Statement from Panel Chair Alok Mukherjee
THUNDER BAY – NEWS – “With the work plan of our panel supported by the Thunder Bay Police Service Board, we are ready to begin our work immediately.
We understand that many in Thunder Bay, especially members of the Indigenous community, are tired of reports, and are looking for action.
As an independent group, our job is to apply a critical lens to any progress made in implementing past recommendations, identify gaps and barriers, and propose tangible additional steps to assist the Board in its efforts to rebuild trust with the community and transform the Thunder Bay Police Service.
Our panel has brought together eight people who have expertise in police governance, Indigenous justice, human rights, mental health, labour relations and more. We will bring our collective knowledge, understanding and experience to the work that we do.
We are committed to community outreach. To listen to your concerns with empathy and interest. Our purpose will not be to retrace the steps of previous reviews and investigations. We will use past reports and recommendations as a baseline for our work; they will help us identify current and outstanding issues and solicit new ideas for action. We will seek community input during our work as well as when we have formed our conclusions and are developing our recommendations.
We will outline more about our work in the coming days.”