OCPC: News Release
Ontario Civilian Police Commission appoints an Administrator to the Thunder Bay Police Service Board

The Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC) has concerns about the Thunder Bay Police Service Board’s oversight of the Thunder Bay Police Service and the delivery of police services to the community.

Effective April 19, 2022, the OCPC has issued an interim Order to appoint Mr. Malcolm Mercer as Administrator to the Thunder Bay Police Service Board (TBPSB) for a period of six months. The term may be extended if necessary.

The Administrator’s role is to restore proper governance, to ensure that the TBPSB is providing sufficient oversight of police services in Thunder Bay, and to re-establish public confidence in the TBPSB and Thunder Bay Police Services’ ability to deliver adequate and effective policing services in the community.

Malcolm Mercer was called to the bar in 1984 and has held several prominent leadership positions in Ontario’s legal community. He is currently the Chair of the Law Society Tribunal. Mr. Mercer was the former Treasurer of the Law Society of Ontario, a past Chair of the Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee of the Canadian Bar Association, and general counsel and litigation partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP. His distinguished career in the justice system with a focus in legal ethics, public law, and governance, will be an asset as the Administrator.

The OCPC is an independent, quasi-judicial agency. The OCPC hears appeals, adjudicates applications, conducts investigations and resolves disputes regarding the oversight and provision of policing services. The OCPC’s powers and duties come from the Police Services Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.15. and in particular sections 22 & 25 of the PSA.

Learn More:

• The OCPC’s authority to appoint an administrator is granted by subsections 23(1) and 24(1) of the Police Services Act.
• On February 10, 2022, the OCPC relying on powers granted by s. 25 of the PSA, began an investigation in the delivery of police services in Thunder Bay.
• Thunder Bay Police Service investigation Terms of Reference .