Police chief should have no say in reinvestigations of sudden deaths, Thunder Bay, Ont., families say
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Posted by Shelby Percival
- Posted in BlogsNews
“Police chief should have no say in reinvestigations of sudden deaths, Thunder Bay, Ont., families say” (CBC), June 9, 2021. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/broken-trust-reinvestigations-legitimacy-questioned-1.6058486
Thunder Bay, ON –
Advocates and families of Indigenous persons whose deaths are being reinvestigated, due to significant deficiencies by the Thunder Bay Police Service (“TBPS”), spoke publicly on Tuesday June 8, 2021 about the lack of transparency and uncertainty they have experienced in the reinvestigation process. Families were supported by community advocates and lawyer Julian Falconer of Falconers LLP, who is legal counsel to Brad DeBungee, brother of the late Stacy DeBungee.
The CBC reports:
“… concerns centre on a lack of transparency about the reinvestigations, and the uncertain role of Thunder Bay’s police Chief Sylvie Hauth in the drafting and review of the final report, according to former Nishnawbe Aski Nation deputy grand chief Anna Betty Achneepineskum, who was also the aunt to two people whose deaths are being reinvestigated.”
(source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/broken-trust-reinvestigations-legitimacy-questioned-1.6058486 )
Community advocate Anna Betty Achneepineskum indicated to CBC, “When we talk about trust, there must be transparency. Our families that are involved in the reinvestigation have not witnessed that.”
The reinvestigations came about as the result of recommendations from the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (“OIPRD”)’s Broken Trust report, which shed light on systemic racism in the Thunder Bay Police Service, and the Service’s pattern of failing to properly investigate the deaths of Indigenous persons.
Related Posts:
https://falconers.ca/watch-here-livestream-archived-of-thunder-bay-press-conference-re-implementation-of-broken-trust-report-and-independent-reinvestigations-into-deaths-of-indigenous-persons-june-8-2021/ June 8, 2021
https://falconers.ca/stacy-debungee-death-investigation-disciplinary-proceedings-commence-against-thunder-bay-officers/ April 13, 2021
