First Nation leaders push for Indigenous-run search unit after multiple missing-person deaths in Thunder Bay

During the annual Keewaywin Conference, leaders of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation endorsed a pilot Indigenous-led search-and-rescue initiative, NAN SAR, to provide coordination, trained personnel, volunteer support and family assistance for missing persons in the region. The decision was spurred by the spring discovery of five missing individuals—three from NAN communities and two others—found dead in Thunder Bay, prompting accusations that the Thunder Bay Police Service failed to incorporate traditional search methods.

Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler emphasized the need for a dedicated body, while Police Chief Darcy Fleury expressed willingness to work with the program. The pilot’s launch date has not been set. Ongoing provincial reviews of the TBPS, initiated by Inspector General Ryan Teschner, continue to examine the force’s handling of missing-person cases.