Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Signal High) —– More than two years ago, Toronto Police detective constable Jason Boag was arrested by the Ontario Provincial Police for impaired driving after he collided with a dump truck in King Township (north of Toronto). Boag was highly impaired, had urinated on himself and, when asked for his license, presented a debit card. In 2018, Boag was charged with assault causing bodily harm following a 9-1-1 response to an apartment building.
This fallout from this incident cascaded through the Toronto Police, leading to allegations of records tampering, on-duty drinking, falsifying records, and more. Boag pleaded guilty to impaired driving in April, 2023. He pleaded guilty to professional misconduct the following November. But an internal investigation had already commenced into Boag’s supervisor, detective Mark Beson, and four detective constables — all in Boag’s unit.
Tribunal documents show that Boag and Beson left the bar shortly after 8 p.m. and drove “highly intoxicated” in a police vehicle to their station. A few hours later, Boag left the building and drove away. It is alleged that Boag, Beson, and the four detective constables — members of the clandestine drug lab unit — had gathered at a bar and were consuming quantities of alcohol, while on duty. It is further alleged that Beson, the unit supervisor, knowing Boag’s collision would be investigated by his own professional standards unit, altered police records to show he and his team started work earlier than they did, and subsequently finished early. It is alleged he physically altered the documents to conceal the on-duty drinking.
Beson has not been suspended but he is scheduled to appear at tribunal on August 26. He is facing seven specific charges that may lead to future discipline. If found guilty, he would likely become a liability to the Toronto Police, and be unable to give reliable testimony in future cases.
James Lowry is a Winnipeg defence lawyer, and former Toronto Police detective. Lowry investigated allegations of drug squad corruption. According to the Canada Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Lowry said in an interview, “Surprise, surprise.” He pointed out that officers in specialized and plainclothes units have more autonomy than their uniformed colleagues. “You should be professional, and you’ve got a fair bit of service, so you shouldn’t need to be babysat,” he said. However, that freedom can entail opportunities for misconduct. “You’d never do it in uniform … not that it hasn’t happened, but I’d be very surprised.”
Why Boag’s tribunal for professional misconduct treated the incident as “off-duty” is unknown. Allegations had already been made against Beson and the others by that time. Boag’s disciplinary decision, written by Superintend Shane Branton, does not mention where, when, or with whom Boag had become intoxicated. The fact that these police officers were on duty, together, and consuming alcohol was left out of the narrative.
When pressed by the CBC reporter as to why Boag did not face discipline for on-duty conduct in this matter, Inspector Lisabet Benoit refused further comment, after promising to check her notes. Boag’s lawyer Sandip Khehra is purported to have said in respect to the tribunal, “When you’re working out resolutions with prosecutors, there’s a little bit of give and take,” he said. “Sometimes they massage the facts.”
It is not known if any of the other officers that were at the bar have faced discipline. According to publicly available tribunal documents Benson’s case has been repeatedly rescheduled.
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