Suspended police officers paid $3.4M from northwestern Ontario forces since 2013, part of $134M provincewide

Police forces in northwestern Ontario have paid an estimated total of at least $3.4 million to 15 suspended officers since 2013, according to information revealed as part of a CBC News analysis of police services across the province. 

The Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS) alone spent an estimated $1.2 million on six officers suspended between 2016 to present, including two chiefs and a deputy chief, while Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) detachments in Thunder Bay, Kenora and Greenstone spent about $2.2 million on nine officers suspended during that period. 

The vast majority of these officers were on paid suspension for over 90 days. Two-thirds were suspended with pay for over a year, according to the exclusive database compiled by CBC News that surveyed reports on hundreds of officers sent home with an estimated $134 million in pay after being accused of misconduct or breaking the law.

These long and expensive suspensions are a sign the system has been failing the public, police forces and the accused officers, said Colin Woods, president of the Thunder Bay Police Association, which represents officers.

"They get dragged on, and on and on," Woods said. "I don't think it's fair for anybody.

"Most officers, we don't like bad cops," he said. "When we see these stories in the paper and then the news of certain officers engaging in criminal misconduct, it makes the profession look bad. It makes it harder to do our job at times." 

The majority of suspensions in northwestern Ontario related to criminal charges. 

The charges include sexual abuse of children, sexual assault, obtaining sexual services for consideration, assault, fraud, theft, breach of trust and obstructing justice. The minority of suspensions only linked to charges under the Police Services Act included misconduct and discreditable conduct. 

Less than a third of the officers pleaded guilty or were found guilty in a court of law. 

"Everybody has their rights to a fair process and these processes take a long time to play out through the court system," Woods said. 

He said the main factor keeping suspended officers on the payroll for long periods of time is court backlogs. Many courts in Canada are struggling to keep up with caseloads as staffing shortages and other problems are leading to major delays. 

"It could probably raise some eyebrows or questions like: 'Why do these things take so long?' But it's kind of at the will of the courts," Woods said. "We know how busy it is, especially in Thunder Bay, and how backlogged they are." 

While the high dollar values on paid suspensions may draw public concern, he said paid suspensions are a necessary measure in certain circumstances.

"Just because somebody is accused of something doesn't mean they did it and to take their livelihood away in some scenarios would be unfair.