Jailed former OPP officer's human rights case delayed until release
Former police officer Jason Redmond's human rights complaint against the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has been deferred until he is released from jail, a tribunal recently decided.
In July 2020, Redmond filed a human rights complaint against his then-employer alleging the provincial force harassed and discriminated against him because of his mental health challenges.
After a series of pandemic-related delays, a preliminary hearing with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario had been scheduled for April 23, but the tribunal decided on Friday to defer the case again.
“The applicant is currently incarcerated. The application will be deferred pending the applicant's release from custody,” the April 19 decision reads.
Redmond is currently serving a nine-year sentence after being
convicted of sexual assault against one woman, and nine counts of assault against another.
He is no longer employed by the OPP.
At the time of his application, Redmond was a Leeds County OPP constable, and he alleged in his complaint that his former employer contravened the Human Rights Code by “failing to provide him with workplace accommodations and in harassing him.”
Redmond said he was facing job-related stress, that he was diagnosed with complex PTSD and first responder PTSD, and had attempted suicide multiple times.
He alleged the provincial police service failed to accommodate him amid those challenges, and harassed him because of them.
Though the complaint was filed nearly four years ago, Redmond's lawyer filed a request on March 27 asking that the application be deferred until his release from custody.
The other parties involved — the Ministry of the Solicitor General and the Ontario Provincial Police Association — did not respond to the application within the mandated two-week timeframe.
The decision says that since he began serving his penitentiary sentence, “it has been impossible for counsel to have any meaningful contact with Mr. Redmond.”
“Despite our repeated attempts, we are unable to consult and prepare for the preliminary hearing and counsel has had difficulty arranging for Mr. Redmond to attend at the preliminary hearing,” the lawyer said in her application to defer.
The tribunal decision said it “must interpret and apply its rules and procedures liberally and purposively to both promote the fair, just, and expeditious resolution of disputes and to allow parties to participate effectively in the process.”
“Accordingly, in order to be fair and just to the applicant, in order to allow the applicant to participate effectively in the process, and having received no objection from the other parties, the application will be deferred pending the applicant's release from custody.”
Any request to proceed with the complaint must be filed no later than 60 days after Redmond is released from custody, whether for parole or statutory release, the tribunal ruled.