THUNDER BAY - An external panel of experts has been given a clearer understanding of its workload by the Thunder Bay Police Services Board, which will include advising the board on policies going forward, as well as validating the work it has already completed.
“It’s looking at identifying where there may be some gaps we need to address, and also creating those policies, and we have been looking at policy development for three years, we have been here and trying to firm up that and be reflective of the needs of our community,” said Thunder Bay Police Services Board chair Kristen Oliver.
“More importantly, recognizing that this board has done some really good work and it’s having that external lens look at the work we have accomplished.”
During the Thunder Bay Police Services Board meeting on Tuesday, a motion was passed outlining the expert panel workplan.
The panel was first appointed during a special meeting held by the Police Services Board on March 9. It consists of six members including Alok Mukherjee, former chair of the Toronto Police Service Board, Sandy Smallwood, former chair of the Ottawa Police Services Board, Paul Cook, former president of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, Kimberly Murray, former executive director of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Laura Kloosterman, retired police officer and now with Badge of Life Canada, and Dilnaz Garda of Beyond the Blue, an advocate for the mental health of police officers.
During the March 9 meeting, board members requested more information regarding the work the panel will be conducting.
The workplan presented to the board on Tuesday proposed that the panel’s work be completed in four months and that it will provide advice to the board on policies, as well as address outstanding recommendations from the OIPRD and OCPC reports.
“The Thunder Bay Police Services Board is always looking for opportunities to improve how we serve the community and ensure the Service is being managed effectively,” Oliver said.
“It’s important that the public has confidence in our officers, their leadership and the board, whose job it is to oversee the service. Our goal is to maintain the trust of those we serve and deliver high-quality policing services to the community. I am looking forward to the recommendations of the expert panel.”
Alok Mukherjee, chair of the panel, said with the workplan approved, the panel is ready to begin its work immediately.
“We understand that many in Thunder Bay, especially members of the Indigenous community, are tired of reports, and are looking for action,” Mukherjee said.
“As an independent group, our job is to apply a critical lens to any progress made in implementing past recommendations, identify gaps and barriers, and propose tangible additional steps to assist the Board in its efforts to rebuild trust with the community and transform the Thunder Bay Police Service.”
Mukherjee added that the panel is committed to community outreach and listening to the concerns of the people in the city of Thunder Bay but added it will not retrace steps already taken by the Police Services Board.
“We will use past reports and recommendations as a baseline for our work; they will help us identify current and outstanding issues and solicit new ideas for action,” Mukherjee said.
Oliver added that the Police Services Board has already undertaken extensive community engagement through the development of its strategic plan and the Crime Prevention Council’s work on the Community Safety and Wellbeing plan.
“There has been a lot of engagement we have been involved in with regarding collecting information, vital data that citizens and community members and organizations and businesses feel is important for the police service board to acknowledge and work on in terms of helping us draft our strategic plan,” she said.
Member Bill Mauro said the work the panel will be undertaking will help the Police Services Board complete the remaining recommendations handed down by the Office of the Independents Police Review Director and the Ontario Civilian Police Commission.
“We have advanced their recommendations greatly,” Mauro said. “I still don’t feel that is getting out to the public and it is important that it does. Part of what this expert panel will do is advance even further some of the remaining recommendations.”
“That is correct,” Oliver said. “There is also the external lens to look at the work we have done and validate that work on a larger scale.”
Oliver added that other police services boards across the country will be looking at the work being done in Thunder Bay and use it as a starting point for implementing their own changes and policies.
“Since there has been discussion about creating this expert panel and working [in] collaboration with Thunder Bay Police Services Board on that there has been great uptake by many boards across this country and looking to see how Thunder Bay is doing this and using our experiences as a launch pad with regard to how these police service boards will utilize collectively what we are doing and how it can apply to them,” she said.
Board member Michael Power said the expert panel feels like an accreditation process for the board but he also asked if there will be any costs associated with it.
Police Services Board secretary John Hannam informed the board that there may be limited costs associated with travel and accommodation for the panel when conducting work in the city but he does not anticipate it being more than a few thousand dollars.
