OPP union vows reform after two scathing internal reviews

Anonymous whistleblower policy promised after findings of ‘toxic’ work culture, ‘bullying’ leaders

There were harassing, expletive-filled emails, including one telling a staffer to “hurry the f--- up” and another threatening to “rip off” a board member’s head.

There were employees brought to tears from “bullying” by top brass, including allegations of inappropriate comments directed at female staff, and that a top official claimed the union was a “workplace dis- crimination harassment policy-free zone.”

And there was misspending using union credit cards, including trips to the LCBO, $617 spent at “Cigar Masters” in Boston, and extravagant meals — including a $1,392.32 tab racked up at two events at the Rogers Centre.

An independent internal review into the Ontario Provincial Police Association, commissioned by the union in the wake of a criminal investigation targeting top association brass, reveals a “toxic” and “fear-based” work culture, with “tyrannical” leaders.

They intimidated staff so effectively that “virtually every aspect” of the union’s accountability system failed.

It was “a perfect storm of corporate governance,” according to Carol Hansell, a top legal expert on governance who produced a report for the OPPA to help the union make sweeping changes — including reforming its accounting and expense system and developing a new whistleblower policy.

Explosive allegations of criminal activity rocked the OPP union in March, when the RCMP raided OPPA headquarters and the homes of the union’s former top three bosses: president Jim Christie, vice-president Martin Bain and chief administrative officer Karl Walsh.

The RCMP allege Christie, Bain and Walsh committed theft, breach of trust, fraud and money laundering. No charges have been laid and the RCMP’s investigation is ongoing.

Walsh has since been fired, and Christie and Bain are suspended.

“Considering the fact that there is an ongoing RCMP investigation, at this time we are unable to comment on these internal investigative reports prepared at the request of the OPPA,” said lawyer Julianna Greenspan on behalf of the men.

The men also declined to be interviewed for the OPPA internal review, citing the ongoing RCMP probe, though Greenspan issued a statement to reviewers in July saying: “we trust that your investigation thus far has revealed the inaccuracies that are rife within the (RCMP documents).”

Unproven allegations, contained in an affidavit the RCMP used to obtain a series of search warrants, include that the trio participated in a sophisticated financial scheme involving a consulting firm, a travel company and high-risk offshore investments, including two beachside condos in the Bahamas, one valued at $1.5 million.

The criminal investigation was initiated when four union whistleblowers took their concerns to police. The resulting RCMP allegations were “a huge shock to the OPPA’s collective system,” says Doug Lewis, OPPA acting present, and within days the union hired the legal firm of Stikeman Elliott to perform an independent internal investigation.

“We have seen some evidence of bad behaviour, to say the least,” Lewis said in an interview Tuesday. “We’re hopeful that at the end of all this we’ll be able to turn the page and move forward.”

The results of Stikeman Elliott’s fivemonth investigation, which included interviews with every OPPA employee and board member and nearly 9,000 emails and other documents, were released to OPPA members Tuesday.

The review paints a picture of a dysfunctional work environment, in which some staff and board members were beginning to question decisions by Christie or Walsh, but were ultimately too afraid to challenge them for fear of reprisal.

When, at an October 2014 board meeting, executive officer Marty McNamara challenged recent high-risk offshore investments, including a condo in the Cayman Islands, he stated the investment appeared to be “money-laundering.”

The meeting then went in camera. But Stikeman Elliott’s review of emails found that shortly after, Bain fired off an email to Christie.

“(McNamara) kept alluding to us in the Caymans and laundering money. Karl (Walsh) and I will be ripping his head off at the brae (sic) for even suggesting it 3 times.”

One member of the OPPA’s audit committee told Stikeman Elliott he had a concerns with one financial report, but because the union is “a para-military organization, he felt he could not question authority unless the reason for doing so was blatantly clear,” according to the report.

Multiple interviewees said the workplace environment was characterized by intimidation and bullying, mostly by Christie and Walsh. Walsh in particular, the Stikeman Elliott report stated, was “famous” for sending “tyrannical,” “aggressive,” “confrontational” or “scathing” emails.

Without the damaging workplace culture, the alleged criminal activity probably could have been halted, according to Hansell, the legal expert in governance. Hansell wrote a set of recommendations for the OPPA, based in part on the Stikeman Elliott review.

Among the most important changes will be reforms to its accounting, expense reporting and financial oversight, and the creation of a new anonymous and confidential whistleblower policy — “the most pressing” change to make now, said Lewis.