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2022 Election Candidates

The following people have submitted their interest to run for a position on the Serving with Pride Executive Board.

Co-chair - 1 position available

Once available, this space will be updated with candidates who intend to run for this position.

Treasurer - 1 position available

1. Sgt. Heath Miller.
Sergeant Heath Miller was part of the Serving with Pride Board of Directors 2015-2016. He is currently the Treasurer for the York Regional Police Association as well as Treasurer for his condominium board, making him an ideal candidate for this position. 

Strategic Planning & Communications  - 1 position available

Once available, this space will be updated with candidates who intend to run for this position.

Director - 3 positions available

1. Matthew Cudahy. See our Board of Directors page for his full biography.

2. PC Robert Chevalier.
Police Constable Robert Chevalier first started policing with the Windsor Auxiliary Constable program in 2002 and then hired by the Toronto Police Service in 2007.  He first became a member Serving with Pride in 2008 after learning about the Organization from David Snoddy. Since that time he has been active with Toronto Police Service’s LGBT-ISN, which later became the LGBTQ-ISN. With that Internal Support Network, he held the position of Director, Treasurer, Secretary, and currently as the Co-chair. Additionally, he is a member of Pride Toronto, the Trans Community Practice (formerly Bloom Network for Trans and Gender Diverse people,) the Church Wellesley Neighbourhood Association, and Front Runners (and LGBTQ organization of long distance runners.) In the past he has also served in various capacities on many different boards, organizations, and committees. I am currently working out of the Community Partnerships and Engagement Unit as the LGBTQ2S+ Liaison Officer for the Toronto Police Service.

He would like to join Serving with Pride as way to further increase the relationship between the Toronto Police Service Internal Support Network and Serving with Pride. He is also interested in larger projects with a provincial and national scope.

He comments, "Furthermore, when I think back to my time as an Auxiliary Constable in Windsor Ontario… although that was 16 years ago, I was hoping to see more LGBTQ activity, and membership come from that region.  As a director of Serving with Pride I’m hoping to have some fulsome engagement with officers and other sworn members in that part of the province."
 

3. Sgt. Henry Dyck
Sergeant Henry Dyck has been with the Toronto Police Service since 2005.

 

Prior to becoming a police officer he did quite a lot of volunteer work within the LGBTQ2S+ community. In Kingston, Ontario he hosted a Queer Radio show and had notable interviews with such individuals as then Mayor Barbara Hall, and MCC Minister Brent Hawkes. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Kingston Lesbian and Gay Association and a member of the Lesbian and Gay Issues Committee for Queen’s University. He was a member of the committee that brought the AIDS quilt and Janet Connors to Kingston to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS. He also volunteered at the Kingston AIDS Project and led an almost singular campaign against the Red Cross at Queen’s University after inappropriate signage disparaging gay students was used. 

 

In Toronto, Sgt. Dyck is a former President of the Board of Directors of the Pride and Remembrance Run. During his time there hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised for local LGBTQ2S+ specific charities utilizing a formal beneficiary application process. It was also at this time that he first started to develop relationships with the management of other not for profit agencies in Toronto. He is currently a member in good standing with Pride Toronto, the Church-Wellesley Neighbourhood Association, and holds a life membership with the Pride and Remembrance Run. He has the experience of having worked on National campaigns with organizations like EGALE, to smaller but no less important issues like helping our community deal with overly zealous and hateful fundamentalist preachers. He was the inaugural recipient of the Toronto Police Service’s Mental Health Award, and has received a number of external awards including a Public Hero Award, as well as SWP’s Visibility Award.

 

During his time with the Toronto Police he has had some challenging and equally rewarding connections to our community. Some of those have been:

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  • Investigating a Missing Person report that led to the development of “Project Prism” and subsequent work to assist with the arrest and conviction of Bruce McArthur.

  • worked very hard, and was finally successful in getting the Neighbourhood Officer program expanded to cover the Church-Wellesley community, a program he still supervises.

  • Fought to become one of, if not the first, police stations in Canada to fly the Trans Pride flag during Trans Day of Remembrance and host a yearly event around it.

  • Wrote the report for the Toronto Police Service Board requesting permission for its officers to wear Pride epaulettes, and Pride and Trans Pride pins.

  • Have represented the Toronto Police Service formally as an LGBTQ2S+ representative at a host of events including Orlando Pride, Elliot Lake Pride, and as a delegate at the 1st World LGBTQ Conference for Justice Professionals in Amsterdam.

  • Twice been the Co-chair of the Toronto Police Service’s LGBTQ-Internal Support Network. Which includes the following notable achievements:

    • Commencement of a large annual charitable event- The First Responder PRIDE party.

    • Having the then first Lesbian Premier of Ontario speak to ISN.

    • Getting permission for the TPS to march in PRIDE NYC.

    • Hosting an IDAHOT event featuring Trans police officers from Ottawa and New York as speakers.

    • Having the Chief of the Orlando PD + its LGBT Liaison officer flown to Toronto to speak to the ISN about the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

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4. Cst. Fiona Phillips

I was raised by a loving and supportive blended family. I spent a good portion of my childhood in Scarborough, Ontario until 1993 when my parents relocated our family to the North West Territories for a teaching employment opportunity. As a young child living in the North West Territories, I was exposed to a new and distinct cultural setting in which I learned the language, customs, and traditions of the Inuit people. In the consecutive year, we relocated to the Yukon where I furthered my knowledge of Northern Canada as well as the history of Alaska. My family returned to Pickering in 1995 and we have resided in the Greater Toronto Area ever since.

 

My travelling experience has taught me the value of diversity and has enabled me to develop my relationship-making abilities, all of which have proved useful in areas of work, school and volunteering. I have always held a keen interest for law enforcement. My inspiration for the profession came at a young age as my Godmother was an officer with the RCMP. Her career took her on a unique path and this exposure to a strong female in the policing community inspired me to follow a similar career path.  

 

I came out to my parents as a lesbian when I was seventeen years old. This was made easier for me as my brother came out as gay the year before. I was so fortunate to have parents who embraced our path and supported us in our efforts to discover our authentic truths. I have been with my wife for twelve years and have two beautiful daughters with her.  

 

I began my policing career with the Toronto Police Service in August 2009. I was deployed as a constable to 42 division where I spent the majority of my career with TPS. I served as a uniform police constable in the Primary Response Unit as well as the Community Response Unit. In January 2016 I was seconded to the Integrated Guns and Gangs Task Force for a major project directed at dismantling a very prominent and violent gang. The project resulted in a successful takedown and the efforts were recognized by the Toronto Police Services Board with a teamwork commendation award.

 

In 2018 I applied to the Durham Regional Police Service and was offered a lateral position as a police constable within the service. My wife and I both moved to Durham and began a new chapter of our policing careers. The move to DRPS proved to be the most significant in defining my true passion within the policing world. I recognized a huge disparity in the E&I opportunities available with DRPS and have worked tirelessly at building relationships with internal and external partners to bring opportunity and change. I have taken a leadership role within West Division as the Community E&I Liaison and work with service members and the community to make stronger connections. I truly believe that investing in the community is the new path of policing. In the face of the pandemic, I developed a "Serving with Pride" video series highlighting the diverse and proud members of the service who identify a 2SLGBTQ+. I have also partnered with TPS to create and bring 2SLGBTQ+ training to DRPS to ensure understanding and accountability for our community.  

 

Throughout my policing career as well as my personal life I have demonstrated my ability to work as an individual as well as part of a team. I have come to celebrate diversity and recognize the importance of an empathetic communicator. I strive to strengthen the ties between the community and law enforcement and promote a safe environment for the community to approach the police to communicate their needs.

 

My desire to become part of the Serving with Pride team stems from my desire to see positive and long lasting change. I want to connect with members from other services, with other experiences and listen to their challenges and strengths. I want to be part of an organization focused on bringing understanding, support and accountability to the forefront and provide a safe environment for all members of our community. I believe that my presence on the board will bring a diverse perspective and drive.  

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