Misconduct finding against senior G20 cop upheld; punishment increased
TORONTO — The only senior police officer held accountable for the massive breach of civil rights that occurred during the turbulent G20 summit in Toronto seven years ago has lost his bid to overturn professional misconduct findings against him and instead will face stiffer punishment.
In a decision more than six months in the making, the Ontario Civilian Police Commission increased the sentence meted out to Supt. David (Mark) Fenton, who, among other things, ordered hundreds of people “kettled” in cold, torrential rain for several hours.
“There appears to be little or no relationship between the obvious seriousness of the misconduct and the penalty imposed,” the panel found. “It is difficult for us to conceive how convictions for the mass arrests, found to be unlawful, of hundreds of individuals in contravention of their Charter rights are not at the more serious end of the spectrum of misconduct.”
As a result, the commission effectively doubled Fenton’s sentence — to the loss of 60 paid vacation days instead of a reprimand and loss of 30 days.