Thunder Bay police board to receive expert panel report next week

THUNDER BAY — The final report by an expert panel tasked at reviewing policing in the city will be made available next week.

Panel chair Alok Mukherjee will present the report to the Thunder Bay Police Services Board at a meeting scheduled for the evening of April 13.

A statement from the board said the panel's responsibilities included reviewing the board's strategic plan and determining progress in its implementation, reviewing policies, procedures and practices about human rights and mental health issues, and developing and presenting recommendations for action to the board and the community.

A series of interim recommendations were released last September, which were focused on the appointment of a new police chief, board appointments, and labour relations.

The panel was created by a previous iteration of the police services board in March 2022, just prior to the appointment of administrator Malcolm Mercer, as the police service and its oversight board faced a mounting number of human rights complaints.

None of the five board members who were in place when the panel was struck at that time remain in those roles.