Thunder Bay Police Services Board will not ask chief J.P. Levesque to resign

The Thunder Bay Police Services Board will not ask the city's police chief to resign, board chair Jackie Dojack confirmed on Tuesday.

First Nations leaders had called for J.P. Levesque's resignation earlier in March, following a report from the Ontario Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD).

The report found "substantial" deficiencies in the Thunder Bay police investigation into the death of an Indigenous man, Stacy DeBungee, in the northwestern Ontario city in October 2015.

• 'Neglect of duty' found in review of Thunder Bay police investigation into death of Indigenous man

Dojack addressed the question of Levesque's future with reporters at Tuesday's board meeting.

"The board respects the right of anybody at any time to call for anybody's resignation," she said. "The board is not going to ask J.P. to resign."

Levesque has not yet commented on the calls for his resignation made in the wake of the OIPRD's report.

The police services board is meeting in April to decide whether three officers involved in the DeBungee investigation will face disciplinary proceedings under the Police Services Act.