Gull Bay First Nation demands meeting with OPP head after sergeant allegedly left a man on remote highway
CBC
Leaders of a First Nation are demanding to speak with Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Thomas Carrique over officers' conduct and other issues, heightened by complaints against a sergeant who allegedly left an Indigenous man on the side of a remote highway in 2019.
"We're hoping that he would respond. It's his duty to respond. He is a public servant. He's here to protect and serve all members of Ontario," said Gull Bay Chief Wilfred King during a news conference Tuesday afternoon at Queen's Park.
King said the OPP has failed to provide transparency about their investigation into the alleged actions of the former lead of the nearby Armstrong detachment. It's alleged that in 2019, the sergeant drove an Indigenous man 10 minutes outside Armstrong and told him not to return or he would be charged with trespassing. The township is 250 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, and 70 kilometres north of Gull Bay.
It's one of three serious complaints the First Nation has made directly to Carrique about Sgt. Tammy Bradley, who has been reassigned to "non-front-line duties" in another part of Ontario since February.
OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson said two of the three complaints have been resolved and they're looking into the other allegations. King disputes this, and says the First Nation hasn't received answers to any of their questions.
Dickson didn't say if Carrique would agree to meet with the leadership of Gull Bay or other nearby First Nations.
Those complaints also don't include recent issues with OPP officers based in Armstrong that King said have demonstrated a lack of understanding and respect for the governance processes of First Nations.
Most recently, King said, the newly appointed team leader for the Armstrong detachment refused to provide peacekeeping services as requested by himself and a majority of the band council.
The First Nation had requested that Hydro One disconnect a number of community buildings deemed beyond repair as part of their housing services, so they could then be demolished and new buildings constructed to replaced them.
Anticipating some resistance, King said they asked the OPP detachment to attend and monitor the situation. But when some community members angered by the council's decision arrived to the site, and one band councillor said he was not authorizing the disconnection of the house, King said the newly appointed detachment sergeant said it was clear the First Nation needed to "do some more talking about this" and she could offer her services "as a mediator."
Gull Bay band administrator Beth Boon said it was at that point the sergeant said, "Well, we're going to back off. We're not going to enforce anything right now," which effectively stripped away the decision-making power of the chief and band council, she said.
That's when Hydro One technicians left, citing fears for their personal safety, Boon said. She added the First Nation will now file an injunction so it can continue with it housing program as previously approved by the band council.
King said the Hydro One situation along with recent threats of violence toward First Nation employees have created a dire situation in Gull Bay.
"Right now, we have no security in the community. It's the position of chief and council that we cannot afford anybody any kind of protection because we have a lack of police service in the community," King said in an interview with CBC News.
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