Chief Evans launched Peel’s internal investigation in February, suspended it in March, then reinstated it after an uproar. The chief said the temporary suspension was meant to ensure the review did not interfere with the criminal appeal process. The review is being led by Insp. Joseph Paolini, a “senior officer and experienced investigator,” police said.

The family asked Paolini for a face-to-face meeting with Evans, but did not receive a response. (Evans refused interview requests from the Toronto Star until Friday, with a police spokesperson saying she wanted to protect the integrity of the appeal process.) The family saw the police board meeting as a chance to voice concerns to board members and to Evans, who attends the meetings. The board, a civilian body that governs the Peel Regional Police, allows members of the public to make five-minute deputations at their monthly meetings.

Earlier this month, Gallant gave notice to the board of her intent to make a deputation, which would put the Harrison family and the chief in the same room for the first time, and in a public setting. Soon after, Robert Serpe, executive director of the police board, emailed Gallant to ask if the family would meet him, the chief and legal counsel — in private.

Serpe told the Star in an email that this was not an attempt to avoid having her speak at the public meeting, but rather a move made out of concern that the five-minute time limit would not be enough.

“At no time were they dissuaded from making a public deputation,” Serpe said. “Ms. Gallant had the option for both a public statement and a private meeting. She chose both options. We will be meeting with her and the members of the family in the coming weeks.”

The board has not responded to the family’s request for members to champion an independent review.

Evans, who was recently awarded the 2018 Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police president’s award of merit, is no stranger to the importance of independent reviews. She has led or assisted in reviews of police conduct for inquiries into how two of Canada’s most notorious serial killers — Robert Pickton and Paul Bernardo — escaped capture for years.

Why has she not called for an independent review into the conduct of her own force?

“Right now I want to do an immediate review to identify any potential risks within the organization that are continuing,” she said in an interview after the board meeting. “So if we identify flaws, then I want to make sure we act on them quickly.”

“The family needs to trust me,” she said. “I won’t be hiding anything. I will be coming out very publicly in speaking about this.”

“Trust is earned,” Wanda Jamieson, a Harrison family friend, said after the meeting. “And trust is fragile.”





