Dorothy Sakanee holds a photo of her granddaughter Mackenzie Moonias, a 14-year-old found dead in Thunder Bay in December, 2023, during a press conference calling for the disbandment of the Thunder Bay Police Services at Queens Park in Toronto, on April 22.Indigenous leaders in Northern Ontario are calling on the province’s policing watchdog to use his new powers and disband the Thunder Bay Police Service, saying the troubled force is beyond repair.
Other leaders in attendance included NAN Deputy Grand Chief Anna Betty Achneepineskum, Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Reg Niganobe, Chief Chris Moonias of Neskantaga, and Chief Lefty Kamenawatamin of Bearskin Lake First Nation. The family of Corey Belesky, from Marten Falls First Nation, said they’ve been kept in the dark by police since the 31-year-old father was found killed in November, 2022. In their complaint to the Inspector-General, the Belesky family said they are still waiting for charges despite suspects being identified from video surveillance.
A statement from Mr. Teschner to The Globe and Mail confirmed his office received two complaints on Monday and that his role is to monitor the force and its board. In April, 2022, the provincial government appointed lawyer Malcolm Mercer to take over the board’s functions, the second time an administrator was sent into Thunder Bay since Murray Sinclair’s report in 2018 that highlighted the systemic deficiencies of the board and its oversight.