Indigenous Civilian Monitor Submits Final Report to IIO’s Chief Civilian Director (2021-046)
Case: 2021-046 Incident Date: February 27, 2021 Location: Meares Island Agency: RCMP Detachment: Tofino Incident Classification: Death Case Status: Closed - With Public ReportINFORMATION BULLETIN
Independent Investigations Office
For Immediate Release
Surrey, B.C. – The Chief Civilian Director (CCD) of the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of BC has received the final report of Indigenous Civilian Monitor Thomas George regarding the IIO investigation into the death of a man in Opitsaht.
“I have no recommendations for the integrity of the investigation; the investigation was carried out with excellent procedure. I do not see that anyone else needs to be spoken to in order to complete this file. The interviews and evidence collected were fulsome. I am content with the way the IIO conducted the investigation,” said Thomas George.
“I am pleased to have received Mr. George’s final report following his thorough review of the IIO investigation. I would once again like to thank the leadership of the Tla-o-qui-at First Nation and particularly Mr. George for his hard work in reviewing the complete IIO file and speaking to investigators to confirm that the IIO investigation explored all possible lines of inquiry,” said CCD Ronald J. MacDonald. “I look forward to deciding the outcome of the investigation as soon as possible to conclude this matter for the affected family, community, and the involved officers and policing community. I also look forward to publishing Mr. George’s full report once the concurrent court proceedings related to this incident have concluded later this year.”
CCD MacDonald continued, “The IIO will continue to work hard to earn the trust of Indigenous Peoples and communities. I appreciate that the time the oversight process takes is difficult for everyone involved, but I emphasize that the IIO is, first and foremost, focused on conducting thorough and unbiased investigations. I am glad this was clear to Mr. George during his review, and I want to thank the IIO team who conducted this challenging investigation and freely provided Mr. George with any information he requested during his time reviewing the file.”
Background
The IIO is the independent civilian oversight agency of the police in British Columbia. It investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.