A majority of the five board members who oversee the Thunder Bay Police Department, Ont., Have resigned.
Board chairman Kristen Oliver, as well as Michael Power and Roy Pelletier, both appointed by the province, resigned on Friday, confirmed John Hannam, secretary of the Thunder Bay Police Council (TBPSB).
The move, first reported by local news agency TBNewswatch, comes just days after a provincial police surveillance agency appointed an administrator to monitor the TBPSB for at least the next six months.
An order from the Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC) said that based on preliminary findings from their investigation, which began on February 11, they believe that “there is an emergency in [Thunder Bay] oversight of the Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS).
This is the second time in four years that the OCPC has appointed an administrator to run the board. The last time was in 2018.
Toronto attorney Malcolm Mercer has been given considerable authority and a single vote on all matters before the board. His work, which began on April 19, is to restore public confidence in police oversight and community policing.
However, the OCPC rejected CBC’s request for an interview with Mercer.
“I’m essentially fired”
Prior to the decision, Oliver said the OCPC had not once asked for board documents, interviews or an update demonstrating progress in implementing the recommendations of the 2018 Sinclair report, which sets out 45 recommendations for improvement. of police management and tackling systemic discrimination in the dashboard.
“It seems to me that this so-called investigation was very one-sided. I had faith in the integrity of the process and during the week I found out – I started to lose faith, “said Oliver, who is also a city councilor for the Westford area.
Without the opportunity to vote or “express community concerns,” Oliver said, she decided it was time to resign.
The decision to revoke the voting rights of existing board members was a key issue for Pelletier.
I don’t want to sit and watch an appointed employee make decisions for our community. So in light of that, I chose to resign. – Roy Pelletier, former member of the Thunder Bay Police Service
“Our police force is a vital part of the city’s future success, so I wanted to be a part of doing everything I could to help move it forward,” said Peletier, an Ojibway man at Fort William First Nation who owns a car. – community service.
“I am essentially fired,” he added. “I do not want to sit and watch an appointed official make decisions for our community. That’s why I chose to resign in light of that. “
In an e-mail statement, Power did not specify why he resigned, but said he was proud of his contribution to the police board and wanted to help build a new police headquarters, “if I can as a private citizen.”
The mayor says he may resign
Thunder Bay Mayor Bill Mauro said he understood and supported Oliver, Pelletier and Power’s decisions to resign, adding that he could still decide to do so before the end of his term.
“As mayor, I feel I have to stay there at least for a while to represent the interests of the city,” he said in an interview.
When Mercer was appointed administrator, he was given full power and authority on the board, Mauro said, which means that the decisions Mercer will make could have tax and cost implications for Thunder Bay.
Thunder Bay Mayor Bill Mauro, pictured in 2019, says he understands and accepts the decision of three other members to leave the Thunder Bay Police Council. (Matt Prokopchuk / CBC)
Although there will be no vote, Mauro said, he still wants to meet with Mercer and share his concerns and thoughts on key issues, policy and police oversight.
The mayor also shared his surprise that the OCPC appointed an administrator in the first place, saying he and other board members had not been contacted by the provincial oversight body.
“We do not know what kind of emergency they are talking about. We certainly do not feel dysfunctional as a board, as stated in the letter from the CEO. So, yes, we are all very surprised that we were deprived of the vote of the two members, democratically elected to the city council and given to one person. “
Lack of support for boards is a provincial problem
The fact that board members have not been warned about the appointment of an administrator is shocking to hear, said Michael Kempa, a police management expert at the University of Ottawa who is monitoring the development of Thunder Bay Police.
“Surprisingly, it will not be announced [the board members] saying, “Look, until we can tidy up your house, or at least until the investigations into allegations of discriminatory behavior on board are reviewed, we will have an administrator and you will lose your power to vote,” Kempa said.
Michael Kempa, a professor of criminology at the University of Ottawa, said the province must decide whether it really wants to retain civilian control of police services or move to a new model. (Steve Fisher / CBC)
The lack of support and resources from the OCPC is something Kempa says is experiencing a lot of policing throughout the province.
“They need to ask serious questions of the police organizations and the police command to make sure that what is happening in the police reflects the needs and priorities of the communities. This is the very role of police councils, and many say they are not equipped to do so. “
Both the problems and the solutions to these problems are well documented in successive reports, Kempa said, but governments have failed to implement those solutions.
If governments want to maintain civilian policing, they must take action, he added.
“This is not rocket science. These are the same recommendations. Commit to applying them or cutting the bait with the model… and insert the model that we intend to apply and that we actually adhere to. ”
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