Thunder Bay Police Service Board apology yields mixed feelings

By Rick Garrick

THUNDER BAY—Northern Superior Region leaders expressed concerns about “an empty apology” and called for progress on dealing with systemic racism at the Thunder Bay Police Services Board’s (TBPSB) Jan. 13 apology.

“I find this apology is very thin,” says Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek Chief Mel Hardy. “As far as I am concerned, it is an empty apology. It was definitely not what I expected to come here for. I was kind of hoping we were going to go over the recommendations and speak about some of that.”

The acknowledgement and apology for the existence of systemic racism within the Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS) and TBPSB was delivered by recently appointed TBPSB administrator Thomas Lockwood and TBPSB Chair Celina Reitberger, a Fort William citizen and former executive director of Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services, during a community circle at the Ka-Na-Chi-Hih Specialized Solvent Abuse Treatment Centre.

“To me, it is a weak attempt at moving forward,” says Anishinabek Nation Northern Superior Region Deputy Grand Council Chief Ed Wawia. “And that’s the problem — this is why this racism has come to a climax … because of the minute steps to curb it and to listen to the people saying that it was there.”

Fort William Chief Peter Collins says the apology is a “work in progress.”

“An apology means a lot to a lot of different people that are willing to change and help change the landscape and help change the minds of other folks in our community,” Chief Collins says. “I think that is the first and foremost and the most positive step that they can take. We had the opportunity to have a private conversation with Tom [Lockwood] and he wants to hear more from our First Nation. He wants to hear about the issues that we need to deal with on a constant basis. He wants to make sure the police board and the police are doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing based on the recommendations.”

The Ontario Civilian Police Commission’s Final Report of the TBPSB Investigation by Senator Murray Sinclair delivered on Dec. 14, featured 33 recommendations, including the appointment of a TBPSB administrator for a period of time on an emergency basis to temporarily exercise all of the powers of the TBPSB while the majority of the TBPSB is reconstituted in the interim period. The report is posted online.

“I had the honour and privilege of being part of [Sinclair’s] investigation team,” Lockwood says during the community circle. “He found, unequivocally, that there was systemic racism in both the [Thunder Bay] Police Service and [Thunder Bay] Police Services Board. I am here today on behalf of the board to state to each and every one of you that we accept that finding. As hard as it is to say, we have to acknowledge that there is systemic racism in the board and in the police service. Having said that, on behalf of the board, I wish to apologize to each and every member of the Indigenous community of Thunder Bay for the existence of systemic racism. This community has suffered a lot over the years because of racism, and for that I apologize.”

Reitberger also acknowledged and apologized for the existence of systemic racism.

“The board has failed Indigenous people of the community in its oversight of the Thunder Bay Police Service,” Reitberger says. “The areas that we failed in were strategic and operational planning, meaningful engagement in the development of governance and oversight policing and failing to recognize and clearly address the patterns of violence and systemic racism against Indigenous people in Thunder Bay.”

Lockwood says the community circle was a “dramatic beginning.”

“A lot of it was very positive, a lot of it was very forward-looking and that is what we’re trying to do,” Lockwood says. “We’re trying to bring a brand-new board to this area, we’re trying to bring a new culture to this area, and we’re making dramatic changes.”

Lockwood says the TBPSB will hold more community circles in the future.