Skip to content

UPDATE: Province removes Cyr from police board

Provincial appointee came under fire for 2017 letter to the editor calling residential school comments made by controversial Sen. Lynn Beyak 'balanced and thoughtful.'
John Cyr 2
Provincial appointee John Cyr at the Neebing municipal meeting office on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. (Michael Charlebois, tbnewswatch)

THUNDER BAY – The provincial government has acted swiftly to remove John Cyr from the Thunder Bay Police Services Board.

Cyr, who was sworn in on Tuesday as the board’s provincial appointee, came under fire later in the week after a 2017 letter to the editor emerged supporting embattled Sen. Lynn Beyak’s controversial speech that same year pointing out the positive aspects of residential schools.

Cyr’s letter suggested there must have been some good people who worked at residential schools, calling her comments “balanced and thoughtful.”

In an email response on Friday to tbnewswatch.com, Marion Ringuette, press secretary in the Office of the Solicitor General, said the government views its relationship with Ontario’s Indigenous people are committed to making it a meaningful partnership.

“John Cyr’s views do not align with those of our government’s. That’s why as soon as we became aware of Mr. Cyr’s past views, the government acted to remove Mr. Cyr from the Thunder Bay Police Services Board,” Ringuette said.

“Our government expects the Thunder Bay Police, the Police Services board and local stakeholders to work together to address systemic racism and the recommendations made by the Ontario Civilian Police Commission in December of 2018.”

Reached over the phone on Friday, Cyr said "I was certainly pleased to be selected, but I respect that the appointment was entirely in the minister's discretion."

"To the broader issue, I think it's important to appreciate that there is a huge amount of goodwill in the non-Indigenous community. But does simply shouting down an idea serve to enhance or diminish that goodwill?"

Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler, who on Thursday called for Cyr to be removed from the board, applauded the province for moving so quickly. 

"I just want to commend Minister (Sylvia) Jones and the province for their swift action to address the situation and realize that he wasn't obviously the right person to serve on the board. When they realized that, they took action by removing him," Fiddler said. 

Fiddler added he's hopeful the province will consult with First Nations groups in the area when searching for Cyr's replacement. 

Members of the Police Services Board just recently had their voting rights restored, after being mandated to undergo sensitivity training following an extensive review by Sen. Murray Sinclair and the Ontario Civilian Police Commission, which found the board repeatedly failed to address concerns of the Indigenous community.

With files from Michael Charlebois.



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
Read more


Comments

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks