Three Thunder Bay Police officers face misconduct allegations

THUNDER BAY — The Thunder Bay Police Services Board has approved an extension in serving a notice of hearing regarding charges against three members of the Thunder Bay Police Service.

The board issued a statement Wednesday that cited allegations of misconduct against Staff Sgt. Shawn Harrison, Sergeant Justin Dubuc, and Constable Colin Woods.

They are alleged to have harassed another sworn member of the service and subjected this individual to what an external investigator described as workplace mobbing.

The investigator reported that the harassment included targeting...through rumours, public discrediting and character assassination and ostracization.

Under the Police Services Act, police boards must make decisions on applications for a notice of hearing within six months, but extensions can be granted in certain circumstances.

The officers contended that the six-month period started about Aug. 6, 2021, when the complainant informed the Thunder Bay Police Association that he had told his superiors about his concerns.

But the police board has now determined that the six-month period began around Nov. 4, 2021, when Police Chief Sylvie Hauth became aware of the allegations.

The initial investigation that followed took three months to complete, after which Hauth recommended that an outside police service conduct the Police Services Act investigation.

On June 21, 2022, the Hamilton Police Service submitted a report that substantiated the allegations.

The board said it granted the extension for a notice of hearing on the basis that all the steps that were taken since the allegations were first made were reasonable and fully appropriate, taking into account fairness to all concerned and the public interest in accountability.

A date for the Police Services Act hearing has not been set.

The allegations have yet to be proven.

The Thunder Bay Police Services Board is currently under the administration of Toronto lawyer Malcolm Mercer, the chair of the Law Society of Ontario Tribunal.

Mercer has sole decision-making power on behalf of the board.