Family members of three Indigenous people who died in the city of Thunder Bay say there is a lack of communication from the Thunder Bay Police Service on the investigations and join calls by First Nation leaders to disband the police service and board.
TORONTO — First Nations leaders and families of three Indigenous people who have died in the city are renewing calls to disband the Thunder Bay Police Service, citing inadequate investigations and other issues within the service.
Mamakwa added the recent obstruction of justice and breach of trust charges against former Thunder Bay Police Service chief Sylvie Hauth and former in-house lawyer Holly Wallbourne have shed light on ongoing issues within the local police service. Jenna Ostberg, 21, died on Dec. 30, 2023 at a north side residence in Thunder Bay. According to the Special Investigations Unit, which is currently investigating the incident, three calls were made to 911, the first being a report of a unwanted visitor at the home and the second to cancel the initial call because the person was no longer there. Police did not respond to the residence until a third 911 call was made advising Ostberg was deceased.
“We are calling for the disbandment of the Thunder Bay Police Service and we want the police services board dissolved,” he said. “This kind of stuff has to end. We need a competent police service in Northern Ontario. We need to be safe.” “I often lay awake at night wondering if the three days would have made a difference. I also wonder if she had been white if the police would have responded right away,” he said.
NAN Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said there is a long list of other Indigenous families still waiting for answers from the local police service about loved ones who have died in the city of Thunder Bay. In March 2022, NAN Deputy Grand Chief Anna Betty Achneepineskum called on the Solicitor General of Ontario to dismantle the Thunder Bay Police Service and institute an immediate moratorium on the service from conducting major crime investigations.
“I want those that have the authority and responsibility that are administering justice and policing to look through the eyes of these families who are here and other families. It is very important that you hear their words and that you hear our recommendations as well.” Fleury added that the police is not the same service it was a year ago, and change and trust takes time, but progress has been made.
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