Thunder Bay Police Association is shaking its head over a report from the Office of the Independent Police Review Director that says local police are racist.
In a statement, the Association does not accept what it calls these repeated accusations, while at the same time admitting local police are not perfect.
It also doesn’t like the fact the report from Gerry McNeilly doesn’t highlight the hard work put in daily by Thunder Bay police officers, nor the high amount of cases the force solves.
There is also focus on Senator Murray Sinclair’s report that Thunder Bay Police Service is one of the lowest funded forces in Ontario. That report also focuses on Thunder Bay police having a substantially higher number of service calls than any other similar sized city in this province.
Therefore, the Association wants the city of Thunder Bay, local MP’s Patty Hajdu and Don Rusnak, and MPP Greg Rickford to address the funding shortfalls the force deals with.
It also wants the Chief Coroner of Ontario to release the details of a review by York Regional Police into the deaths of Tammy Keash and Josiah Begg.
Furthermore, the Association notes it seems easier to blame Thunder Bay police than be a part of the solution.
On that note, it calls for Indigenous leaders including Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler to work with police and the city of Thunder Bay to address the issues in the report.
(photo: Police Association President Greg Stephenson)
