Colin D. McKinnon

The appellant police officer was convicted of six counts of discreditable conduct relating to unwelcome sexual overtones and harassment of six women, both on and off duty.

He appealed the convictions and the penalty of resignation or summary dismissal.

The Ontario Civilian Police Commission dismissed the appeal, finding no error in the hearing judge's conclusion that the conduct brought discredit upon the police force.

The Commission upheld the penalty, noting the officer's prior reprimand for similar conduct and the necessity of public trust in police integrity.

In a complex proceeding involving nearly two hundred parties, the Ontario Labour Relations Board issued procedural directions regarding the service of documents and the addition of respondents.

The Board ruled that service on a party's agent or counsel would be sufficient, and established a procedure for amending applications to add respondents by analogy to the Board's Rules of Procedure, requiring the applicant to provide amended filings and notice to all parties.

The appellant, a police constable and president of the local police association, appealed a conviction for discreditable conduct.

The conviction arose after he forwarded incomplete and potentially misleading documentation regarding internal force issues directly to the Ontario Police Commission, bypassing the local Board of Commissioners of Police.

The Commission allowed the appeal and quashed the conviction, holding that as a matter of policy, police associations must be free to approach the Commission for advice and assistance without fear of disciplinary prosecution, even if the approach was premature or imprudent.