A suspended officer with the Cobourg Police Service has come forward with multiple accusations against soon-to-be chief of police Paul VandeGraaf.
This comes after Amy Matthijsse, a 12-year veteran of the force, filed a formal complaint with the Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC) in 2017.
“I got tired of being targeted and harassed and bullied, and it just felt like it was never going to stop,” Matthijsse said.
Matthijsse has made numerous allegations about the deputy chief. The allegations were stated in an investigation conducted by an external law firm that was obtained by Global News. One allegation stands out to the suspended cop more than others.
“My son was injured. He was a toddler and had gotten a knife through his eye so he had to have surgery in Kingston,” she said. “The deputy chief, VandeGraaf, ordered my staff sergeant to call me and tell me that my child’s injury did not constitute my time off.”
Documents from the investigation proved this to be true, but it also found VandeGraaf’s direction “was consistent with the collective agreement and did not amount to harassment.”
As a result, the service said Matthijsse made false complaints. It led to her being charged with 19 counts of discreditable conduct.
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In April 2019, Matthijsse was suspended from the force.
However, the OCPC has since dropped all of the charges against Matthijsse after saying they may have been retaliatory.
It has since launched a preliminary review into the case, confirming in a statement: “The OCPC has directed the Cobourg Police Service to suspend any police service (PSA) investigations or disciplinary proceedings related to Const. Matthijsse’s conduct for the duration of the OCPC’s preliminary review.”
They added that the review remains ongoing.
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Despite this, Matthijsse says her life will never be the same.
“My reputation has been ruined,” she said. “I haven’t been able to be a mother or a wife because I just feel so heartbroken.”
Matthijsse isn’t the only woman speaking out about the deputy chief.
After a rigorous interview process, 24-year-old Amy Arthur was appointed to the voluntary position of an auxiliary officer in March.
When asked if she was physically able to do the job, she responded yes.
Arthur suffers from chronic pain but says she’s always been capable of working.
“I run, I lift heavy weights, I’m not limited in any capacity whatsoever,” Arthur said.
She says just a few weeks into her training, she was terminated.
“My entire contract was terminated. They handed a form in front of me and they said I had to resign, and so I wasn’t able to leave the building until I did so,” Arthur said.
The young woman said she was accused of lying in her initial interview when she said she was physically able to fulfil her duties.
After leaving the position, Arthur filed a complaint with Ontario’s Human Rights Tribunal, naming VandeGraaf as one of the respondents.
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A lawyer representing Cobourg police responded to Arthur’s complaint under the Ontario Human Rights Code, saying: “She resigned.” They did not comment on Arthur’s disability.
The Cobourg Police Service told Global News in a statement: “Cobourg Police Service have submitted our response with the human rights tribunal, and we feel it’s best not to make any comments on this until it has been settled.”
Meanwhile, Arthur is seeking a public apology.
“It’s about showing and setting precedent for the future that anybody with a chronic illness should never be treated this way, even for a volunteer position where you’re trying to help your own community,” she said.
At VandeGraaf’s change of command ceremony Thursday, when asked about the allegations he told Global News “I’m going to save my response for maybe next week, we’ll get together,” adding he would be interested in sitting down with Global News in the coming days to discuss the allegations further.
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