THUNDER BAY, Ont. – The acting police chief of Thunder Bay, Ont., says she doesn’t believe it’s “practical or necessary” for RCMP to investigate the recent deaths of indigenous teens in the city.
Three First Nations chiefs called last week for the Mounties to intervene and also for increased oversight of the police services board in Thunder Bay.
They said the deaths of Tammy Keeash and Josiah Begg – whose bodies were pulled from local waterways last month – continue what they call an ongoing trend of indifference on the part of Thunder Bay police.
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READ MORE: First Nations leaders call for RCMP to probe recent Thunder Bay, Ont. teen deaths
Acting Chief Sylvie Hauth told a news conference on Wednesday that the Office of the Independent Police Review Director will be reviewing the two death investigations as part of their current review.
Hauth says the force is co-operating with the OIPRD – a civilian agency that oversees all public complaints about police in Ontario.
The First Nations leaders said the deaths of Keeash and Begg, as well as the 2015 death of 41-year-old Stacy DeBungee, point to what they called a “policing crisis” around river deaths in Thunder Bay.
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