Treaty Three Police Service Chief Kai Liu will retire at the end of this month.
The police service announced Tuesday that Liu will retire when his current contract expires at the end of August.
Of his 37 years as an officer, Liu has held many roles. For the last 15 years, he has served as a police chief for three police services, including the last four years as chief of the Treaty Three Police Service.
“Reflecting on the past four years, I am especially proud of our most valuable resource — every member of our service. With your collective dedication to serving our communities, together we have positioned our Police Service for continued success” Liu said in a statement.
Known as a strong advocate for Human Rights, Liu, who also held the role of president of the Indigenous Police Chiefs of Ontario, banded together with Anishinabek Police Service and UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service to pressure Public Safety Canada to begin funding the police services immediately after failed negotiations in the funding agreement with the federal government back in March caused the police services to operate on a line of credit to pay for staff.
In June, the three police services and Grand Council Treaty Three filed a human rights complaint against Public Safety Canada with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. A federal judge quickly ruled in favour of Grand Council Treaty Three and the three police services, ordering funding to flow once again.
“The Treaty Three Police Services Board thanks Chief Liu for his dedication during his time with the service. While in his role, our service has expanded civilian and uniform staffing levels, developed a recruitment and communications strategy, implemented cultural initiatives into our service model, revived the [Treaty Three Police Service] awards ceremony which lead to multiple [Treaty Three Police Service] members being recognized for prestigious awards across the country, collaborated with external partners to enhance mental health services for all members and their families, and positioned the service to work with Grand Council Treaty #3 to move towards being constituted under the Ontario Community Safety and Policing Act” said Christine Jourdain, president of the police services board.
With the successful outcome of the Canadian Human Rights Complaint, Liu sets his sights on retirement looking hopeful for the future of the police service.
“Having served over 37 years in policing, with the last 15 years as Chief of Police for three police services, the time is right to pass command of our service to the next leader,” said Liu.
Jourdain stated that the board will begin the process of determining a new police chief starting Sept. 1.
