The Commission for Public Complaints against the RCMP (CPC) has cleared the Sunshine Coast RCMP detachment of any wrongdoing in last July's pepper spray incident on Sechelt Indian Band (SIB) lands.
The band has yet to issue a response to the report. As complainants, they can request a review of the report if they don't agree with its findings or can file a new complaint against a specific member of the Sunshine Coast RCMP.
The incident took place on July 2, 2007, after a triumphant homecoming of four youth soccer teams from the SIB took a turn for the worse. After the driver of a pickup truck with 10 youth standing up in the back ran afoul of the RCMP by disregarded an officer's attempt to pull him over, the ensuing confrontation escalated into a pepper-spraying incident. More than a dozen people were hit, including children, and a band member caught the event on videotape.
Chief Garry Feschuk and council received the final 89-page report last Friday (June 27) and were preparing to issue a press release at Coast Reporter's deadline. The report was produced under the watch of two independent observers, grand chiefs Edward John (from the First Nations Summit) and Stewart Phillip (from the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs), under the CPC's independent observer pilot project.
After a request by the SIB to have an observer take part in the report, both John and Phillip were appointed by the CPC, from a "roster of approved individuals," said RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Pierre Lemaitre.
"What was unprecedented was that we had some elders come into the process," added Lemaitre. However, John told Vancouver's Georgia Straight newspaper he was unable to ask questions or contribute to the discussion.
Lemaitre said he couldn't comment on the details of the report because "there's still a matter before the courts, and the judge is going to render a decision soon." He added that the timing of the report's release bears no relation to the trial of the driver of the pickup truck, soccer coach Troy Mayers.
The decision in that trial will come on Wednesday, July 9, when Mayers will hear the judge's decision on one count of failing to stop for a police signal and two counts of obstruction of a peace officer. Mayers pleaded not guilty to all charges.
