THUNDER BAY – Mayoral hopeful Bill Mauro is calling on the Thunder Bay Police Services Board to suspend its search for a new police chief.
Mauro said it’s more prudent to wait until the Ontario Civilian Police Commission probe into the board concludes and Senator Murray Sinclair, who is leading the investigation, files his report. The report was initially due last month, but instead won’t arrive until the fall.
Mauro is concerned that if the board does hire someone to replace the now retired police chief J.P. Levesque, it could undermine that person’s authority.
Sylvie Hauth currently holds the position on an interim basis.
“I think it’s unfair to that person. They may begin their job already having lost the confidence of some of the community or the police service if that report lands and is very damaging,” Mauro said.
“We hope it’s not. I hope it’s not and the Ontario Civilian Police Commission comes forward and is not too negative in terms of what the report may say or recommendations it may make in terms of the historical administration of the police services by this board.”
If the opposite is true, Mauro reiterated anyone hired would face intense scrutiny.
Sinclair produced an interim report last November, at the time saying he hoped to help lead the police service and community forward in a way that acknowledges the problems of racism on the force, while addressing unconscious bias, systemic racism and discrimination against Indigenous people.
Possible recommendations made at the time included the possibility of a permanent spot on the board for an Indigenous person and Sinclair did not rule out using sections of the Police Service Act to suspend or remove the police chief or members of the board, should his investigation warrant it.
“I don’t think there’s any harm in four or five weeks before a municipal election, where you will have new members on the Police Services Board for sure, to allow that situation to play itself out, with some of them being part of the process.”
Mauro, whose brother was a long-time rank-and-file TBPS officer, admitted he has not spoken to anyone on the Police Services Board about his thoughts.
Jackie Dojack, who chairs the Police Service Board, said the OCPC report has yet to be complete and at no time has the organization suggested they should continue fulfilling all of its roles and responsibilities.
“Key among those is the appointment of the chief of police. And the board intends to fulfil this responsibility,” Dojack said in a statement emailed on Wednesday to Dougall Media.
Fellow mayoral candidate Iain Angus, who has served on city council since 2003, disagreed with Mauro.
He said the public has already been consulted ahead of the search, and by the time the next phase in the process is underway after the election, the board will have new members in place.
“It’s going to take more than five weeks to go through the process. They haven’t even advertised yet. So really it will be the new Police Services Board, who will be put in place in December, who will be asked to make the decision on the police chief,” Angus said.
“They will have full advantage of all of the reports that are scheduled to come down this fall – although we don’t have specific dates yet. So when they make that decision, they will be able to say to the police chief, ‘Here are the issues we want you to deal with.’”
Several other candidates for mayor were contacted for comment, but did not immediately respond.
