THUNDER BAY, Ont. — Police in Thunder Bay, Ont., say they are investigating allegations that racist comments posted on a local newspaper's Facebook page were made by members of the police service.
They say a reporter for APTN News provided investigators with a number of comments which appeared on the Chronicle-Journal's Facebook page regarding a letter to the editor by Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler.
Police say a number of specific comments posted on Sept. 17 and 18 are now the subject of a Police Services Act investigation by the TBPS Professional Standards Unit.
In a statement, the force said the comments are "not acceptable" and do not reflect the values of the Thunder Bay Police Service.
The statement added that the police service "would like to apologize to our indigenous community for the hurt these comments may cause."
It called the investigation into the comments "a top priority."
The Thunder Bay investigation comes just a few days after police in Ottawa said they were probing derogatory online comments allegedly made by an officer which apparently linked the death of an award-winning Inuit artist to the broader issue of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.
