Northern Ontario chiefs call on RCMP to investigate Thunder Bay deaths - APTN NewsAPTN News

1.6.17

Northern Ontario chiefs call on RCMP to investigate Thunder Bay deaths - APTN NewsAPTN News: “The recent losses of Tammy Keeash and Josiah Begg have once again confirmed the inability of the Thunder Bay Police Service to conduct competent and credible investigations into the epidemic of deaths of NAN and Treaty No. 3 community members in Thunder Bay’s rivers. This crisis of confidence in policing has led to the ongoing investigation into systemic racism in the force,” said Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler in a statement.

NAN held a media conference in Toronto Wednesday and said the recent deaths of Keeash, 17, and Begg, 14, both suspected of drowning, followed another similar death of Stacy DeBungee, from Rainy River First Nation, who was found in the river on Oct. 19, 2015. His death triggered a systemic review of racism in the TBPS by the Office of the Independent Review Director (OIPRD).