Saskatoon lawyer wants emergency meeting with complaints commission over 'starlight tours' allegation

The lawyer for a man who alleged he was picked up by Saskatoon police and dropped off on the edge of the city wants an emergency meeting with the province's Public Complaints Commission.

On Monday, the commission ruled that Ken Thomas's allegations were unfounded and that GPS evidence showed the man had no interactions with police on the night in question.

Now, Thomas's lawyer, Don Worme, says he has concerns about the commission's investigation and is looking for more information.

"We want to be satisfied that … his concerns have been treated in the respectful and dignified way that he brought them forward," said Worme.

In April, Thomas, an indigenous man, told reporters he was standing outside a Saskatoon bar when he was placed in the back of an unmarked, black SUV by police officers and was driven to the outskirts of town, where he was forced to get out.

He took his case to the commission, an independent body that reviews complaints against police in Saskatchewan.

'Don't know the particulars': lawyer

After reviewing the PCC report, Worme said he had concerns about the commission's findings. While he would not go into detail, he gave the example that video surveillance from local businesses was not released to him.

"We don't know the particulars," he said. "Should we have access to that? Well, I don't know."

After receiving the report, Saskatoon police Chief Troy Cooper said police were talking to Crown prosecutors about whether charges should be made against Thomas. Worme said that would be counterproductive.

"Every member of the public has every right to bring forward reasonable concerns about public service," he said. "The police service is a public service."

The case brought up memories of the "starlight tours" incidents that plagued Saskatoon police for years. The term refers to alleged cases of the Saskatoon police taking Indigenous men and women to the edge of the city in the winter and abandoning them there.

Two officers were fired in 2004 after an inquiry into Neil Stonechild's death ruled the officers had the 17-year-old in their patrol car the last night he was seen alive.

No one was ever charged in connection with Stonechild's death. The police service later apologized to Stonechild's family for the way the investigation was conducted.

It's not known when, or if, the complaints commission will meet with Worme or Thomas.

After Worme's comments, Saskatoon police said the force's earlier statement stood, and it continues to wait for guidance from prosecutors on any potential charges.