Skip to content

Q&A: Disciplinary Tribunal, Demotion and 10 Binders of Evidence

Day 3 · 8:11:55 · Shawn Buckley · Cst. Helen Grus

  • 📁 While suspended she compiled 10 binders of Pfizer documents, PHAC material and public-health messaging showing vaccines were never tested in pregnancy.
  • ⚖️ Charged with discreditable conduct, she rejected a misleading plea deal and fought a five-week tribunal, receiving a two-year demotion to second-class.
  • 📉 The penalty—most severe short of dismissal—has stalled her career and pension progression for years.

How suspension research led to charges, a rejected plea, and career-damaging demotion.

← Q&A: Suspended After Raising Baby-Death Concerns with Chief | Q&A: No Known Probe of Baby Cluster and Law Change Curbing Officer Discretion →

Transcript

Shawn Buckley · 8:11:55

Right. Well, you were, um, you were actually subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Cst. Helen Grus · 8:12:03

That's correct. So while I was on suspension, I used that time to research, to dig in, and I, I had gathered some information because of the pending mandates. I wanted, I wanted to know if these vaccinations are safe or not. I have children of my own, so do I give them or not? I called my best friend who happens to be an RN to ask her advice. So I've been doing some question— and when I was on suspension, I started reading and I collected. By the time I was brought in for my professional standards compelled interview, I had 10 binders of information, or what police would call evidence. I had the Pfizer documents, whatever I could pull from Public Health Agency of Canada. I had also pulled different, like, Twitter videos that our public health officials were telling everybody, including pregnant mothers and breastfeeding mothers, that these vaccines are safe and effective. Yet the Pfizer documents we had in our own country here showed that they had never been tested on pregnant or breastfeeding women, mothers.

Cst. Helen Grus · 8:13:06

There was no clinical data at that time. So as a police officer, I'm like, how can you state that something's safe and effective when you also know it's never been tested?

Shawn Buckley · 8:13:17

You know, I could slow you down. Years ago, after COVID started, I was involved in a forming organization of lawyers and retired police officers to start documenting evidence of potential crimes that were being committed during COVID so that the evidence wouldn't disappear. And so we had to look into, well, what Criminal Code offenses and other offenses would apply so we'd know what's relevant. And it seems to me that the public representations being made on things like pregnancy, that those were actually issues the police should have been investigating. How can public health officials be messaging one thing which would be with the intention to cause certain behaviour when those public statements that are meant to induce people to do things are false?

Cst. Helen Grus · 8:14:22

And that is what I brought forward to the start of my— So my chain of command changed when I was suspended. I was reporting to the Professional Standards Sergeant, and that's why I brought these 10 binders of evidence stating I wasn't conducting investigation at that time. But now that I've had a chance on suspension to read and really dig into this, this, it's concerning. This should potentially be investigated. Now, that was in May, May 12th, 2022. I was charged with discreditable conduct in July 2022. I was actually offered a plea deal, uh, just to plead guilty, and they had these bullet points on there. I would have essentially gotten a slap on the wrist, but what they were proposing as the statement of facts was not in— it was not accurate, it was misleading. And I remember just saying, I can't sign this. Then, then I'd be discreditable because this is not true.

Cst. Helen Grus · 8:15:24

This is not what happened. As a police officer, we have a duty to be honest, to have integrity, to speak truth. So I took it to trial. We, we had an over 5-week tribunal that spanned over— well, I just received my disposition or penalty a couple weeks ago. Um, so what's—.

Shawn Buckley · 8:15:48

Hence the second-class detective, right?

Cst. Helen Grus · 8:15:51

Yes, I've been demoted for 2 years, which is a very significant penalty from first class to second class.

Shawn Buckley · 8:15:58

Um, it's the most severe penalty bar dismissal of a police officer, and it'll also affect things like pension and that going on because it affects your your earnings and it affects any ability to basically climb the ladder going forward?

Cst. Helen Grus · 8:16:16

It has already, just while this tribunal was going on. It's been four and a half, over four and a half years where my career has been essentially stalled. But again, I like to look at the positive. I'm blessed I still have a job. I can still serve the citizens of Ottawa investigating robberies. But it has stalled movement in my career, and then it will do so for the next four years. Because a demotion stays on record then for another 2 years after that.

Shawn Buckley · 8:16:43

So one thing that I'm finding fascinating here is because I'm guessing that the Ottawa Police Department has still not investigated why there was a cluster of baby deaths at this time, including 2 where, you know, live babies just died in their parents' arms.