SIU clears Thunder Bay, Ont., police of wrongdoing in First Nation woman's death
CBC
WARNING: This story contains references to domestic violence and suicide.
Ontario's Special Investigations Unit has cleared a Thunder Bay police officer of wrongdoing in the 2023 death of Jenna Ostberg, a member of Bearskin Lake First Nation.
The SIU released its report on Tuesday, about 18 months after Ostberg's body was found in a residence in the northwestern Ontario city.
In the aftermath, her family highlighted that Ostberg was a kind and talented woman who was a victim of domestic abuse, and they were critical of the response of the Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS) after emergency calls were made.
The SIU investigation zeroed in on the three 911 calls that were made before officers attended the residence.
The first call was at 2:05 a.m. ET on Dec. 30, 2023, with the caller reporting Ostberg was an unwanted person in the home where her partner lived, the report says.
The second call to police was at 2:23 a.m., asking to cancel the initial call for service. The SIU says the caller believed Ostberg had left the home and they no longer needed police to attend.
More than eight hours later, a third call to police, at 10:34 a.m., said Ostberg was found in a bedroom closet. Paramedics responded and following resuscitation efforts, she was pronounced dead.
According to the Ostberg family — who identified their daughter as the subject of the SIU report — the watchdog told them Ostberg died by suicide. CBC News reached out to the SIU to confirm this and was directed to Ontario's Office of the Chief Coroner (OCC), which said it cannot publicly provide details about the cause and manner of people's deaths.
The expert medical opinion for the case was unable to discern her time of death. However, the SIU report "leaves open the distinct possibility" that Ostberg took her own life some time after 2:42 a.m., her last known cellphone activity.
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of police that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault or the discharge of a firearm at a person.
"On his assessment of the evidence, SIU director Joseph Martino determined there were no reasonable grounds to believe that an officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the woman's death," the report says.
However, the report adds, there is a case to be made that the subject official (SO) — the Thunder Bay police officer — "failed in his duty of care" by not attending the residence even after the call for service was cancelled, given the fact Ostberg's partner was arrested on July 14, 2023, for domestic assault with a weapon.
WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse.
It’s been hard to keep track of how many legal challenges and active court proceedings the United Conservative government has tried to quash or pre-emptively block in the last six weeks, but let’s try to tally:
Margaret Walker, the emcee of a Waterloo vigil commemorating the victims of the Montreal massacre, doesn't feel enough is being done to reflect on the killings and address gender-based violence.
The P.E.I. Humane Society says it is doing far more fundraising than it used to, and rising expenses — including the cost of animal medications — are a big reason why.
Ottawa is staring down a court-ordered deadline to submit a new plan to reform the on-reserve child welfare system, as a group of First Nations leaders and children’s advocates prepare a competing proposal.
An underpass revitalization project that was meant to pay tribute to the people of Parkdale has instead deteriorated into “a garbage dump,” according to nearby residents.
A young man has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm after a fire at a frat party near Western University that injured five sorority sisters, including two seriously, late Tuesday night.
The massive deal to combine one of Hollywood's oldest studios with a streaming giant hasn't even been approved yet, but it's already riling multiple related industries and politicians concerned about monopolies and media concentration.
Mi'kmaq chiefs and a former Nova Scotia justice minister are criticizing the provincial government for directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis, saying the order undermines relations with Indigenous Peoples.
For years, there has been “glaring inequity” in the way the province has allocated the millions of dollars in its county roads budget, according to Department of Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson.
Six months after passing a law aimed at making it easier for new grocery stores to open, Manitoba's premier says lower grocery bills could be on the horizon.
Timothy Smith was acting in self-defence when he punched Landon Waddell, and shouldn't be found guilty of manslaughter, his lawyer says.
Thoroughbred horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse is ending after more than a century, with the operator announcing Friday it will no longer run a racing season at the historic facility.