RCMP's allocation of 51 new officers aims to equalize service across N.B.
Goal to have 1 officer per 1,000 residents across province, says Cpl. Hans Ouellette
The provincial government announced last spring it was spending $32.6 million to boost the number of RCMP officers in the province by 15 per cent.
The police force has now identified where 51 of those 81 officers will be stationed across the province's 12 regional service commission boundaries.
"When we looked at it across the board, we saw that the different [regional service commissions], according to their population, weren't quite equal," said Cpl. Hans Ouellette, spokesperson for the New Brunswick RCMP.
"What we wanted to do is give almost an equal basis across the board to really get the boots on the ground to get more visibility out there, and ... for our communities to one, feel safer, and for also public safety and police officer safety."
The RCMP provides provincial policing under a 20-year contract in areas of the province that don't have a municipal police force.
Municipalities are required to pay part of the cost, but some communities have complained in recent years that they don't feel they've been getting police coverage in line with what they're spending.
Ouellette said the RCMP has listened to those complaints, and thinks the added officers will increase RCMP visibility in communities, lighten officers' workload, and give them more time to carry out proactive enforcement.
Equalizing 'cop to pop' ratio
Ouellette said the number of officers per 1,000 residents, also known as the "cop to pop" ratio, was one of the main factors the RCMP used to determine where those new officers should go.
Currently, 35 officers are in charge of policing Regional Service Commission 11 which is largely the greater Fredericton area. That's a ratio of 0.6 officers per 1,000 residents — the lowest of the 12 districts.
The RCMP has now earmarked 15 new officers for that region — the largest increase — bringing the ratio up to one officer per 1,000 residents.
The
RCMP released a table showing the current number of RCMP officers for
each regional service commission, highlighted in blue, compared to the
number of officers it expects to add to each RSC, along with the cop to
population ratio. (New Brunswick RCMP)
Other regional districts will be receiving far fewer new RCMP officers, however, they'll all still achieve cop to population ratios of at least one officer per 1,000 residents, Ouellette said.
Ouellette said the distribution of new officers was also based on data such as the crime severity index across regions, as well as the ratio of officers per square kilometre.
"We've created this matrix ... that allowed us to really look at where we might have been lacking, and where we could put some more boots on the ground," Ouellette said.
More officers needed, Grand Lake mayor says
The news of more RCMP officers going to RSC 11 is welcomed by Grand Lake Mayor Kevin Nicklin.
Nicklin said at one time, the community 40 kilometres north of Fredericton had its own police station, however that came to an end years ago, leaving the nearest RCMP detachment in Keswick Ridge.
Kevin
Nicklin is the mayor of Grand Lake which is within Regional Service
Commission 11. He says the area's cop to population ratio 'was way off,'
and he's pleased about the addition of more RCMP officers. (Aniekan Etuhube/CBC)
Nicklin said while he's received no guarantee that officers will be stationed in Grand Lake, he thinks the increase of officers in RSC 11 is needed.
"The cop to population ratio was way off in our area, which meant ... we didn't have a great service in our area ... and everybody kind of knew it," he said.
"You know, the visibility of the police in our area seems to have disappeared and we're hoping that this is going to help bring the police in our area."
Ouellette said of the total of 81 officers to be hired, 30 will be working behind the scenes in areas such as the RCMP's internet child exploitation unit, digital forensic services, explosive device unit, emergency response team, police dog services, operational communication centre and major crime unit.
Ouellette said the timeline for hiring the officers is expected to be about two years, and that the force is confident it will be able to successfully recruit strong candidates.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
N.B. faces 'crisis of policing,' as rural communities explore options amid vigilantism
Criminology professor says province should revisit creating provincial force to replace RCMP
Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon · CBC News · Posted: Jul 18, 2023 6:19 PM ADT
Blacks Harbour council votes to drop RCMP
Village will join with St. George and approach province for permission to create local police force
CBC News · Posted: Jan 16, 2014 9:01 AM AST
Minister who questioned numbers says figures show more enforcement is needed
Jacques Poitras · CBC News · Posted: Dec 08, 2022 4:16 PM AST
"I don't take meds I take naps then read all the comments at closing time and add my two bits worth on topics I have a particular interest in
Trust that this article took the cake today"
rcmp sussex nb youtube david amos
I didn't get pulled over or anything, I just showed up to work 20 minutes early.
The man replies, “I’m on my way to attend a lecture about alcohol abuse, smoking and staying out late.”
The officer asks, “Who would give that kind of lecture at this time of night?”
The man says, “My wife.”
She replied: “I know! There’s like hundreds of them!”
and its citizens need to be better educated as to their responsibilities
in respecting themselves and others.
in respecting themselves and others."
We had that in people who were born before 1980... I wonder what happened?
Mounties to see their salaries soar as first collective agreement is ratified
A constable could make up to $20K more
Catharine Tunney · CBC News · Posted: Aug 17, 2021 3:35 PM ADT
Ronald A. McCallum on February 14, 2023 at 21:50 said:
Dale,
“The RCMP have been half-assing mandatory anti-racism training, and half the force hasn’t bothered to take the course at all. (Time to disband them. Seriously).”
What would you want to be created to replace the Royal Canadian Mounted Police?
Provincial Police Forces/Services with a few specific Federal law enforcement agencies?
From: "Higgs, Premier Blaine (PO/CPM)" <Blaine.Higgs@gnb.ca>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2021 16:58:16 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: Methinks the CBC has just infomed us that
the RCMP gave Hans Ouellette a promotion since he and I last talked
N'esy Pas Higgy??
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Thank you for taking the time to write to us.
Due to the high volume of emails that we receive daily, please note
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visit www.gnb.ca/coronavirus<http://
If this is a Media Request, please contact the Premier’s office at
(506) 453-2144.
Thank you.
Bonjour,
Nous vous remercions d’avoir pris le temps de nous écrire.
Tenant compte du volume élevé de courriels que nous recevons
quotidiennement, il se peut qu’il y ait un délai dans notre réponse.
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Merci.
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---------- Original message ----------
From: Newsroom <newsroom@globeandmail.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2021 16:58:19 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: Methinks the CBC has just infomed us that
the RCMP gave Hans Ouellette a promotion since he and I last talked
N'esy Pas Higgy??
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
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From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2021 13:58:10 -0300
Subject: Methinks the CBC has just infomed us that the RCMP gave Hans
Ouellette a promotion since he and I last talked N'esy Pas Higgy??
To: Hans.Ouellette@rcmp-grc.gc.ca, "blaine.higgs"
<blaine.higgs@gnb.ca>, info@gg.ca, ltgov@gnb.ca, "kris.austin"
<kris.austin@gnb.ca>, "David.Coon" <David.Coon@gnb.ca>,
"Kevin.Vickers" <Kevin.Vickers@gnb.ca>, "brian.gallant"
<brian.gallant@gnb.ca>, "Katie.Telford" <Katie.Telford@pmo-cpm.gc.ca>,
"darrow.macintyre" <darrow.macintyre@cbc.ca>, "carl.urquhart"
<carl.urquhart@gnb.ca>, "Catherine.Tait" <Catherine.Tait@cbc.ca>,
"sylvie.gadoury" <sylvie.gadoury@radio-canada.
<Alex.Johnston@cbc.ca>, "Arseneau, Kevin (LEG)"
<kevin.a.arseneau@gnb.ca>, "Mitton, Megan (LEG)"
<megan.mitton@gnb.ca>, "michelle.conroy" <michelle.conroy@gnb.ca>,
"rick.desaulniers" <rick.desaulniers@gnb.ca>, "robert.gauvin"
<robert.gauvin@gnb.ca>, robmoorefundy <robmoorefundy@gmail.com>,
alaina <alaina@alainalockhart.ca>, "robert.mckee"
<robert.mckee@gnb.ca>, "andrea.anderson-mason"
<andrea.anderson-mason@gnb.ca>
andre <andre@jafaust.com>, jbosnitch <jbosnitch@gmail.com>,
"Roger.Brown" <Roger.Brown@fredericton.ca>, "dan. bussieres"
<dan.bussieres@gnb.ca>, "Gilles.Blinn" <Gilles.Blinn@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>,
"Gilles.Cote" <Gilles.Cote@gnb.ca>, "hon.ralph.goodale"
<hon.ralph.goodale@canada.ca>, mcu <mcu@justice.gc.ca>,
"Nathalie.Drouin" <Nathalie.Drouin@justice.gc.ca
kathleen.roussel@ppsc-sppc.gc.
<Newsroom@globeandmail.com>, "Jacques.Poitras"
<Jacques.Poitras@cbc.ca>, "David.Lametti" <David.Lametti@parl.gc.ca>,
"Ian.Shugart" <Ian.Shugart@pco-bcp.gc.ca>, sheilagunnreid
<sheilagunnreid@gmail.com>, keean.bexte@rebelnews.com, sfine
<sfine@globeandmail.com>, washington field
<washington.field@ic.fbi.gov>
Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>, joshuahalpern
<joshuahalpern@outlook.com>, james.fowler@fowlerlawpc.com,
"christopher.titus" <christopher.titus@gnb.ca>
https://www.cbc.ca/news/
Police issuing tickets after illegal anti-mask gathering in COVID-hit Zone 4
Video shows police leaving apparent gathering after arguing with man
for 5 minutes
Jacques Poitras · CBC News · Posted: Apr 20, 2021 8:31 PM AT
A man who said his name is Tony Dave Marchand was filmed arguing with
police and peace officers at an apparent illegal gathering he was
attending in Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska, which is in the part of Zone 4
currently in the red phase restrictions. (Facebook)
Public Safety officers in northwest New Brunswick have started issuing
tickets to members of an anti-mask group who gathered at a private
home last weekend in defiance of the province's mandatory COVID-19
order.
Tony Dave Marchand said officers arrived at his home in Sainte-Anne de
Madawaska late Tuesday afternoon.
A five-minute Facebook video of Marchand confronting six officers last
Friday has gone viral in the northwest, prompting some to complain
that law enforcement isn't doing enough to crack down on rule-breakers
in Zone 4.
"It's no longer time for 'raising awareness' and 'education.' It's
time for the government to enforce the law," Madawaska Les
Lacs-Edmundston Liberal MLA Francine Landry said early Tuesday
afternoon.
Even Health Minister Dorothy Shephard seemed concerned.
"It is my hope that with our Public Safety partners, we would be
addressing serious situations like that," she said.
Officers with the RCMP and Department of Justice and Public Safety
were filmed responding to the scene of an apparent illegal gathering.
(Facebook)
Within hours of those comments, officers arrived at Marchand's home
and at the private home that hosted the gathering last Friday.
Zone 4 continues to post the vast majority of new COVID-19 cases in
the province, a stubborn trend that has persisted despite red-zone
restrictions that took effect March 25 and a full lockdown that
started April 11.
As of Tuesday, 100 of the 139 active cases in New Brunswick were in
Zone 4, and 37 per cent of all cases since the pandemic began were
there.
In an interview Marchand, who rejects the overwhelming scientific
evidence about COVID-19 and vaccines, said he knew the gathering
violated the province's emergency pandemic order.
"I knew it was. Definitely I knew it was. But in the end I knew it
wasn't illegal what I was doing, because of the Charter [of Rights]
that protects us."
N.B. COVID-19 roundup: Edmundston to enter lockdown, high school
return delayed
N.B. COVID-19 roundup: First case of blood clot reaction to
vaccine, no new cases reported
In the video, six officers arrive at the home, including provincial
enforcement officers and two RCMP members. Marchand meets them outside
and they tell him they're acting on a complaint based on Section 30
(k) of the emergency order.
It bans indoor or outdoor gatherings "associated with socializing,
celebration, ceremony or entertainment."
In the video, recorded by one of the people at the gathering, Marchand
argues with the officers for five minutes, claiming they have no legal
authority.
"There's no criminal violation," he tells them, stating incorrectly
that "the only time you have a right to do this is with a warrant from
a judge."
In fact, the provincial Emergency Measures Act gives the government
sweeping powers, including the authority to direct police to enter a
property without a warrant.
Police were filmed apparently leaving an illegal gathering. By
Wednesday morning, two people had been fined. (Facebook)
Many legal scholars believe that would survive a charter challenge
under Section 1, which allows "reasonable limits" on individual
freedoms.
Marchand said about 15 people were at the gathering. He said they're
anti-mask activists who were blocked by police from protesting
lockdown measures in Edmundston the previous weekend and ticketed.
"The gathering was to educate people that they have the right to
contest their fines," he said.
The officers asked for the names of everyone at the home but Marchand
refused to provide them. They left with only his name. The group
cheered as they left.
Marchand said, however, that one of the officers was taking down
licence plate numbers during the discussion, and that will allow them
to issue tickets to other people at the gathering.
As of Wednesday morning, only he and the owner of the home had been
fined, but he said he expected others to be ticketed during the day.
Incident 'under investigation'
On Tuesday, the provincial Department of Public Safety refused to
discuss the circumstances in the video.
"This matter is still under investigation and we are unable to comment
further on this particular incident," said spokesperson Coreen Enos.
She did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for
confirmation that tickets were being issued.
Marchand intends to contest his ticket in court but said he will
refuse to wear a mask and it's up to the court to deal with that.
"If you can't find an alternative, that's not our problem. That
becomes the court's problem."
Madawaska Les Lacs-Edmundston MLA Francine Landry says her
constituents are frustrated by the actions of "very few" in the
community. (CBC)
In a emailed statement, RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Hans Ouellette said the
force "has taken, and continues to take, a measured approach to
encourage and promote compliance" with COVID-19 restrictions.
"Police officers are using their discretion in all situations related
to COVID-19," Ouellette said. "Tickets are issued and other
enforcement actions are being taken when appropriate."
Marchand said he refuses to wear a mask because he is asthmatic and
suffers from other conditions that make it difficult to wear one.
He said he's only able to shop for necessities in some local
convenience stores who have been letting him enter without one. He
would not identify the stores.
Landry said she has received many calls from constituents about the video.
"People are very frustrated by these very, very few individuals who
are not obeying and following the rules," she said.
Marchand said no one in the group has had COVID-19.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jacques Poitras
Provincial Affairs reporter
Jacques Poitras has been CBC's provincial affairs reporter in New
Brunswick since 2000. Raised in Moncton, he also produces the CBC
political podcast Spin Reduxit.
CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices
---------- Original message ----------
From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2021 15:21:57 -0400
Subject: Methinks the RCMP, the CBC the Irving Media and their buddy
Higgy can never deny that many protesters know why I sued the Queen in
2015 N''esy Pas?
To: info@gg.ca, ltgov@gnb.ca, "blaine.higgs" <blaine.higgs@gnb.ca>,
"kris.austin" <kris.austin@gnb.ca>, "David.Coon" <David.Coon@gnb.ca>,
"Kevin.Vickers" <Kevin.Vickers@gnb.ca>, "brian.gallant"
<brian.gallant@gnb.ca>, "ian.hanamansing" <ian.hanamansing@cbc.ca>,
"Katie.Telford" <Katie.Telford@pmo-cpm.gc.ca>, "darrow.macintyre"
<darrow.macintyre@cbc.ca>, "carl.urquhart" <carl.urquhart@gnb.ca>,
"Catherine.Tait" <Catherine.Tait@cbc.ca>, "sylvie.gadoury"
<sylvie.gadoury@radio-canada.
<Alex.Johnston@cbc.ca>, "Arseneau, Kevin (LEG)"
<kevin.a.arseneau@gnb.ca>, "Mitton, Megan (LEG)"
<megan.mitton@gnb.ca>, "michelle.conroy" <michelle.conroy@gnb.ca>,
"rick.desaulniers" <rick.desaulniers@gnb.ca>, "robert.gauvin"
<robert.gauvin@gnb.ca>, robmoorefundy <robmoorefundy@gmail.com>,
alaina <alaina@alainalockhart.ca>, "robert.mckee"
<robert.mckee@gnb.ca>, "andrea.anderson-mason"
<andrea.anderson-mason@gnb.ca>
andre <andre@jafaust.com>, jbosnitch <jbosnitch@gmail.com>,
"Roger.Brown" <Roger.Brown@fredericton.ca>, "dan. bussieres"
<dan.bussieres@gnb.ca>, "Gilles.Blinn" <Gilles.Blinn@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>,
"Gilles.Cote" <Gilles.Cote@gnb.ca>, "hon.ralph.goodale"
<hon.ralph.goodale@canada.ca>, mcu <mcu@justice.gc.ca>,
"Nathalie.Drouin" <Nathalie.Drouin@justice.gc.ca
kathleen.roussel@ppsc-sppc.gc.
Cc: "Gerald.Butts" <Gerald.Butts@pmo-cpm.gc.ca>,
Tim.RICHARDSON@gnb.ca, motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>,
Newsroom <Newsroom@globeandmail.com>, "Jacques.Poitras"
<Jacques.Poitras@cbc.ca>, "David.Lametti" <David.Lametti@parl.gc.ca>,
"Ian.Shugart" <Ian.Shugart@pco-bcp.gc.ca>
David Gordon Koch | Times & Transcript
A small group of protesters clashed with police during a rally against
mandatory public health measures on Sunday afternoon outside Moncton
city hall.
Police appeared to issue multiple tickets and the Times & Transcript
witnessed several arrests. Mounties led one man away from the scene in
handcuffs after he struggled with several police officers. The
situation also grew heated at one point as a police officer appeared
ready to detain a woman, prompting angry reactions from the crowd.
There were approximately two dozen protesters in attendance,some of
them shouting and hurling insults at Mounties. Staff Sgt. Dave
MacDonnell couldn't say how many arrests had been made or tickets
issued by early afternoon, referring questions to the New Brunswick
RCMP.
"We were just there enforcing the Emergency Measures Act, with a
measured approach, as we've been doing all along," he said.
Staff Sgt. Jeff Johnston, a spokesperson for the New Brunswick RCMP,
confirmed that arrests were made and tickets were issued, but didn't
say how many.
Multiple protesters refused to speak on the record to the Times &
Transcript. One placard read: "The Media is the Virus." The protesters
appeared to have dispersed by mid-afternoon.
The weekly protests have become a regular feature during the pandemic,
with people voicing opposition to measures such as mandatory masks and
vaccines.
But Codiac Regional RCMP Supt. Thomas Critchlow pledged tougher
enforcement during a Moncton city council meeting on Jan. 18 as the
Moncton region returned to the red phase. Under the red level of
restrictions, masks are required in outdoor spaces if physical
distancing can't be maintained, and outdoor gatherings are allowed
"with physical distancing of five people or less," according to
information posted online by
the provincial government.
Protesters have flouted COVID-19 restrictions, saying they're too
extreme and citing factors including financial hardship associated
with lockdown measures.
They have also disputed Public Health guidelines, often citing
misinformation, claiming, for example, that COVID-19 is less deadly
than the flu.
Influenza causes an estimated 3,500 deaths annually, according to the
federal government. Despite unprecedented public health measures,
Canada had recorded nearly 19,000 COVID related deaths by Sunday.
Const. Hans Ouellette, a spokesperson for the New Brunswick RCMP,
previously stressed that police would respect the right to peaceful
protest, citing protections under the Canadian Charter of Rights and
Freedoms.
The Charter guarantees the right to fundamental freedoms including
peaceful assembly and expression.
Under Section 1 of the Charter, those freedoms are "subject only to
such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably
justifed in a free and democratic society.
Prof. Kerri Froc, an associate professor of law at the University of
New Brunswick, said Section 1 "always applies to state action." though
she questioned the ability of police to conduct a "constitutional
analysis" before taking action.
"To my mind, it is up to police to enforce the law until a court says
otherwise," she said via Twitter.
"Therefore, if they have reasonable and probable grounds for a
transgression of the Emergency Order they should ticket absent some
compelling reasons to exercise their discretion otherwise."
If not, there could be a problem of discriminatory or arbitrary
enforcement, also raising Charter issues, she said.
Mounties win right to sue superior officers
The New Brunswick Court of Appeal has cleared the way for two Mounties in the province to sue their superior officers.
RCMP Staff Sergeant Ken Smith and his wife, Corporal Paulette Delaney-Smith, have been told they can proceed with their civil suit rather than rely on the RCMP's flawed internal grievance system.
Operation Harassment
CBC News Online | February 15, 2006
Reporter: Carolyn Dunn
From The National, Feb. 13, 2006
An internal RCMP investigation into the treatment of a Fredericton officer has revealed a campaign of harassment that involved secret surveillance and trumped-up accusations that may be unprecedented in the force's history.
The saying "the RCMP always gets their man" has come true, in some respect for senior officers at "J" Division in Fredericton. The man they stalked and all but removed from his job was one of their own.
Carolyn Dunn reports for The NationalHis name is Staff Sergeant Ken Smith, an officer with more than 25 years of service, whose only crime was that he landed a job his boss didn't want him to have.
RCMP Staff Sergeant Ken SmithSmith knew he'd have to work hard to win over the staff, because the man who'd been acting in the position had expected to get the job. Despite that, Smith believed he'd have the support of his senior officers in his new position.
His boss, Louis Lefebvre, seemed supportive at the beginning, Smith said. "He was, to my knowledge, very pleased, he shook my hand, smiled and treated me with the respect I felt I deserved."
Sgt. Ed MacEachern was the only other candidate for the job that Smith eventually got. He was the acting head of the Saint John drug squad, and a personal friend of Louis Lefebvre. The relationship between the two was so well-known that Lefebvre was not allowed to be on the hiring board for the Saint John position.
Sgt. Ed MacEachern"This was a personal friend of his that I had removed, or dethroned, from his position," said Smith. "It was my assumption that Louis Lefebvre and him had a pact together that would clearly indicate that man was going to get that job."
One year after Smith started working in his new job, Lefebvre summoned him into headquarters in Fredericton. His boss told him simply that he was being removed from his job. Smith says Lefebvre then began reading a memo: "It was a memorandum to me from him in which he began the destruction of my career. I asked him after he had read this memo to me, what the issues were and he said that he didn't have time to tell me and that I would find out down the road."
Smith was then escorted to the Saint John office and taken inside to collect his belongings. His firearm was taken from him. The locks on the door had been changed.
Smith was flabbergasted. "Personally, I have never seen an incident that would precipitate that kind of action, however, I believe that if somebody had, for example, just committed a criminal offence right there in the building, yes, I could see him being placed under some sort of arrest and being removed from the building."
Superintendent Louis LefebvreAnother alleged violation was that Smith swore at a waiter while working a drug investigation undercover at a Holiday Inn restaurant. Smith says he and the waiter joked about whether he would be served peas, which he doesn't like. "In that context, there was a few foul words," he said. "The waiter laughed, I laughed, I tipped the waiter at the end of the day just like I always tip the waiter at the end of the day. And we all left in a good mood after the meal."
Smith's senior officers had a list of seemingly minor violations that Smith was supposed to have committed. That's when he decided to turn the investigation around and find out what was going on.
Smith filed a request for documents under federal Access to Information legislation. The story they told chilled him to the core – revealing that Louis Lefebvre's plan to fire him began even before Smith started his job.
In a letter to the hiring committee, Lefebvre wrote: "… in this particular case, the promotion process has failed to identify the right/best person for the position being staffed." The best person, Lefebvre wrote, was his friend Ed MacEachern.
When that letter failed to convince the hiring committee, Lefebvre began to solicit complaints from staff members working the Saint John office.
Smith says they complied with the request out of fear of the boss.
"They were too afraid to ever say to me, 'Ken, by the way, Louis Lefebvre doesn't like you very much.' That became perfectly clear in those investigative reports that they said nothing out of fear of retribution."
Lefebvre then managed to convince his boss, Chief Superintendent Jim Payne, to help gather evidence against Smith. Payne agreed to hire a surveillance team to follow Smith around. To keep track of his every move, they put a tracking device on his car. The eventual cost of the operation was more than $50,000.
"The indication was that they were looking for a breach of the law, or a breach of the code of conduct. There was nothing more to it than that," said Smith. "They were gone beyond fishing. They were fishing with illegal poles."
Marlys Edwardh is a criminal lawyer who specializes in Charter of Rights issues, and says the senior RCMP officers in Fredericton abused their power. "There's no doubt in my mind that the law was clear. Years before this even happened, even a decade before, the Supreme Court of Canada said that the use of a beeper in physical surveillance constituted an unreasonable search and seizure, if it was not the subject of a warrant issued by a Justice of the Peace. There was no warrant here," she said. "That tells me that there is a very good case that it was unconstitutional and unlawful."
Criminal defence lawyer Marlys EdwardhSmith's wife, Paulette Delaney-Smith is also an RCMP officer, and works as an investigator with the force's Major Crimes unit in Fredericton. "We were treated like common criminals," she said. "There were reports naming Ken as subject number one. I was subject number two. Our child was another subject. They surveilled while our child played outside, while we played with our child … Why would they feel, because they wanted to watch Ken, because they felt he was doing something wrong, why would they extend their surveillance to myself and to our child who was four years old?"
The surveillance turned up nothing more serious than Smith's Tim Horton's habit. But Lefebvre had another trick up his sleeve; he requested a criminal investigation against Smith, accusing him of cheating on his moving expenses. The allegations were investigated and dismissed.
One investigator said Lefebvre's fraud accusation bordered on "mischief."
"I don't believe anything that man has to say today and he will never convince me that he didn't just do this purposely with the intent to have me declared a criminal so that he could justify his actions in the first instance."
Smith filed a harassment complaint against Lefebvre in the month following his removal. The complaint landed on the desk of Lefebvre's boss, Chief Superintendent Jim Payne – the same man who approved the surveillance in the first place.
Payne assigned an inspector named Dan Nugent to investigate Smith's complaint of harassment. That inspector turned over his report to Payne. It called Smith's removal inappropriate, saying he had not been accorded either dignity or fairness. But when the report was released six weeks later, those conclusions had been altered.
"Well, they had to be altered because Louis Lefebvre demanded they be altered," Smith said. "He was given permission to change it. He was actually brought in by Chief Superintendent Payne who wasn't satisfied by the conclusions of Dan Nugent's report and he gave the report to Louis Lefebvre and he allowed him to have input into altering of the documents." Carolyn Dunn asked: "Are you telling me the man you were accusing of harassment was given a copy of the draft report and allowed to influence changes to it?"
"That's correct," Smith answered. "That has been proven."
Ken SmithThe punishment? Chief Superintendent Jim Payne was given an informal reprimand and was allowed to keep his job as head of criminal operations in New Brunswick. Superintendent Louis Lefebvre also received an informal reprimand, and then asked for and received a new job heading the province's organized crime unit.
Lefebvre declined CBC's official request for an interview and was out of town when we tried to catch up with him at home.
CBC did find Payne at home, getting ready for work, but he drove away, ignoring requests for an interview about this story.
In the end, the RCMP refused to comment on the case at all.
Smith is working in a new job, a low-level mundane position searching histories for gun permits. A job just about any officer in the force could do. He's exonerated from any wrongdoing, but says the senior officers on the force have ruined what was a promising career.
"I wanted criminal charges laid against Louis Lefebvre, Jim Payne, several others involved, but they wouldn't do that," Smith said. "The RCMP wouldn't look into it. They wouldn't commit to a true criminal investigation against them because they know what will be the end result."
Paulette Delaney-Smith, who once received an award for her bravery on the job says everything has changed. She feels isolated at a job she loves and shunned by some colleagues. She is also forced to report to none other than Chief Superintendent Jim Payne.
"I feel that my career is over as well, because of what they did to Ken," she said.
Meanwhile, it appears that Louis Lefebvre got his man. The officer who replaced Ken Smith as head of the Saint John drug section is Lefebvre's friend Sgt. Ed MacEachern.
Meanwhile, Smith is willing to settle for a measure of justice. He's waiting for a New Brunswick court to rule on whether he can sue the RCMP.
Policing the rural towns of Cape Breton
Publish on January 13, 2020
By Paul Northcott
Even when they're off the clock, RCMP officers understand that the people they serve still want a few minutes of their time.
It's the same across Canada but especially in smaller detachments like Chéticamp, N.S.
"When you live in a place like this you can't just finish your shift, go home and stay inside," says Cst. Mike Townsend, who also volunteers as a minor hockey coach. "You have to be part of the community. When I go to the grocery store, I know I'm going to have to set aside some time because people are going to want to talk — and that's fine."
Tourist mecca
The Chéticamp-based officers, three constables and a corporal, serve dozens of small communities, many of which are located on the historic Cabot Trail, at the edge of Cape Breton Highlands National Park. It's a region that attracts thousands of visitors.
"I get my picture taken now more than ever before, especially if I'm in the red serge," says Townsend, who hails from Truro, N.S. "Tourists love it."
Chéticamp is also a location where cellphone service, or even radio service, can be spotty. That can make keeping in touch a little difficult. When emergency calls come in, the location of the incident could be anywhere from five to 50 minutes away.
Requests for backup can take longer.
"There are no doubt challenges here," says retired Cpl. Paulette Delaney-Smith, who returned to her Cape Breton and Acadian roots in 2010 to serve as district commander for the next six years.
"Working in Chéticamp is not like working at the old RCMP headquarters in Toronto," she says.
Officers' deal with some of the usual requests that are often
associated with community policing: traffic calls, domestic disputes,
and drug- and alcohol-related offences.
"But when I policed here, sometimes people came in to ask how to fill out forms like passports. Or they had other questions," says Delaney-Smith.
"They don't really tell you about that kind of stuff at Depot."
Supporting each other
Detachment members also help each other — with both day-to-day and more dramatic events.
"In smaller places, where the resources of bigger centres might not be that readily available, you have to do what you can," says Delaney-Smith.
She recalls filling in for officers who needed to travel home on a moment's notice and helping other colleagues who responded to a harrowing call about an injured hiker. The woman had been mauled by a coyote and later died from her injuries.
The incident occurred in October 2009 and Delaney-Smith arrived as the corporal in charge the following year.
"There were several members who responded to that call and some had never witnessed such a traumatic event," she says. "They dealt with it the best way that they knew how."
But the effects came to light many months later.
"I did many extra shifts to allow the officers involved to take time to regroup and process the traumatic event. That's what rural policing is all about."
That philosophy helps build and sustain strong teams, which ultimately allows officers to do their jobs.
It also fits with Cpl. Yannick Gagnon's goals. Gagnon began work as detachment commander at Chéticamp this past summer.
"I think the most interesting part of our job is trying to make someone's worst day better," he says. "When we show up to a call, if we know them, or they've seen us around the community, it's easier to have heart-to-hearts with people and ease the situation."
"When they know who you are, you know you're doing your job right."
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Urban vs. rural
Policing Nova Scotia's unique communities and geographies
Publish on October 3, 2017
By Amelia Thatcher
At 8 a.m. Monday morning, the Digby detachment in southwest Nova Scotia was just getting busy. The night before, a hiker's emergency beacon went off, signaling a distress call for help.
As officers filed into the small 16-person detachment, S/Sgt. Dave Chubbs, the commander, told them about the situation.
Only two members were working when the call came in at 9:30 p.m. for the missing hiker near East Cranberry Lake, about 50 kilometres from Digby, deep in the backcountry woods. Since the officers weren't familiar with the area, they called the Department of Natural Resources to help out.
After making no progress finding the woman, the RCMP decided to start the volunteer search and rescue team and call in extra officers from a neighbouring detachment. After several more hours, they still hadn't reached the woman, so they called the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre run by the coast guard and military.
By 3 a.m. the risk manager called out the Department of National Defence, which dispatched a cormorant helicopter to fly in and make the successful rescue.
"It just goes to show you how many partners we have to call on in emergency situations,
" says Chubbs. "Every commander knows they'll have to rely on their neighbours at some point, especially in these rural areas.
"
Rural: Digby, N.S.
The Digby RCMP detachment polices approximately 20 communities in Digby County. This rural area of about 18,000 residents is a microcosm of Canada's diversity: there's a Mi'kmaq First Nations community called Bear River, two islands with isolated fishing villages, and three African Nova-Scotian communities with historic roots dating back to the 18th century.
In many ways, the unique populations and expansive geographies are the biggest challenges faced by rural detachments like Digby. The remoteness of some areas can make it difficult for RCMP officers to respond to calls, based on the sheer distance they have to travel.
"If something happens in the
city, the cavalry shows up. In the rural areas, the closest officer for
backup could be 40 kilometres away,
" says Supt. Martin Marin, the district policing officer for southwest Nova Scotia. "You really have to know who your partners are and use all resources.
"
Long and Brier islands are perfect examples of hard-to-reach rural communities. Located southwest of Digby, the islands sit off the tip of a long peninsula, which is fittingly named the Digby neck. The neck takes just over half an hour to drive before the road dead-ends at a small harbour. There, a ferry runs every hour to Long Island, and further still, a second ferry runs to Brier Island. The whole journey can take just over an hour — if you time the trip with the ferries.
"We're a slave to the ferry schedule,
"
notes Cst. Colin Helm, the school liaison officer for Digby detachment.
He says the remote location of the islands has made the communities
there unique from anything he's policed before.
By the numbers
Digby County
1 detachment: Digby
Population: ~17,300
RCMP officers: 16
Halifax Regional Municipality
7 detachments: Lower Sackville, Cole Harbour, Tantallon, Preston, Musquodoboit Harbour, Sheet Harbour and North Central
Population: ~403,000
RCMP officers: 193
HRP officers: 531
Colchester County
3 detachments: Bible Hill, Stewiacke, Tatamagouche
Population: ~38,000
RCMP officers: 35
"When you get on the ferry, it's almost like you're crossing a border into another country,
" says Helm. "As
soon as people see the police cruiser coming up the Digby neck, they
put it up on Facebook and text all their neighbours. They know we're
coming before we even set foot on the islands.
"
Digby RCMP don't get too many calls to Long and Brier islands. This is partly because of the small population — about 500 on both islands.
"This is as rural as rural gets — trust me,
" says Helm, referring to Brier Island. "Everyone on the island lives on these two streets, so you really get to know your neighbours out here.
"
Stacks of metal lobster traps and buoys line the gravel road next to the ocean. Most of the houses here are weathered, with boats and ATVs parked outside on big grassy lots.
On his patrols, Helm waves to everyone he sees. Most of them are familiar faces, and he knows the backstories of each person.
"Janet likes to walk up and down these roads,
"
says Helm, as he waves out the window to an elderly woman shuffling
down the street with a walker in the rain. She turns and gives him a big
smile and waves as he passes by.
Helm says one of the most important parts of rural policing is visibility — community members want to see police officers walking or driving up and down the streets to feel safe. It's often on these patrols that officers spot things that are out of the ordinary.
"I like coming down the side roads because you never know what you're going to find,
" says Helm. "You
can be doing your rounds and something will catch your eye — someone
with mental health issues, someone who's intoxicated, or even a domestic
violence case.
"
Helm tries to make it out to the islands a few times per month. The rest of his time is spent visiting schools, planning safety initiatives, problem solving with communities and responding to general duty calls when the need arises. Officers here often get to investigate files to the end, following them through to court. There aren't specialized teams or court liaison officers immediately available at the small detachment.
"Working in the rural areas, you almost have to be a jack of all trades,
" says Helm. "But I love it. That's what's so amazing about rural policing — you learn so much every day.
"
Urban: Halifax, N.S.
A shift at the Halifax District RCMP's Sackville detachment begins with a muster meeting. Eight general duty police officers file into a boardroom at the detachment, beginning their four days on duty after three days off. Unlike Digby, which operates an average of 19 hours per day with police on call for the remainder, Halifax District follows a 24-7 policing model.
"Even though it's Wednesday, today is like a Monday morning for us,
"
says Sgt. Craig Smith, the commander for Watch 3. He's in charge of
approximately 20 officers at three out of Halifax's six detachments:
Lower Sackville, Cole Harbor and Tantallon. He also keeps tabs on
Halifax's Musquodoboit Harbour, Sheet Harbour and North Central
detachments during his shifts.
As watch commander, Smith oversees the day-to-day running of Watch 3, offering leadership, direction and a helping hand when needed.
"My job is to say 'what do you need?' to officers and get them those resources,
" says Smith. "If they update me on what's going on, I'll trust them to do their job. I'm just here for support.
"
Smith assigns officers additional tasks based on the latest crime hotspots — areas that have high crime density. For the past eight years, Halifax District has used numbers and statistics to inform their policing tactics. Every three weeks, the watch commanders, the leads from investigative sections and officers in-charge meet to go over the latest crime trends and statistics.
Sheila Serfas is the crime analyst who reviews data from investigations and calls for service, and leads the meetings. She notes what the current crime trends are and maps out the crime hotspots, showing the numbers and types of crime in different areas.
While smaller, rural detachments don't use statistical analysis very often due to a lower frequency of crime, Halifax District has found the model invaluable.
"When we started the process
of mapping, these streets were littered with property damage, motor
vehicle accidents, you name it. Now it's not anything like that,
" says Serfas. "In the summer we used to see 150 thefts from vehicles per month, now we barely see 30.
"
Serfas also takes the numbers a step further, digging deeper to offer recommendations to police. "Not only do we look at the data, but also what can we do about it," she says. Based on the data, the District's top priorities are mental health, youth and drugs, since they take up the majority of officers' time.
While some crimes can be predicted with data, others can happen without a moment's notice. During a recent shift, Halifax District RCMP was on high alert. Three major calls came in within hours of each other, and it was Smith's job as watch commander to co-ordinate.
"We had a call for a car bomb, a school shooter and a crash involving a school bus,
" recalls Smith, explaining how unpredictable and busy urban policing can be. "You've always got to have the radio on and run to whatever's happening.
"
Smith says it's extremely important to know what resources are at your disposal, especially when there are major calls. One of the RCMP's key partners is the Halifax Regional Police (HRP). The HRP polices Halifax's downtown core, including the former cities of Bedford and Dartmouth, while the RCMP is responsible for suburbs like Sackville and the surrounding communities of what was known as Halifax County.
"Because of the geographic area, we work together on a daily basis,
" says Halifax Police Chief Jean-Michel Blais. "The neat thing is you can have a crime committed in RCMP territory that's being investigated by HRP and vice versa.
"
Blais says the two agencies are seamlessly integrated, even sharing a radio frequency to maintain continuity. Along with working together on the front line, the Halifax District and HRP also have integrated criminal intelligence teams, including a major crimes section, special enforcement sections and support teams such as legal advising, emergency response and forensics.
"For the RCMP, it's great to have the HRP because they know every nook and cranny of the city,
" says C/Supt. Lee Bergerman, officer in-charge of the Halifax District RCMP. "For HRP, they have access to our specialized units as well as our wealth of Canadian policing knowledge and best practices.
"
Blais also thinks the partnership is invaluable.
"In an integrated unit, you check your badges at the door,
" he says. "When rubber hits the road it's about the work getting done — we have the same goal.
"
Urban and Rural: Bible Hill, N.S.
An hour's drive north of Halifax is a quaint community called Bible Hill, which is part of three communities in the RCMP's Colchester District. The small farming village sits beside the larger town of Truro, separated by the Salmon River. On one side is the RCMP's jurisdiction, and on the other is Truro Police Service.
Although the two police agencies patrol adjacent communities, they are not integrated on the same level as Halifax District. For the most part, they patrol their own jurisdictions, only cross-pollinating in the event of a serious incident.
This is partly because the specialized teams such as major crimes and traffic services for northeast Nova Scotia are located in Bible Hill. In this regard, the Bible Hill detachment has all the benefits of a larger detachment, while also giving members the opportunity to be self-sufficient.
Colchester County shares many of the same priorities as Halifax District: mental health, youth engagement and drugs are all at the top of their list, as well as alcohol abuse and impaired driving.
To combat drinking and driving, officers set up checkpoints once per day, blocking off intersections to check for sobriety as well as drivers' valid licence, registration and up-to-date vehicle stickers.
"We pick a different spot every day, it's a game of cat and mouse,
"
says S/Sgt. Allan Carroll, commander for Colchester County RCMP.
Carroll says working in a smaller detachment means everyone helps out
where they can — even the commander. "I'm old school. I like to get out and work with the guys.
"
For local school liaison officer Cst. Lorilee Morash, alcohol and drug education is also a priority. Each year before school lets out for the summer, she goes into high schools and runs workshops for students. Youth have a chance to test drive a go-kart, play sports and run around the playground — all with impaired goggles on.
As Morash organizes the teens into groups, she encourages them to consider how hard even the simplest task, like walking, can be when intoxicated.
"In the rural areas like this, the only way to get around is driving cars, trucks or ATVs,
" says Morash. "This is a reminder for them to think twice about doing that if they've been drinking or doing drugs.
"
The Bible Hill detachment often does joint patrols with the Department of Natural Resources, checking for impaired all-terrain vehicle drivers in the summer and snowmobile drivers in the winter.
"Every time we go out patrolling [the trails], we find someone who's impaired,
" says Cst. Gavin Naime, an officer in Bible Hill. "But it's not about handing out tickets, it's about being out there. Our presence is often enough to deter people.
"
Although the priorities of different RCMP detachments change with the populations they police and their location on a map, for the officers running them, the goal is the same.
"I enjoy interacting with people — it's why I became a police officer,
" says Naime. "I
want to support those who need it. Making a difference in someone's day
is my goal. If I can do that once per shift, I'm happy.
"
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