‘It is vindication:’ Guilty verdict of Thunder Bay police sergeant sparks hope for change within the force

The judge has described the Sgt. Michael Dimini’s behaviour as ‘militantly illegal police conduct’ during a 2020 arrest. Kamil Karamali reports.

Former Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS) records clerk Jamie Cunningham was in the courtroom on Feb. 20 when police sergeant Michael Dimini was found guilty of breach of trust and obstruction of justice.

Cunningham felt only one thing when Justice Michael Block read the words she had been waiting years to hear.

“It was a relief,” Cunningham told CTV News Sunday. “There were a lot of times we were really worried he’d get away with it.”

Justice Block’s decision described Dimini’s actions as ‘militantly illegal police conduct’ -- in relation to a November 2020 incident where he entered a woman’s apartment without a warrant and made edits to another officer’s report.

“The defendant entered the premises without exigent circumstances, without warrant and without reasonable and probable grounds,” said the decision by Justice Block. “He then searched the apartment, seized items and directed the arrest of several of the occupants, who were then held for bail.”

Dimini has been one of the central figures in a series of allegations of corruption and systemic racism within the Thunder Bay police service, facing three separate trials over the past year. He was acquitted in the two previous trials but has now been found guilty in the third.

Two years ago, former police Chief Sylvie Hauth and the service’s former lawyer, Holly Walbuorne, were also charged with multiple counts of obstruction of justice with their joint trial set for early April.

“It’s a pivotal moment,” said Cunningham. “There’s a forward momentum that’s occurring with holding police management accountable for their contributions to the culture of policing we’re seeing today.”

Cunningham says that during her time as a civilian member of the TBPS from 2018 to 2021, people were punished for speaking out against leadership.

“These are people who are positioned very carefully within these roles,” said Cunningham. “People were targeted for speaking up. While I’m hopeful this is the first step that will lead the Thunder Bay police in the right direction, that remains to be seen.”

A history of corruption allegations

Dimini’s guilty verdict follows years of allegations of corruption within the service, said Chantelle Bryson, legal counsel for multiple police officers who filed human rights complaints.

“There were sustained complaints from officers, civilian employees and members of the public against Staff Sgt Dimini and then against Ms. Walbourne and the (former) chief for protecting him over many years, this was not new,” said Bryson.

Nearly five years ago, a stream of police officers broke ranks and made allegations against Staff Sgt. Dimini and Walbourne -- that included dealing drugs, forcing officers to break and enter, conducting illegal searches and filing false charges.

According to lawyer Chantelle Bryson, around the same time those allegations came up against Dimini, another group of police officers came forward with separate internal and human rights complaints against leadership -- claiming to suffer from PTSD in the workplace.

“The whistleblowers were investigated, wrongfully retaliated against, publicly shamed against by their paid-PR smear campaigns through their communications company,” Bryson said.

“The leadership failure in this piece is in addition to the very well known failure around missing Indigenous persons and death investigations.”

Although Bryson doesn’t believe the police service has been completely changed for the better, she feels it’s vindication for those who spoke up and complained against leadership.

“Even for the ones who didn’t have their complaints addressed through these charges and convictions, it is vindication to a great extent,” she said.

Police chief says trust ‘being built’

Thunder Bay’s current police chief, who stepped into the role roughly three years ago, believes the police service is building back the public’s trust, especially with community events involving the region’s Indigenous population.

“That trust is being built,” said Chief Darcy Fleury in a Zoom interview with CTV News Sunday. “Not only being built but being expanded. Everyone knows we have a lot of work to do. We have to keep our foot on the gas and keep moving forward and that’s how you build the trust.”

Fleury was not ready to apologize to the police officers and staff who had come forward with complaints.

“I don’t believe we’re at a stage where an apology is appropriate because... how do I offer an apology when I don’t really know what I’m apologizing for?” said Fleury. “We have to wait and see if there’s actually some material or content (to) what they’re complaining about.”

When asked why Dimini was allowed to climb ranks when there were multiple complaints and allegations against him, Fleury said the police service had to follow protocol.

“In any organization, you can’t really (suspend someone) based on the allegations alone. There has to be some results to it.”

CTV News reached out to Dimini’s lawyer, Michelle O’Doherty, who said “it would be inappropriate at this time to comment as the matter is still before the courts. We will be available to comment once the matter is completed.”