THUNDER BAY – Reflecting on his first year as the Thunder Bay Police Service chief, Darcy Fleury said he is pleased with the direction the service is moving in, but he recognizes there is still work to do to rebuild trust both within the service and the community.
“We are not in a sprint, we are in a marathon and this will take us time to build,” Fleury said. “We do have plans for each of the years about how we are going to roll out our program. Where we are going with the plan that I have, a five-year plan, we are implementing it well and it will take time and we have to be patient.”
Fleury was officially sworn in as chief of the Thunder Bay Police Service on May 15, 2023, taking over from then acting chief Dan Taddeo.
With more than 36 years of experience in policing, including serving most recently as chief superintendent with the RCMP Central Alberta District based in Edmonton, Fleury took over the reins of the Thunder Bay Police Service at a time when the past leadership was facing growing scrutiny.
Former chief Sylvie Hauth had been suspended after allegations of misconduct arose and she was to face a Police Service Act hearing but retired from the service in January 2023.
Hauth is now facing criminal charges following an investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police, which also resulted in charges against former Thunder Bay Police Service in-house lawyer, Holly Walbourne, and Staff. Sgt. Michael Dimini.
Following the announcement of those charges, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, joined by the families of three Indigenous people who have died in the city, renewed calls for the Thunder Bay Police Service to be disbanded.
“I think that surprised me, how they tied that together with everything from previous years,” Fleury said. “But again, it’s open communication, understanding their point. I’ve had some good conversations with agencies in town and understanding why they feel that way.”
Fleury noted that throughout the past year he has worked to rebuild trust within the Indigenous community through such initiatives as the Chief’s Forum held last December and the implementation of an Indigenous advisory committee.
“This is our overarching priority, that engagement and having the chance to build that trust,” he said.
“Over the last year we’ve been continually meeting with our Indigenous governments and agencies and working hard to find ways to work together to better this situation for all people in Thunder Bay.”
Whether or not he can convince those calling for the Thunder Bay Police Service to be disbanded that it should remain a part of the community, Fleury said all he can do is show people that he can be trusted, and by extension, the service.
“The only thing I can say on that is I will continue to do the approach that I have, which is transparent, open, honest communication,” he said.
“I can never tell anyone to trust me, I can only show them that they can trust me and the organization. We have a lot of great people in the organization. I think that is one of the things we need to focus on, the really good solid hard work we are doing.”
Prior to his arrival, there was also growing tension within the Thunder Bay Police Service, with front-line officers feeling a disconnect with senior administration.
According to Fleury, senior administration has taken steps toward modifying structures within the police service to rebuild trust with officers of every rank and file.
“I think they are seeing we are really geared to the well-being of the employees and working hard in that area based on some of the structural changes we are making and some of the additions we are making,” Fleury said.
“I think we are seeing some good traction in that area. I see a lot of smiling faces and good conversations about where we are going. I think we are on the right path.”
The city of Thunder Bay also continues to see increased violent crime and crime severity, with the illicit drug trade continuing to fuel gun and gang-related violence.
Fleury said tackling the guns and gangs issue is one of the police service’s top priorities, as well as focusing on increasing levels of family violence in the city.
“I don’t know if I’d say we’ve seen a huge reduction, but we have seen some good progress on that as far as the number of arrests and the work they are doing,” he said. “So I think we’ve had some good results in that area.”
The police service will also continue to focus on building stronger relationships with other marginalized communities through such initiatives as town hall meetings, like a recent meeting held with members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
“It was a bit of an eye opener to some of the needs that the community, the way they feel and how they feel they are being protected by the service and how we need to do better,” Fleury said of the meeting.
“In that session they did teach me a few things I did not know about and we’ve already started talking about some pieces we can use to educate our officers better so they have an understanding of some of the issues and difficulties that part of the community is going through.”
