Thunder Bay Police Chief Sylvie Hauth answers media questions at the DaVinci Center in Thunder Bay, Ontario. David Jackson / The Globe and Mail
Hours after Thunder Bay police chief Sylvie Hauth announced she would retire next year, a provincial court revealed she would face a hearing on three counts of alleged misconduct. related to a criminal investigation into a member of the city police board.
In a statement to the media on Thursday morning, Chief Hauth said he would retire from service next June. Later that day, the Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC), a court overseeing police services in the province, issued the hearing notice, along with the findings of its initial investigation into the cap.
This is the latest setback for a police service that has spent the last few years caught up in a whirlwind of allegations, human rights complaints and outside investigations, some focused on its treatment of the large Thunder indigenous community. Bay. A 2018 report by retired Senator Murray Sinclair concluded that the police board had not recognized or addressed a pattern of violence and racism against the city’s indigenous people.
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Chief Hauth’s conduct investigation refers to a criminal investigation into Georjann Morriseau, who was chairman of the Thunder Bay Police Services Board at the time. (She still sits on the board, but not as president.)
According to OCPC findings, Thunder Bay police began investigating Ms. Morriseau in November 2020 after she came to suspect she was leaking information about an internal investigation. The following month, Chief Hauth decided to transfer the investigation into Ms. Morriseau to the Ontario Provincial Police, according to the OCPC document. In its findings, the court cites a 2021 memorandum in which Chief Hauth said he knew it “would not be appropriate for a police service to investigate any of its members or board members.”
Ms. Morriseau filed a human rights complaint against Chief Hauth and other members of the police service leadership, alleging that she had been discriminated against because she was indigenous. In January, the board suspended Deputy Police Chief Ryan Hughes from service for reasons that have not been publicly disclosed. The OCPC began its investigation into Chief Hauth in February.
In the notice of the OCPC hearing, the president of the court, Sean Weir, alleges that in two separate notes from October 2021, Chief Hauth “deceived or attempted to deceive the Board of Services of Thunder Bay police making false, misleading or inaccurate statements intentionally or negligently. ” on her knowledge of research on Mrs. Morriseau.
A third count of misconduct alleges that Chief Hauth acted in a manner “likely to discredit the reputation of the police force” when he allowed the Thunder Bay Police Service’s initial investigation into Ms. Morriseau to continue without transfer it immediately to another service.
The allegations have not been proven. They will be the subject of the hearing.
Thunder Bay Police Service communications director Chris Adams said Chief Hauth did not know the court had decided to hold a hearing when it made public its retirement plans.
Mr. Adams said the service has no further comments on the allegations of misconduct. The date of the view has not yet been set.
The OPP launched a separate criminal investigation into members of the service in February. But the provincial police have not done so provided details on what the charges are in this case, or who is charged.
Thunder Bay police have recently been criticized for other reasons. In March, The Globe and Mail obtained two reports in which investigators determined that the sudden deaths of 15 Indians in Thunder Bay it required additional research. Reports recommended an external review of an additional 25 unresolved cases of missing and murdered indigenous women.
Chief Hauth did not address investigations or other recent police-related concerns in his retirement announcement. He said he intends to remain in his role until the end of his contract on June 14, 2023, which she said would give service time to find a replacement. After serving for the first time on an interim basis, Chief Hauth was sworn in as a full-time police chief in November 2018 and will have spent 30 years with the service at the time of her scheduled retirement.
“In my capacity as police chief, I have been dedicated to organizational change within our service, in a collaborative, consistent and transparent manner,” Chief Hauth said in the statement.
A debate on finding a new boss will be on the board’s agenda on Tuesday. Board members will consider a recommendation to hire executive research firm Odgers-Berndtson to lead the hiring process. The police service has used the same organization to find its three previous police chiefs. The process is expected to be completed in December.
It is unclear what the board will look like by then. In April, after beginning its investigation into police service leadership, the OCPC appointed an administrator, Ontario’s lawyer Malcolm Mercer, to oversee the board. He currently has the ability to make decisions unilaterally on behalf of the board, and to chair all of its meetings.
After the appointment of Mr. Mercer, board chairwoman Kristen Oliver, Thunder Bay city councilor, and two provincial representatives, Michael Power and Royden Pelletier, resigned. Only the mayor of Thunder Bay, Bill Mauro, and Mrs. Morriseau remain on the board.
In a statement, board secretary John Hannam said he expects board members to be involved in the hiring process and that Mr. Mercer accepts his contribution. It is unknown whether the board will have more members at the time of selecting the new chief, or whether Mr. Mercer will remain as the sole vote.
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