THUNDER BAY - Accountability, consistency, and transparency - the three words that will define the Thunder Bay Police Service under its new chief, Sylvie Hauth.
“No matter what I do, whether it is internally within the organization or externally, those are my guiding principles,” Hauth said.
Hauth was officially sworn in as chief of the Thunder Bay Police Service by Justice Elaine Burton during a ceremony on Tuesday in front of family, friends, and representatives from the city and community partners.
The Thunder Bay Police Services Board announced at the beginning of the month that following an extensive search, Hauth, who had been serving as acting chief since J.P. Levesque retired from the position last April, was chosen to lead the Service.
Even though Hauth has known she would be taking on the role for more than two weeks, it wasn’t until she arrived at the Police Service headquarters Tuesday morning that it really started to sink in.
“I think this morning pulling up to the station was when it really hit me and I thought: this is real, this is really happening,” she said. “There’s actually a marker on a parking spot that says chief of police. I think the reality set in that that’s me.”
Hauth first joined the local Police Service as a cadet in 1993 and during her 25 years of service she became the first woman to achieve the rank of inspector, as well as being promoted to deputy chief in 2017, and she is now the first woman in the service’s history to hold the rank of chief.
“It was something I commented on 25 years ago working as a cadet, and everybody sort of chuckled, but I’ve geared my career towards that aspiration and I really wanted to get to that point and I am honoured and quite pleased that today has come to fruition,” Hauth said.
“I think it shows that not only internally but also to members of the public that young females can pursue a career in policing, it’s doable, it’s attainable, and I would encourage them to apply.”
Moving forward, Hauth said her first priorities will be establishing a business plan for the new Police Service Board that held its final meeting Tuesday morning before the new city council is sworn-in. She will also be building on projects started during her time as deputy chief and acting chief, including the Organizational Change Project, revamping the Aboriginal Liaison Unit, and diversifying the workforce with new recruitment strategies.
“I’ve done quite a few new projects already in the last few years and it’s about continuing the work that has been started and continuing the relationships with the community,” Hauth said. “Those are the strong foundations that we need as a service. We need those partnerships and those community relationships to be successful.”
The Thunder Bay Police Service has faced a lot of scrutiny in the last year and the findings of the Office of the Independent Police Review Director’s review into the service for allegations of system racism, as well as the Ontario Civilian Police Commission’s investigation into the Police Services Board are still to be released.
“I’m sure those reports will provide recommendations,” Hauth said. “I can truly tell you though that we have not stood idle for the year and a half. I really made an effort in the last year and a half to really focus on the areas that were highlighted, or that were problematic.”
“The report and the review is being done for a reason and no matter what comes from the recommendations is something we are open to and something we are going to take seriously.”
And Hauth says everything the Police Service does under her direction will be done with her three guiding principles.
“Anytime we make a change or make a decision or to do something new, I want to be transparent in the way we do it, whether it’s discipline or hiring, and that it’s consistent from one member to the next, and that we are accountable so the public can see that what we are doing, that we are on the right track,” she said.
