Cora McGuire-Cyrette Appointed to Thunder Bay Police Services Board Governance Committee

The Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA) is pleased to announce that Executive Director, Cora McGuire-Cyrette, has been appointed to the Thunder Bay Police Services (TBPS) Board Governance Committee for a 2-year term. This Committee was established to ensure governance decisions are being represented, not just by the Board, but informed and assisted by the community’s voice. The Committee will have a critical role in the recruitment of the new Chief of Police, as well as in the development of new Board policies.

As the community of Thunder Bay is aware, there have been numerous independent reports that outline recommendations that speak to the meaningful inclusion of the Indigenous Community and the need for establishing effective policies for the management of the police force. To support this work, it is integral to have Indigenous women’s voices at the TBPS Board governance table.

Cora McGuire-Cyrette is pleased to be a part of this process as we start to re-build trust locally with the Indigenous communities and to inform Board policies so that Indigenous women’s unique safety needs are considered.

ONWA’s priorities continue to be focused on healing at an individual, family, community, and nation level as we know that this is how we will restore balance. ONWA’s advocacy is focused on addressing the systemic racism and discrimination that Indigenous women continue to face in numerous systems that are mandated by law to support and protect them, including the justice system.

“Senator Murray Sinclair provided a pathway towards restorative justice in addressing systemic racism, I’ve made the decision to take on this responsibility to work on developing a path towards the implementation of the recommendations through accountability at a governance level. This is not an easy task, but our collective community cannot wait any longer for, we must begin action now.” – Cora McGuire-Cyrette.

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