Human rights tribunal rules allegations of discrimination outside of its jurisdiction

The former chair of the Thunder Bay Police Service Board, who alleged she was discriminated against because of her race and ethnic origin, has had her Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) application dismissed. Georjann Morriseau, a former chief of Fort William First Nations, was the chair of the police board from December 2019 to December 2020 and remained an appointed member of the board thereafter. Between October 2021 and August 2022, she filed five applications with the HRTO. In addition to saying she was discriminated against, Morriseau also alleged reprisal. In an interim decision dated Oct. 14, the allegations of discrimination were dismissed; however, the allegations of reprisal will continue to the Tribunal’s process. This past summer, the Tribunal dismissed two of Morriseau’s applications and consolidated the remaining three. The HRTO adjudicator, in the Oct 14 interim ruling, wrote that the “applicant’s allegations of discrimination are outside of the Tribunal’s jurisdiction.” Morriseau previously told APTN News that she “was actively being harassed, targeted” and that  “every board meeting was just a nightmare. I was being accused of lying, I was being accused of not understanding and being incompetent. “I had comments made to me by the secretary and even the current board chair, that was at time referencing the fact that I’m First Nations from the reserve and that things are done differently out there,” she said. At the time, Morriseau believed all members of the Thunder Bay Police Service Board needed to go. In April 2022, the majority of the board resigned, including chair Kristen Oliver, after the Ontario Civilian Police Commission put in place an administrator to oversee the board. In recent years, the makeup of the police board has changed dramatically. The secretary to the board has retired. A new chief of police has taken over. Former chief Sylvie Hauth and the services’ in-house lawyer, Holly Walbourne are set to stand trial in April 2026 on charges of obstruction. The adjudicator writes in the Oct. 14 interim decision “in my view, the fact that the Tribunal thereafter determined it does not have jurisdiction over the applicant’s claims of discrimination does not mean she was not subject to reprisal for instituting the proceedings. APTN reached out to Morriseau who did not respond to a request for comment. Continue Reading