Families, First Nation leaders to discuss Thunder Bay police misconduct at Queen’s Park
First Nations leadership and families will gather at Queen's Park on Monday to discuss what they say has been decades-long misconduct on the part of the Thunder Bay police.
The families will be meeting with Sol Mamakwa, the MPP for Kiiwetinoong and deputy NDP leader.
A news conference is scheduled for 9 a.m. April 22.
The meetings come after three people with ties to the Thunder Bay Police Service have been charged since December – including its former chief of police Sylvie Hauth, former in-house lawyer Holly Walbourne and staff Sgt. Michael Dimini.
Can trust be rebuilt?
The Thunder Bay Police Service said it wants to rebuild trust within the community, but some have argued it's not enough.
"The allegations of the past is not a reflection of the work being done today," said police service board chair Karen Machado, in a press conference last week.
Mamakwa said people need to see a change in the way the police service operates.
“There's a lot of good words being said, but I think it's important that we need to be able to see the action,” he said speaking with CTV News on Friday.
“You know2, I think we are past the time for dialogue."
Misconduct allegations
In late 2021, the Ministry of the Attorney General asked Ontario Provincial Police to investigate allegations of misconduct involving members of the Thunder Bay Police Service.
As a result of that investigation, three people from Thunder Bay Police Service have been charged.
Sgt. Mike Dimini was arrested in December 2023 and charged with two counts of assault and one count each of breach of trust by a police officer and obstructing justice.
Then earlier this month, both Hauth and Walbourne were charged with obstruction, obstructing justice and breach of trust.
Walbourne resigned as the Thunder Bay Police Service’s counsel last year, around the time Darcy Fleury took over as chief of police.
Hauth was suspended in June 2022 after "serious allegations" were made by the Ontario Civilian Police Commission.
Hauth became the chief of police in 2018 following a scathing report that found 'systemic racism' within the Thunder Bay police force that affected the death investigations involving Indigenous Peoples. Nine of those deaths were reinvestigated because of how poorly they were initially handed.
She resigned in January 2023 after 30 years of service avoiding a police misconduct hearing.
None of the criminal charges have been proven in court.
With files from CTV News’ Kamil Karamali and CTVNorthernOntario.ca journalist Chelsea Papineau
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Flash floods and cold lava flow hit Indonesia's Sumatra island. At least 37 people were killed
Heavy rains and torrents of cold lava and mud flowing down a volcano's slopes on Indonesia’s Sumatra island triggered flash floods that killed at least 37 people and more than a dozen others were missing, officials said Sunday.
Election deniers: West Virginia voters must pick from GOP candidates who still dispute 2020 election
When West Virginia Republicans vote in Tuesday's primary, they will have a hard time finding a major candidate on the ballot in any statewide race who openly acknowledges that U.S. President Joe Biden won the 2020 election.
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
'Reimagining Mother's Day': Toronto woman creates Motherless Day event after losing mom
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
'It was violent': Police tear down U of A pro-Palestinian encampment Saturday morning
Multiple people at the protest camp torn down at the University of Alberta campus Saturday say police's actions against protesters were "violent" and "disproportionate."
Adopted daughter in the Netherlands reunited with sister in Montreal and mother in Colombia, 40 years later
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.