Discussion about whether to recruit outside help to address the challenges that face the Thunder Bay Police Services Board.
They will meet Wednesday, March 9th to formally as to whether to establish a panel of experts with national and provincial profiles.
In the memo prepared for members, the six individuals that have agreed to serve include:
- Alok Mukherjee (former chair, Toronto Police Services Board)
- Kimberly Murray (former executive director, Truth and Reconciliation Commission)
- Dilnaz Garda of Beyond the Blue (an advocate of mental health for police)
- Laura Kloosterman (retired police officer now with Badge of Life Canada)
- Sandy Smallwood (former vice-chair, Ottawa Police Services Board)
- Paul Cook (former president, Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police)
Board secretary John Hannam stated in the memo released Monday that the panel’s activities could review a number of areas such as human rights and mental health-related concerns, past recommendations of the Office of the Independent Police Review Director and the Ontario Civilian Police Commission as well as a look at the goals and objectives of the board’s strategic plan.
The Police Services Board is facing multiple complaints to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario by officers and former police board chair Georjann Morriseau.
Senior leadership are under the microscope of the Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC) while Ontario Provincial Police is investigating the actions of other members of the force.
Morriseau’s lawyer Chantelle Bryson called Monday’s move “nothing but further deflection and delay from the well-evidenced need for new TBPS leadership and board oversight.”
This is nothing but deflection from ongoing crisis under current TBPS & TBPS Board leadership
Including current OPP & OCPC & SIU investigations, HRTO complaints & the Reinvestigation reports on 9 Broken Trust deaths & ## newly identified deaths that went uninvestigated by TBPS
— Chantelle Bryson (@BrysonChantelle) March 7, 2022
