coopers. The report found the general counsel was given back-to-back promotions, first in 2021, then 2023 - the latter of which resulted in a salary increase of $72,000 over three years.

The audit said in that particular promotion proper process was not followed, as Mark Fisher, then the director of education, did not receive trustee approval for the change.

Chahbar says he had no knowledge of anything untoward.

“It was a promotion that I put in a lot of time effort, and resources to earn. And it was really unbeknownst to me that there may have been some seemingly some procedural step that may not have been completed by someone at the organization,” he explained.

Chahbar went on a leave of absence from the school board in March 2025, citing health reasons. The 10-month audit report was completed in April. It was shortly after that he stepped down as police board chair.

The posting for legal counsel to the police chief went up in July, with a deadline of Aug. 1, 2025. Chahbar resigned from the school board in October.

Truong, who was first appointed in 2023 under Chahbar’s chairmanship, says he’s not privy to what happened at the school board.

But he related it to how promotions work at the police service.

“If we skipped a step where perhaps an inspector or superintendent did not sign off…I don’t hold that sergeant, or staff sergeant or that person who earned that promotion, who went through all of those steps, to account,” said Truong.

The general counsel to the chief position replaces the role of senior director of legal services, which as been restructured, and no longer exists.

The board also announced Roger Ramkissoon as the service’s first ever CAO.

Ramkissoon currently serves as the CAO of the Cobourg Police Service.

The board also announced it has extended the contracts of deputy chiefs Paul Bastien and Trina MacSween until the end of 2032.

Meanwhile, Board Executive Director Stephanie Johanssen becomes chief governance officer.