Family of Guy “Peewee” Harvey calls for justice as police investigate his death

Thunder Bay – NEWS – The family of Guy “Peewee” Harvey is calling for justice after the 48-year-old Red Rock Indian Band member died on Jan. 5, 2026, following a stabbing late last year.

For Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario, the case is resonating beyond one family’s grief, as relatives and advocates continue to press for fuller accountability in the investigation of First Nations deaths in the region.

Family says Harvey’s death must not become “just another statistic”

In a statement provided to NetNewsLedger, Harvey’s sister, Kim Harvey, said the family is grieving while hoping the investigation will bring answers.

“My brother Guy (Peewee) was a good man who always had a smile on his face and loved his family dearly,” she said. “He loved animals and children and was always willing to help others and never expected anything in return.”

Kim Harvey said her brother’s death is being investigated by the OPP and Thunder Bay police homicide investigators.

She said the family believes the case reflects a broader pattern of Indigenous deaths that have left families searching for answers.

“We need a serious investigation into all First Nations attacked and killed in the community,” Harvey said. “A task force needs to be set up for these investigations.”

Broader concerns have been building in Thunder Bay

Harvey’s call comes against the backdrop of longstanding scrutiny of Indigenous death investigations in Thunder Bay. In June 2023, the OPP confirmed it was reinvestigating the deaths of 13 Indigenous people in Thunder Bay between 2006 and 2019 after those cases were identified as requiring fresh review.

In 2024 that a confidential report had identified 14 additional sudden deaths of Indigenous people that should be investigated, and that the same review examined 25 unresolved Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls cases in Thunder Bay.

Those figures have fuelled continuing calls from families, leaders and advocates for greater transparency, stronger oversight and a more trauma-informed approach to investigations involving Indigenous victims.

National data shows Indigenous people remain at far greater risk

Statistics Canada says police reported 225 Indigenous homicide victims in 2024. The agency said the homicide rate for Indigenous people was 10.84 per 100,000 population, about eight times higher than the rate for the non-Indigenous population, which was 1.35 per 100,000. Since 2014, Statistics Canada says Indigenous people have been overrepresented as homicide victims.

That national picture helps explain why Harvey’s family is linking one death to a wider public-safety issue facing First Nations people in Thunder Bay and across Canada. The city remains a regional hub for courts, hospitals, policing and social services, meaning unresolved cases involving Indigenous victims often carry consequences far beyond Thunder Bay itself.

Family urges anyone with information to come forward

Kim Harvey said her brother should not be reduced to a number in a larger pattern of violence. “He is not just another statistic,” she said.

The family is urging anyone with information about Guy Harvey’s death to contact investigators with the Thunder Bay Police Service or the OPP.