Ontario police chief association president Jeff McGuire visits fly-in First Nations

The president of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police says it was an eye-opening experience to visit three fly-in First Nations in northwestern Ontario on Monday.

Jeff McGuire said it was important for members of his association to see, first-hand, the challenges police face in remote communities.

But he said the trip was also a way to reach out to communities served by the Nishnawbe-Aski Police.

"Each council that I spoke to, I said, 'I hope that you're not seeing us just as tourists bouncing through to have a look and take some pictures and leave that's not our goal here. We're here to support [NAPS Chief] Terry [Armstrong], and the people that work with him and let you know that they're working as hard as they can to try and convince the government of the challenges that you face,'" McGuire said.

"They seemed to already know that."

The board of directors of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police is meeting in Thunder Bay today and Wednesday.

The chiefs will also be considering what changes mightbe made to the Police Services Act, as well as sharing their thoughts on the new provincial regulations governing street checks.

Thunder Bay police chief J.P. Levesque is the association's vice president, while NAPS chief Terry Armstrong is a member of the board.