News Release
SIU Terminates Investigation into Ottawa Collision
Case Number: 19-OVI-132
The Interim Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into a collision that occurred in Ottawa last month.
In the afternoon hours of June 12, 2019, a 24-year-old man lost control of the vehicle he was operating on Vanier Parkway, veered onto a wide grassy boulevard, and slid into a ditch and rolled. Prior to this collision, Ottawa Police Service officers had been investigating the vehicle.
Interim Director Martino said, “The man was taken to hospital and subjected to many examinations, none of which were positive for the presence of a serious injury. As it is apparent based on the SIU preliminary inquiries that the SIU’s jurisdiction is not engaged, the investigation is hereby discontinued and the file closed.”
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