GRASSY NARROWS – Chief Rudy Turtle has concerns about the service his First Nation has been getting from Treaty Three cops. The Treaty Three Police Service says it’s working to address those concerns.
Many of the concerns are related to response times, Turtle told Newswatch this week.
“Sometimes there’s no response, and sometimes the response is very late,” the Grassy Narrows First Nation chief said.
“And also it’s their presence in the community,” he continued. “They’re hardly in the community.
“And the other thing is, there’s a time gap around (officers’) shift changes in the morning. They start at eight but they don’t arrive in Grassy until 10 o’clock because they’re driving in from Kenora.”
The concerns aren’t fresh, said Turtle.
“I’ve been on band council for over 14 years and this has been going on for a long time,” he stated.
“And we’ve talked to different chiefs of police again and again, or the supervisors or the staff sergeants, and they’ve heard us, and there’s no excuse.”
Wabaseemoong Independent Nations, west of Grassy Narrows, has expressed similar concerns about the service it is getting.
Treaty Three Police issued a public statement Wednesday saying it is addressing concerns through community engagement, open communication and “efforts to achieve equitable funding” from the federal government.
As well, the police service said, “We have partnered with PwC to undergo a comprehensive current state assessment” of operations.
“We understand the concerns of the communities and are actively working to address them,” said Christine Jourdain, president of the Treaty 3 police services board, in Wednesday’s statement.
Turtle said the Treaty Three Police statement hasn’t put his concerns to rest.
“I’m not satisfied,” he said. “We’ve heard the same stuff over and over again. It’s just ridiculous. That’s why we’re fed up.”
Grassy Narrows councillors are considering “several different options,” Turtle said.
“We can’t get into detail right now, but we do have options that we’re looking at, for sure.”
Switching to Ontario Provincial Police service is one option, he said, “but we’re leaving our options open.”
Treaty Three Police Services delivers policing to 23 First Nation communities.
“Our focus is on making a positive impact and ensuring that the communities we serve receive the high-quality services they deserve,” the police service’s Chief Cheryl Gervais said in this week’s public statement.
“We are committed to continuous improvement and will keep listening to the voices of our communities and our team members.”
