Yahoo Finance Halifax police chief launches new consulting company
The chief of the Halifax Regional Police has started a new workplace consulting company in advance of his planned retirement next year.
Jean-Michel Blais will be running Empiric Consultancy Solutions, which he hopes will provide part-time work after he retires from the force at the end of March. Blais has served as the city's top cop since leaving the RCMP after 25 years in 2012.
"I was looking at what to do with the next third of my life and thought I might as well take some of the experience I've acquired over my life in labour relations and leadership development and put it to good use," he said.
The company was registered with Nova Scotia's registry of joint stocks on Sept. 27.
Contracts lined up
Its website, which Blais said is still in development, advertises "access to an international network of multilingual, experienced leaders."
The company's focus is "those behaviours that cause so much damage in the workplace: underperformance, personality disorders, conflict, harassment, indiscretions, and (over)reactions precipitated by human and natural disasters."
Blais said so far he's lined up two contracts that will officially start when he retires. One of them is with Worth Living Mental Health and another with a national police oversight organization. A third is still in the works.
"It's just a matter of promotion, writing some proposals, at this point I have three speaking engagements and there is no conflict of interest per se. And I will be very careful to make sure that there wouldn't be," Blais said.
Work approved by police commissioners
Blais also said he would step away from discussions with any organizations under investigation by police or doing business with the force.
Members of the Halifax police must get outside work approved by their employers. The Board of Police Commissioners approved the chief's request for secondary employment Monday afternoon during an in-camera meeting, according to Coun. Steve Craig.
Craig, who chairs the board, said he couldn't discuss any details of the request because the discussion was held in camera. He said he didn't have any details about the company itself.
Since Blais works as a hockey referee, he said he's made similar requests over the past six years.
He started work on the company in advance of his retirement "knowing full well there is going to be a lag time between the time I retire and the time that the company is going to start bringing in jobs."
Not unusual to set up consulting work
David Stuewe, a professor at Dalhousie University's Rowe School of Business, said it's not unusual for people in top leadership positions to begin planning for their retirement early.
Stuewe, himself a former CEO of the Workers Compensation Board, said many people in the public and private sector are called upon to give advice.
From a business perspective, he said a consultant on national issues could bring work to Nova Scotia. Ethically, he said employees transitioning out of a position have to choose work carefully.
"They would then have to make sure not only are they following the letter of the law, they're also looking for the spirit of the law. The old sniff test is used — does it look reasonable?"
In this case, he said it would make sense for Blais to avoid local contracts while he's still chief of police as well as avoiding any group that has existing work with his employer.
Looking ahead
Moving forward, Blais said he's open to working with the public and private sectors and not-for-profit organizations and has a particular interest in mental health issues.
He has been open about suffering from post-traumatic stress following three tours serving with the United Nations in Haiti. However, he has also faced criticism for his approach to employees' PTSD treatment.
The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission is now holding an inquiry into the police department after three officers alleged discrimination based on their post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis.
Halifax Regional Police is now accepting applications for Blais' replacement.
