MMIWG asks Sask. police to follow up on homicides

Saskatoon’s police service was one of the services in Saskatchewan that received letters sent by the commissioners of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls to follow up on concerns raised in testimony.

Saskatoon police confirmed it received one referral letter from the commissioners that was related to a historical homicide. The case in question ended with a conviction.

“There were some criticisms of the early stages of that investigation, but several changes have been made to policy since that time, and we believe those criticisms were properly addressed,” wrote police spokesperson Kelsie Fraser in an email to the Starphoenix.

The service declined to identify which case the referral letter was related to in recognition of the trauma some of the cases involve and the associated implications. Clarification on how the police addressed the criticisms in its policy was not available by press time.

The letter the Saskatoon police received was like that of other services across Canada were sent following the final report of the

National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls earlier this year.

On Oct. 29, CBC was first to report that police in that city were approaching people who testified at the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls inquiry and that about 125 letters had been sent to local police services in Canada. CBC reported that the Vancouver police received letters from the inquiry to take further action to follow up on the testimony, leading to confusion and concern about the followup process.

Regina Police Service spokeswoman Elizabeth Popowich said in an emailed statement to the Starphoenix that it has received a few letters from the inquiry so far, and anticipate that there may be more since not all of the letters arrived at once.

Darlene Okemaysim-sicotte, a member of Iskwewuk E-wichiwitochik (Women Walking Together), an organization formed to provide support to families of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and to raise awareness, told the Starphoenix all of this comes back to the need for a civilian oversight committee for police services in Saskatchewan.

She feels the chiefs of police across the country could work together to create a mechanism by which referral letters are shared with families through a non-governmental or community organization or victim services.

This way, the organization can act on behalf of families and liaise and feel safe, she said.

“It seems like a blurry process for the families that have to revisit this, especially if there was no knowledge of a letter being sent,” she said.

Other local police services that have received referral letters are in the process of reviewing them.

Regina Police Service spokeswoman Elizabeth Popowich said in an emailed statement to the Starphoenix that it has received a few letters from the inquiry so far, and anticipate that there may be more since not all of the letters arrived at once. (RPS received three letters initially but one was not meant for it, and it also received letters mis-sent to other agencies.)

“We have reviewed the letters and testimonies provided, as well as the related files and have been working to determine the best approach, including ensuring that we do it in a trauma-informed manner,” she wrote.

The service is working with its victim services unit and where appropriate the family information liaison to determine the best approach.

The Prince Albert Police Service received two referral letters based on testimony heard during the inquiry. In a written statement sent to the Starphoenix, Police Chief Jonathan Bergen said the service has reviewed the letters and related police files and is working to determine the next steps.

“Our police service takes each recommendation from the inquiry seriously and continues to review the Calls to Action as part of our efforts toward reconciliation and understanding,” he wrote.

The Saskatchewan RCMP said in an emailed response to the Starphoenix that it has not received any letters from the inquiry to follow up with further action.