Police Board Members
The current members of the Abbotsford Police Board are: Mayor Bruce Banman (Chair), Jon Eaton, Deborah Lehmann, Bruce Nicholson, Sukh Sidhu, Karen Matty and Mike McWhinney.
Mayor Bruce Banman
Dr. Bruce Banman has a strong local family history and is a lifelong resident of the Fraser Valley. Bruce grew up in Chilliwack and moved to Abbotsford in 1982. He is the owner and operator of Banman Chiropractic in Abbotsford and is a strong supporter of local small business. Bruce completed his chiropractic training in Portland, Oregon graduating from Western States Chiropractic College in 1997.
Bruce made the decision to run for the office of Mayor because he felt strongly that Abbotsford was in need of progressive change. His passion for public involvement and consultation will provide a fresh approach to local government practices. Bruce understands the value of fostering a great team by providing strong vision and leadership for the City. He was elected by the residents of Abbotsford on November 19, 2011 and is honoured to have the opportunity to provide a new direction for the City through these challenging times. He is committed to serving the people of Abbotsford and to establishing open, transparent and relevant local governance. It is important to Bruce to support an inclusive community for everyone; elders, families, children, grandchildren and future generations.
Jon Eaton
Jon Eaton was appointed to the Abbotsford Police Board, June 30 2008. Mr. Eaton is a Portfolio Manager at Eaton Elliott Wealth Management, a portfolio and wealth management partnership at RBC Dominion Securities. Jon has over 20 years of business, financial and investment management experience, ranging from private business to becoming a portfolio manager with one of Canada’s largest banks.
Jon has volunteered with Ducks Unlimited Canada, and most recently served as Treasurer of Abbotsford Minor Hockey Association.
Deborah Lehmann
Deborah was appointed to the Abbotsford Police Board in October 2009. Specializing in the field of human resources, Deborah has focused on organizational effectiveness and employee development and training. Educational background includes human resources, adult education and legal administration. She has also received more specific training in group facilitation, peer counselling, advanced bereavement support, not-for-profit governance, and risk management.
In 2004 Deborah joined the Abbotsford Hospice Society and served as Vice-Chair. In 2006 she was elected to the Chair position and in January 2007 Deborah accepted the position of Executive Director for the society. While maintaining quality service and the grass roots approach she promotes creative program planning, community collaboration and innovative marketing.
Deborah is a Rotarian, Board Member of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce and is part of the BC Human Resources Management Association Professional Mentoring Program (PMP) for the Fraser Valley region.
Bruce Nicholson
Bruce Nicholson is a retired high school principal. His interest in the Abbotsford Police stems from a long term relationship built working with a number of School Police Liaison Officers throughout the last half of his 32 year career in education.
Bruce is a member of several community groups and believes that we all need to participate in making Abbotsford a "better" place to live and looks forward to making a positive contribution to the city through his participation on the Abbotsford Police Board.
Sukh Sidhu
Sukh Sidhu has lived and worked in Abbotsford since he immigrated here in 1981. He has worked in various agricultural fields, direct sales, and as an ELS teacher aid. He has worked as a real estate sales representative since obtaining his real estate license in 1983.
Sukh has an impressive list of volunteer work. He offers his time and expertise to organizations such as the MSA Museum Board, Abbotsford Community Foundation, Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, Fraser Valley Indo Canadian Business Association, Abbotsford City Traffic Safety Committee and many other Abbotsford organizations.
Karen Matty
Karen Matty was appointed to the Abbotsford Police Board on June 22, 2010. She has been involved in construction, property management and development for 38 years. She is the president of her family group of companies and continues to be active in the growth and management of the business.
Karen enjoys community planning and promotes good stewardship along the way. She has served for 5 years on Abbotsford's Economic Development commission, and is currently serving on Abbotsford's Affordable Housing Committee and Technical Advisory Committee. Karen served eight years on Abbotsford's Airport Authority. Other volunteer positions have included: Abbotsford Downtown Business Association, Abbotsford Foundation, and Honorary Board Member UCFV.
Mike McWhinney
Mike McWhinney was appointed to the Abbotsford Police Board on June 30, 2010, and has lived in Abbotsford with his wife, Kathleen, and their 2 children since 1997. Mike has over 34 years of management experience in operations and human resources management in the federal public sector, with more than 20 of these years in senior executive positions. His most recent senior appointments include Executive Director General, Human Resources (Infrastructure) with the Canada Border Services Agency; Director, Surrey Tax Centre, Canada Revenue Agency; Regional Director, Human Resources, Canada Customs and Revenue Agency; Director, Canada Customs, Metro Vancouver District. Mike has been recognized for his leadership and innovation in public service and since retiring in 2008 has provided executive consulting services on a contract basis.
Mr. McWhinney is a graduate of Simon Fraser University and the National Defence College of Canada and is an alumni of the Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference. Mike was a volunteer Team Leader for the Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 and has been an active volunteer backstage crew member in productions of Fraser Valley Stage over the past 10 years.
