October 13, 2022
(Warning: This article contains language distributed by Nick Kouvalis that some readers may find offensive)
Mayoral Candidate Nikki Kaur’s campaign has, once again, undermined law and order and community safety in Brampton by attacking the highly respected Peel Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah with false claims.
Over the past week and with no information to back up his claim, Kaur’s key strategist Nick Kouvalis, made unsubstantiated accusations on Twitter that leading Mayoral Candidate Patrick Brown’s Chief of Staff was related to Peel Region’s Police Chief. The Bramptonist has confirmed that there is no relation between the two gentlemen.
He also makes unsubstantiated allegations and uses abusive language in regards to the Chair of the Police Services Board.
This isn’t the first time that Kouvalis has spread misinformation online. The National Observer’s Emma McIntosh has reported on a similar episode while Kouvalis was working on another campaign, “Top Tory adviser under fire for tweeting U.S. election misinformation”.
Prior to becoming Peel Police Chief on October 1, 2019, Chief Duraiappah held an extensive record with the Halton Regional Police Service, where he served as deputy chief since 2015. He has served in law enforcement for nearly 25 years in a number of roles, including regional drug and mortality bureau, the guns and gangs unit, and district criminal investigations.
The highly respected Chief Duraiappah was also recently selected as the President of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) for the 2022-2023 term.
Earlier in the week, another member of Kaur’s senior campaign team, Marcel Wieder, attacked the leadership of the Peel Regional Police Association, following the association’s endorsement of Brown’s campaign for re-election as Brampton’s Mayor.
PRPA’s President Adrian Woolley commented that Mayor Brown “brings the community together” and supports the Peel Regional Police in their mandate to keep the community safe. Frontline police officers elect their labour association president to the position and Woolley has been re-elected for his support of officers and their needs.
“I’m proud to stand with the police and I’m honoured to have the support of the Peel Police Association and I will continue to stand with them to do everything I can to keep our community safe,” Mayor Patrick Brown said in a media release.
Mayor Patrick Brown’s platform for re-election commits to supporting community safety and supporting the needs of Peel Regional Police, with an additional 250 frontline officers over the next four years, and 30 additional 9-1-1 operators to assist in responding to calls.
Brown has welcomed Chief Duraiappah and the PRP’s work to combat car thefts in Peel, including over 200 stolen cars recovered earlier this year, and their effort to combat gun crime in the City . On October 8th, Peel officers seized loaded firearms and removed them from Brampton streets. “This is another example of the risks our officers face in our community to take illegal firearms off the street. These gun seizures and the unwavering police work by our frontline patrol officers likely prevented further gun violence in our Region and neighbouring communities,” said Chief of Peel Regional Police, Nishan Duraiappah.
While Kaur said she would hire 100 new Peel Police officers, Kaur’s campaign has taken a hostile approach in the way her and her campaign team speak about the Peel Regional Police and its leadership.
Spreading misinformation on the Chief of Police, attacking the Police Association President, offering unsubstantiated allegations involving the Chair of the Peel Police Board, and suggesting the “streets are no longer safe” …is a slap in the face to the many hard-working women and men serving on the frontlines of community safety in Brampton.
