First Nation leaders call for disbandment of Thunder Bay police

First Nation leaders have renewed calls to dissolve the Thunder Bay police as the force's former chief faces criminal charges in a widening misconduct probe.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation, several chiefs of northern Ontario First Nations and three families with loved ones who died in the city said Monday that Thunder Bay police can no longer conduct credible investigations.

They said they would like the Ontario Provincial Police to take over for Thunder Bay police.

“Our people are dying, my daughter's gone, we'll not have her back,” Vincent Ostberg said of his daughter, Jenna, both from Bearskin Lake First Nation in northwestern Ontario.

She died on Dec. 30, 2023 in Thunder Bay at the age of 21. The Special Investigations Unit, the province's police watchdog, said there were three 911 calls for service from a Thunder Bay home. By the time police arrived after that third call, officers found Jenna Ostberg dead.

Vincent Ostberg and two other families visited Queen's Park in Toronto on Monday to deliver a message to politicians.

“We can't get our children back, but the province, Doug Ford, has the power to give us justice,” Ostberg said. “If we can't have our loved ones, we want justice.”

The families have filed complaints with the province's Inspectorate of Policing, a new agency tasked with inspecting police forces for compliance with the Community Safety and Policing Act.

All three families have asked the province's inspector general to reassign the death investigations into Jenna Ostberg, Corey Beleskey and Mackenzie Moonias to a different police service from Thunder Bay police.

“The Thunder Bay Police Service has turned into a coldcase factory,” said Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, which represents 49 First Nations in northwestern Ontario.

“When it comes to investigations into the deaths of Indigenous peoples, there is a complete lack of trust, everything has broken down.”

Several reports since 2018 have documented systemic racism in the Thunder Bay police force and outlined how investigations into the sudden deaths of Indigenous people have been tainted by racist attitudes and stereotyping.

Thirteen of those investigations were so poorly handled they had to be reinvestigated.

The Ontario Provincial Police announced criminal charges this month against the former Thunder Bay police chief and another high-ranking member.

Ex-chief Sylvie Hauth and former in-house lawyer Holly Walbourne both face charges of obstruction of justice and breach of trust for allegedly making false statements to the police board and the Ontario Civilian Police Commission.

The force's previous police chief retired in 2018, not long after being found not guilty of obstruction of justice and breach of trust.

Current Thunder Bay police Chief Darcy Fleury vowed last week to rebuild the community's trust in the force.

The New Democrats asked the Solicitor General in the legislature what the province intended to do with Thunder Bay police.

“There's a new chief and there's a new police service board in Thunder Bay with good intentions to keep their community safe,” Solicitor General Michael Kerzner said.