Shuffle at the Thunder Bay police oversight board with new provincial, council appointees

At-large Coun. Shelby Ch'ng has resigned from the Thunder Bay Police Service Board and will be replaced by fellow at-large Coun. Kasey Etreni as one of two of city's council's representatives on the oversight board. 

Ch'ng is leaving the board to pursue a master's degree. 

"This board is a lot of work, and it certainly deserves someone's full attention," she said. "I felt like it was a good time to make the segue."  

Ch'ng was appointed to the board in May 2022, during a time of significant turmoil for the city's police service and its oversight board. Shortly before she joined the board, a provincial administrator was appointed to oversee it, and nearly all the members subsequently resigned. 

That administrator, Malcolm Mercer, remains in place until at least March 31, 2024. 

"We had a number of resignations. It was quite a turbulent time with the appointment of the administrator, so it did take some time for the board to get its feet under them," Ch'ng said. 

• Get caught up on all the background involving the Thunder Bay police oversight board here.

When Ch'ng arrived, the police board was facing a number of challenges, including dozens of human rights complaints filed by current and former police officers as well as former board chair Georjann Morriseau, and a growing number of recommendations to address systemic racism within the board and the police service.

Then, this spring, the board received another 200-page report, billed as a "roadmap to real change" with recommendations on how to transform the board after decades of scrutiny of the police services and the Thunder Bay Police Services Board involving dozens of reports, investigations and coroner's inquests, and hundreds of recommendations.  

Her time on the board has been productive, Ch'ng said, pointing to two board subcommittees on governance and labour relations, ongoing training for board members and work on addressing the outstanding recommendations.  

But Ch'ng says long-term, the board needs to do more to support its members, a call she has made previously. 

"There's serious work that needs to be done, and it's really expected that volunteers are going to do it," she said. "It's a lot, it's very demanding, and I wish I had time to continue on, but I don't." 

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the board announced that Wayne Bahleida will return to the police board as a provincial appointee. He previously served for seven years, from 2003-2010. 

According to a release, Bahlieda is a human resources professional, with 40 year's experience in various industries.