THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay Police Services Board held a special meeting on March 9, and approved bringing in an outside expert panel to help address challenges faced by local policing lately.
Six individuals with extensive provincial and national profiles have already agreed to serve on the expert panel that has been approved by the Thunder Bay Police Services Board.
They include:
- Alok Mukherjee, former chair of the Toronto Police Services Board
- Kimberly Murray, former executive director of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
- Dilnaz Garda of Beyond the Blue, an advocate of mental health for police
- Laura Kloosterman, a retired police officer now with Badge of Life Canada
- Sandy Smallwood, former vice-chair of the Ottawa Police Services Board
- Paul Cook, former president of the Ont. Association of Chiefs of Police
According to a memorandum from Thunder Bay Police Services Board Secretary John Hannam, the panel's activities could include the review of human rights, mental health concerns, and the review of past recommendations against the police service.
Prior to the approval of the panel, Mayor Bill Mauro was concerned that their duties were not clearly laid out.
"I just want us as a board to be positioned to know what's coming, and that to be fair to the expert panel that they have clarity. It may seem like a bit of a small distinction but there's a difference, and for me, I would appreciate having some definition on the scope of work," said Mauro.
It was not agreed on by the board exactly what establishing the expert panel's duties will look like, something that will be clearer at a future meeting, and the process will most likely include a report that would provide the public with more understanding about what the expert panel would be tasked with.
The panel itself has seen interest from many individuals qualified in policing and governance.
"I think that it sort of speaks volumes certainly in the policing circles in the world of governance and police services boards, through the Indigenous communities as well as retired police officers and deputy chiefs are on this or proposed to be on this, I think that it sort of speaks volumes to the support this sector is trying to give us," said Kristen Oliver, chair of the Thunder Bay Police Services Board.
The proposal to seek external advice follows months of turmoil highlighted by the filing of multiple complaints to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario as well as the current investigation by the OCPC of the senior leadership of the Thunder Bay Police Service, and the criminal investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police into the actions of members of the TBPS.
