Director's Report Details

The Special Investigations Unit is a civilian law enforcement agency that investigates incidents involving an official where there has been death, serious injury, the discharge of a firearm at a person or an allegation of sexual assault. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, 2019 (SIU Act), officials are defined as police officers, special constables of the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers under the Legislative Assembly Act. The SIU’s jurisdiction covers more than 50 municipal, regional and provincial police services across Ontario.

Under the SIU Act, the Director of the SIU must determine based on the evidence gathered in an investigation whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that a criminal offence was committed. If such grounds exist, the Director has the authority to lay a criminal charge against the official. Alternatively, in cases where no reasonable grounds exist, the Director cannot lay charges. Where no charges are laid, a report of the investigation is prepared and released publicly, except in the case of reports dealing with allegations of sexual assault, in which case the SIU Director may consult with the affected person and exercise a discretion to not publicly release the report having regard to the affected person’s privacy interests.

Special Investigations Unit Act, 2019

Pursuant to section 34, certain information may not be included in this report. This information may include, but is not limited to, the following:

• The name of, and any information identifying, a subject official, witness official, civilian witness or affected person.
• Information that may result in the identity of a person who reported that they were sexually assaulted being revealed in connection with the sexual assault.
• Information that, in the opinion of the SIU Director, could lead to a risk of serious harm to a person.
• Information that discloses investigative techniques or procedures.
• Information, the release of which is prohibited or restricted by law.
• Information in which a person’s privacy interest in not having the information published clearly outweighs the public interest in having the information published.

Freedom of Information and Protection of Personal Privacy Act

Pursuant to section 14 (i.e., law enforcement), certain information may not be included in this report. This information may include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Confidential investigative techniques and procedures used by law enforcement agencies; and
• Information that could reasonably be expected to interfere with a law enforcement matter or an investigation undertaken with a view to a law enforcement proceeding.

Pursuant to section 21 (i.e., personal privacy), protected personal information is not included in this report. This information may include, but is not limited to, the following:

• The names of persons, including civilian witnesses, and subject and witness officials;
• Location information;
• Witness statements and evidence gathered in the course of the investigation provided to the SIU in confidence; and
• Other identifiers which are likely to reveal personal information about individuals involved in the investigation.

Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004

Pursuant to this legislation, any information related to the personal health of identifiable individuals is not included.

Other proceedings, processes, and investigations

Information may also have been excluded from this report because its release could undermine the integrity of other proceedings involving the same incident, such as criminal proceedings, coroner’s inquests, other public proceedings and/or other law enforcement investigations.

Pursuant to section 15 of the SIU Act, the SIU may investigate the conduct of officials, be they police officers, special constables of the Niagara Parks Commission or peace officers under the Legislative Assembly Act, that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault or the discharge of a firearm at a person.

A person sustains a “serious injury” for purposes of the SIU’s jurisdiction if they: sustain an injury as a result of which they are admitted to hospital; suffer a fracture to the skull, or to a limb, rib or vertebra; suffer burns to a significant proportion of their body; lose any portion of their body; or, as a result of an injury, experience a loss of vision or hearing.

In addition, a “serious injury” means any other injury sustained by a person that is likely to interfere with the person’s health or comfort and is not transient or trifling in nature.

This report relates to the SIU’s investigation into the serious injury of a 34-year-old woman (the “Complainant”).

Notification of the SIU[1]

On November 28, 2025, at 9:52 a.m., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Northeast Region contacted the SIU with the following information.

On October 5, 2025, an intoxicated Complainant was arrested at the Oastler Lake Provincial Park, Parry Sound. She was taken to the West Parry Sound Detachment and lodged in a cell before being released later that day. The Complainant’s first court appearance was November 27, 2025. Following the appearance, she attended the detachment to file a complaint about her arrest. As it was initially believed she was filing a misconduct complaint, the conversation was recorded in a soft interview room. At end of the statement, the Complainant said she had sustained broken ribs and punctured lungs during the arrest. She offered medical records, but Witness Official (WO) #1 declined because he believed the allegation would be a matter for the SIU and he had been involved in her arrest.

The Team

Date and time team dispatched: 2025/11/28 at 11:16 a.m.

Date and time SIU arrived on scene: 2025/11/28 at 11:44 a.m.

Number of SIU Investigators assigned: 4

Number of SIU Forensic Investigators assigned: 0

Affected Person (aka “Complainant”)

34-year-old female; interviewed; medical records obtained and reviewed

The Complainant was interviewed on December 1, 2025.

Civilian Witnesses (CW)

CW #1 Interviewed

CW #2 Interviewed

CW #3 Interviewed

CW #4 Interviewed

CW #5 Interviewed

CW #6 Interviewed

The civilian witnesses were interviewed between December 2 and 9, 2025.

Subject Official (SO)

SO Declined interview and to provide notes, as is the subject official’s legal right

Witness Officials (WO)

WO #1 Interviewed; notes received and reviewed

WO #2 Interviewed; notes received and reviewed

WO #3 Interviewed; notes received and reviewed

WO #4 Interviewed

The witness officials were interviewed between December 5 and 8, 2025.

The Scene

The events in question transpired in a number of locations:

• On a campsite at Oastler Lake Provincial Park, Parry Sound

Video/Audio/Photographic Evidence[2]

OPP In-car Camera (ICC) Footage

On October 5, 2025, starting at about 12:30 a.m., the Complainant was assisted by her left arm into the back seat of a police cruiser. She was emotional and crying. She repeatedly asked police officers why she was being detained and stated she did not understand what she had done wrong. The Complainant apologized multiple times and appeared confused and emotionally distressed throughout the interaction. The SO told the Complainant she was under arrest for assault involving CW #1. The Complainant denied assaulting CW #1 and requested to speak with him. The Complainant was informed of her right to remain silent and told she would be transported to the Parry Sound Detachment and held overnight. The Complainant initially resisted providing her identification and questioned why she was required to identify herself.

Starting at about 12:45 a.m., the Complainant asked to contact CW #1 or her mother, and was advised she could not communicate with CW #1 due to anticipated no-contact conditions.

Starting at about 12:51 a.m., the Complainant accused the police of “treating her like shit” and yelled profanity towards the SO.

Starting at about 12:53 a.m., the police cruiser came to a stop at the OPP detachment.

Starting at about 12:56 a.m., the police cruiser rear door was opened by the SO and the Complainant exited.

OPP Communications Recordings

On October 5, 2025, at 12:05 a.m., CW #5 requested police assistance. He reported an incident at about 11:30 p.m., the day before, involving a female and a male. CW #5 had earlier heard a battery-operated saw going off from the campsite, and had gone to talk to the campers. The female was very intoxicated and had screamed at him to get out. She tried to strike him, but was prevented from doing so by the male and two others. The female then started smacking the male a couple times. At about midnight, CW #5 received a call from another camper about screaming at the campsite he had attended.

CW #3’s Cellphone Video Footage

The Complainant was captured standing with her hands behind the back. The SO stood to the Complainant’s left and WO #2 stood behind her. WO #1 stood in the foreground of the camera frame. The police officers handcuffed the Complainant’s hands behind the back without incident.

At 0000:16 hrs (the video runtime), CW #3 said, “She’s drunk, good luck, way over. Give her a breathalyzer.” WO #1 directed CW #1 to back away from the Complainant.

At 0000:50 hrs (the video runtime), the Complainant said, “What the hell is going on?” CW #3 asked CW #1 if he wanted to press charges, and CW #1 said, “No.” CW #3 asked CW #1 if the Complainant touched him, and he said, “No.”

At 0001:16 hrs (the video runtime,) the SO and WO #2 escorted the Complainant from the campsite.

At 0003:09 hrs (the video runtime), the camera pointed towards the SO’s police cruiser where the Complainant stood with the driver side door ajar. Due to the jostle of the camera, it was not clear what happened.

At 0004:30 hrs (the video runtime), CW #1 walked to the driver side of a police cruiser to speak with a police officer.

OPP Custody Footage

On October 5, 2025, between about 12:53 a.m. and 12:56 a.m., a police cruiser entered the sally port. The SO exited the driver seat. WO #2 arrived through the sally port side door and entered the booking area.

Between about 12:56 a.m. and 1:02 a.m., the Complainant exited from the rear driver side of the police cruiser. The handcuffs were removed and she was searched, after which she was walked into a cell and the door was secured behind her.

Starting at about 1:08 a.m., the Complainant stood at the cell door knocking on the glass with her right hand. She sat on the bed swaying back and forth. She continued standing at the cell door. She went back and forth doing this several times for about 13 minutes.

Starting at about 1:21 a.m., the Complainant laid on the cell bed covering herself with a white sheet. At times she was flat on her back; at others, she sat up before lowering herself again. She changed positions frequently, rarely remaining still.

Starting at about 3:54 a.m., the Complainant sat on the cell bed, swaying her body in back-and-forth motions with her right arm bent holding her right side. She shifted repeatedly.

Between about 7:17 a.m. and 7:38 a.m., WO #4 brought the Complainant to the fingerprint room. She was subsequently returned to the cell.

Between about 7:46 a.m. and 7:48 a.m., WO #4 entered the cell. The Complainant remained on the cell bed. WO #4 stood beside her and provided her a cellular device, which the Complainant handled before returning it to WO #4. He exited the cell.

Between about 8:40 a.m. and 8:49 a.m., WO #4 opened the cell door and the Complainant exited the cell unassisted. She completed paperwork with WO #4 in the booking area. The Complainant was subsequently escorted out by WO #4 though the sally port door.

Materials Obtained from Police Service

Upon request, the SIU obtained the following records from the OPP between December 2, 2025, and January 15, 2026:

• Notes – WO #1, and WO #3 and WO #2
• General Occurrence Report
• Prisoner Report
• ICC footage
• Copy of video provided by CW #1
• Custody footage
• OPP interview of the Complainant
• Communications recordings

Materials Obtained from Other Sources

The SIU obtained the following records from the following other sources between November 28, 2025, and December 16, 2025:

• Photographs from the Complainant
• Medical documents from the Complainant
• Video footage from the Complainant
• The Complainant’s statement
• The Complainant’s Charge Screening Form
• CW #1’s Victim Statement
• Video recording provided by CW #1
• The Complainant’s medical records from West Parry Sound Health Centre
• Complaint and Occurrence Report from Oastler Lake Provincial Park
• Registration Form from Oastler Lake Provincial Park

The evidence collected by the SIU, including interviews with the Complainant and other witnesses (police and non-police), and video footage that captured the incident in part, gives rise to the following scenario. As was her legal right, the SO chose not to interview with the SIU or authorize the release of her notes.

In the early morning of October 5, 2025, OPP officers, including the SO, attended at a campsite in Oastler Lake Provincial Park. A park warden – CW #5 – had contacted police for their assistance. A short period prior, CW #5, at the campsite in connection with a noise complaint, had witnessed one of the campers – the Complainant – slap CW #1 in the face. The SO and WO #2 took custody of the Complainant and handcuffed her behind the back without incident.

The Complainant was searched and placed in the rear of the SO’s cruiser for transportation to the Parry Sound Detachment. At the detachment, the Complainant was lodged in a cell at about 1:00 a.m., and held there until her release from custody later that morning at about 8:50 a.m.

The Complainant returned to the park to meet with CW #1 in violation of a no-contact condition of her release from custody. She subsequently attended hospital that same day and was diagnosed with two broken right-sided ribs.

The Complainant was diagnosed with a serious injury following a period in the custody of the OPP on October 5, 2025. The SIU was notified of the incident and initiated an investigation, naming the SO the subject official. The investigation is now concluded. On my assessment of the evidence, there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the SO committed a criminal offence in connection with the Complainant’s injuries.

With information at their disposal that the Complainant had slapped CW #1, the SO and WO #2 were within their rights in arresting her for assault.

The Complainant reported that the SO caused her injuries. However, none of the campers she was with, some of them present at the time of the arrest, observed the SO or any of the officers present use force or otherwise do anything to injure the Complainant. The video footage captured by one of the campers – CW #3 – did not depict any inappropriate behaviour by the officers. The same can be said of the video footage of the Complainant’s time in the cruiser en route to the detachment, and her stay at the detachment until her release. On this record, there is no evidence to move forward with criminal charges in this case.

The file is closed.

Date: March 27, 2026

Electronically approved by

Joseph Martino

Director

Special Investigations Unit