Winnipeg police appoint first external Indigenous relations advisor

Former MKO Grand Chief, journalist and author Sheila North has been brought on as a new external Indigenous relations advisor for the Winnipeg police.

A former journalist and grand chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) has been tasked to lend an “Indigenous lens” to the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) leadership.

Sheila North has been appointed as the WPS’s first external Indigenous Relations Advisor, according to an announcement by Police Chief Gene Bowers during a Tuesday news conference.

The new role is intended to provide insight, guidance and advice to the service’s executive management team on strategic initiatives that involve Indigenous people, per a news release.

“We are committed to strengthening relationships with Indigenous communities and leaders,” Bowers said. “It is my hope and intention that, with the guidance of an external Indigenous advisor, we will ensure we get there so that all Indigenous people are heard, feel valued, and, most importantly, are safe.”

North said that though she has had good experiences with the Winnipeg police in the past, other experiences have left her “disappointed many times” and “vulnerable.”

“I know that there is a lot of work to do to repair some of these relationships … that have gone astray for many, many generations, but we also know that policing and the role of policing is very important,” North said.

In 2015, North was the first woman elected as Grand Chief of MKO, which represents dozens of First Nations in northern Manitoba. Her career has also included roles with CBC, CTV News and as an entrepreneur, Cree translator, filmmaker and author, according to a news release.

Bowers said the police force, which is approximately 12 per cent Indigenous, will be developing an Indigenous advisory action circle to provide input into the service’s operations.

He said he had wanted to create the new role with the police service for a “long time” and now has the opportunity since being sworn in as police chief in March.

Markus Chambers, chair of the Winnipeg Police Board, said North’s “expertise in building bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities will be of great value for our police service and for our city.”

Chambers referred to the appointment as a “significant and positive step forward” in the trust-building commitment between the police service and the city’s Indigenous communities.

MKO congratulated North on the appointment in a news release, adding that her “lived experience makes her uniquely qualified to guide meaningful change in the relationship between law enforcement and First Nations peoples.”