Ottawa cop pleads guilty to poor conduct, apologizes for racist comments

Inuit in Ottawa condemned Sgt. Chris Hrnchiar’s racists comments Oct. 4 at a vigil on Parliament Hill held to honour missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. (FILE PHOTO)

OTTAWA—Sgt. Chris Hrnchiar, accused of discreditable conduct for knowingly posting racist comments online about the late Annie Pootoogook, and for commenting publicly on an open investigation, pleaded guilty to both charges Nov. 1 at the Ottawa Police Service headquarters in downtown Ottawa.

Wearing a charcoal suit jacket and pale blue shirt, Hrnchiar looked humbled and embarrassed for his actions as he faced the public gallery to apologize.

Hrmchiar said he was sorry for the hurt he caused the Aboriginal community and the police force, along with his friends, family and loved ones, in the comments he posted while off-duty and at his residence underneath an online story in The Ottawa Citizen Sept. 24.

The OPS opened a Professional Standards Section file and assigned an investigator to the case after the adoptive parents of Pootoogook’s children wrote a letter to Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and OPS Chief Charles Bordeleau condemning Hrnchiar’s comments.

“This has nothing to do with missing or murdered aboriginal women. It’s not a murder case … could be a suicide, accidental, she got drunk and fell in the river and drowned, who knows,” Hrnchiar posted in one comment.

A wave of criticism soon followed from Inuit organizations and even Nunavut MLAs who questioned Nunavut’s use of the OPS as the go-to police force to investigate cases involving potential misconduct of Nunavut RCMP members.

At the time he made the comments, Hrnchiar was supervising a forensic identification detective who was responsible for processing the scene and identifying Pootoogook after her body was found on the banks of the Rideau River in downtown Ottawa in September.

The acclaimed Cape Dorset artist had been living in Ottawa for the past 10 years and was, at times, homeless and struggling with addictions, according to friends. Police say there were suspicious elements to her death, but so far, no charges have been laid. She was 46 when she died.

Retired York Region police deputy chief Terence Kelly presided over the disciplinary hearing.

Hrnchiar, a police officer for 30 years, has no previous serious discreditable conduct complaints and co-operated fully with the OPS investigation.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Hrnchiar had no Police Service Act related discipline within the last two years.

Considering all this, Christiane Huneault, general counsel of legal services for the Ottawa Police Service, suggested three months of demotion from sergeant to first-class constable along with cultural sensitivity training.

Huneault suggested to Kelly at the Nov. 1 hearing that the disciplinary action must attempt to correct his behaviour, deter further similar actions from Hrnchiar, as well as other police officers, and ensure public confidence in the police.

Huneault said the penalty in this case should send a clear message that his conduct was serious and “must be met by serious consequences.”

She mentioned that Hrnchiar’s actions “have tarnished the light of the OPS to the Nunavut community” and that he will have to go to great lengths to restore his reputation.

Hrnchiar’s sentencing has been set for Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. In the meantime, he is still on active duty and thus continues to be involved in the Pootoogook investigation.