Lethbridge West MLA Shannon Phillips provides reaction to revelations by CHAT News that Lethbridge police were engaged in harassment activities against her when she was environment minister. (CHAT News photo).

By Alex McCuaig

Flawed investigation

Issues run deep within Lethbridge police and complaint process, says MLA Phillips

Jul 14, 2020 | 4:31 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The former cabinet minister targeted by Lethbridge police officers in a harassment effort says the process of dealing with complaints against police is flawed and there are serious issues within the southern Alberta police service that go deeper than just two officers.

NDP MLA Shannon Phillips was the target of harassing actions three years ago by Lethbridge police officers who were upset with the changes being made by the then-environment minister to the Castle region of southwest Alberta.

The officers’ actions on April 14, 2017 included taking pictures of Phillips, surveilling her and people she was with at a Lethbridge diner and running unwarranted police information checks.

According to the disciplinary hearing’s agreed facts, Phillips was meeting with stakeholders discussing the future of the Castle region.

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Not true says Phillips.

“A system in which police lies are never put to some kind of test should be of huge concern to all of us,” Phillips told CHAT News on Tuesday. “When they just sort of take the officer’s version of what was said at the table and the rest of it as fact, that really bothered me because I couldn’t believe the facility in which these officers lied to the investigating officers.”

An investigation was launched by Calgary police in April 2017 after Phillips filed a complaint about one of the officers who posted on Facebook pictures of her and her friends along with grievances against the NDP government of the day.

Lethbridge police Sgt. Jason Carrier and Const. Woronuk were targets of the complaint investigation which was completed in September 2017.

It resulted in a second investigation conducted by Medicine Hat police in March 2018 after it was found Woronuk omitted relevant information about his surveillance activities and police database searches of individuals connected to Phillips from Calgary investigators.

According to Woronuk’s submissions in his disciplinary hearing proceedings, he did this, “because he was only responding directly to the complaint by Ms. Phillips of the Facebook photograph posting.”

Phillips questions whether the information provided by the subject officers to investigators and accepted as fact was ever scrutinized.

“At no point were some of the statements made by those officers either in my investigation or the subsequent investigation submitted to any kind of evidence test or cross-examination. I didn’t know this second investigation was happening and it involved me,” said Phillips.

But in his disciplinary ruling, presiding officer Paul Manuel stated, “one would have to be naive not to think the situation was not discussed with other elected officials and cabinet.”

The irony of the comment was not lost on Phillips who explained she wasn’t told the extent of the Lethbridge police officers’ actions.

She said she was provided information regarding the outcome of the Calgary police investigation that saw a one-year warning letter placed on Woronuk’s employment record and a two-year warning for then-Sgt. Jason Carrier.

Phillips says she wasn’t satisfied with those sanctions which are levied for minor infractions but thought the matter was over.

It wasn’t as CHAT News revealed on Monday.

Phillips adds that while she has a good relationship with senior Lethbridge police officers, the issues within the department run deep.

“I know there is an influential element within the rank and file that do not uphold there sacred duty to the public trust and to the honour of being a police officer and all of the responsibility that entails,” said Phillips.

In a statement issued by Lethbridge police on Tuesday, Police Chief Scott Woods stated the actions of his officers cannot be excused even if they were admitted by Carrier and Woronuk.

“But acknowledging the wrong-doing does not take away the embarrassment and shame that has been brought upon the (Lethbridge Police Service) by their actions,” read the statement in part. “Nor does it mitigate the justified anger and profound disappointment of Ms. Phillips and others in our community who have a right to expect so much better from their police service.”

Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer was swift in his criticisms of the Lethbridge police officers and announcing on Twitter Monday evening he has ordered the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team to launch an investigation into the matter.

Premier Jason Kenney also took to Twitter stating, “this conduct is completely unacceptable. It’s deeply disturbing that police officers used their powers for private purposes in unauthorized surveillance of an elected official.”