News Release

News Release

SIU Closes Investigation into Burlington Vehicle Death on QEW

Case Number: 14-PVD-021   

Mississauga (29 January, 2014) --- Based on the Special Investigations Unit’s (SIU) thorough review into the death of 36-year-old Vladislav Mikula (also known as Steven Master) last week in Burlington, SIU Director Tony Loparco has terminated the investigation. The incident, involving officers with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), occurred on Tuesday, January 21, 2014. 

The SIU investigation determined that in the early morning hours of January 21, three fully marked OPP cruisers with emergency lights activated were in the westbound lanes of the QEW to slow or stop traffic, to allow work to be done by a contractor on an MTO overhead sign. One of the stopped vehicles was a tractor trailer in the area of Walkers Line. At approximately 2:15 a.m., Mr. Mikula drove his red Toyota Matrix into the back of the tractor trailer. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Director Loparco concluded, “It is a common practice for the OPP to perform rolling stops to slow and stop all vehicular traffic to facilitate MTO maintenance of highway property. In this incident, the OPP initiated a rolling stop procedure and brought all traffic to a halt. Unfortunately, Mr. Mikula, for some unknown reason, failed to slow down or stop and collided with the rear of a tractor trailer. At the time of the collision, the three OPP cruisers involved in the rolling stop procedure were approximately 500 metres ahead of the collision site. There is no evidence the police were responsible for Mr. Mikula’s death.”

The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (police officers as well as special constables with the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service) that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, the Director of the SIU must

• consider whether the official has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
• depending on the evidence, cause a criminal charge to be laid against the official where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid
• publicly report the results of its investigations