Month: November 2024

Officials Stonewall Questions on Whether Controversial Prosecutor Vanessa Stewart Remains on Grus Case

Update: November 14, 2024 – Defense Counsel Still Not Notified – Lead Defense Counsel Bath-Shéba van den Berg appeared on The Lavigne Show with co-host Donald Best – and confirmed that the OPS Legal Unit has still not notified her of Vanessa Stewart’s status change or if this will impact the hearing set to resume January 5, 2025.

Original Story Published November 11, 2024

The disciplinary hearing of Ottawa Police Detective Helen Grus has plunged into chaos amid uncertainty surrounding the police prosecutor, Vanessa Stewart (photo above). Noted for her controversial courtroom behaviour and facing allegations of procedural abuses, Stewart is on a six-month leave from the Ottawa Police Service to join the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General.

The refusal of police officials and Stewart herself to clarify her current involvement in the Grus case leaves the future of the hearing, set for January 6, 2025, shrouded in doubt.

Despite an automatic email reply confirming Stewart’s leave of absence and assignment to the Attorney General’s office, there has been a wall of silence from the Ottawa Police Service (OPS), the Attorney General’s office, and Stewart herself. Insider sources at the Ottawa Police Association reveal that Detective Grus, her attorney Bath-Shéba van den Berg, and the police union remain uninformed about Stewart’s departure or the ramifications for the case.

Further complicating matters, two police insiders report that Stewart’s contract with the OPS Legal Unit was terminated due to performance issues.

This development casts a shadow over prosecution continuity and integrity in a case already mired with allegations of bias and misconduct by prosecutors, prosecution witnesses, and the hearing officer.

Detective Grus was suspended on February 4, 2022, by the OPS Professional Standards Unit for allegedly conducting an ‘unauthorized’ investigation into nine unexplained infant deaths. She was exploring the possibility that the vaccination status of the mothers might be a factor in the fatalities. In July 2022, Grus was charged internally with one count of discreditable conduct under the Ontario Police Services Act.

The proceedings have been controversial – at times even raucous and chaotic – with defense attorneys accusing police witnesses, prosecution lawyers, and the Tribunal Hearing Officer of blatant bias. Shock rippled through legal circles upon the revelation that Prosecutor Stewart and a key prosecution witness are sisters-in-law—a glaring conflict of interest that would be unacceptable in any legitimate court. Yet, Hearing Officer Police Superintendent Chris Renwick, notably lacking legal training, permitted this infringement.

Concerns of bias were compounded by reports of interference from officials at the Public Health Agency of Canada, a matter that appeared on the House of Parliament Order Paper Questions in March 2024.

The Grus disciplinary hearing reached a boiling point on January 10, 2024, when defense lawyers levelled allegations of criminal witness tampering against Professional Standards Inspector Hugh O’Toole. Just minutes before Grus was set to testify, O’Toole sent her a threatening email obviously intended to intimidate Grus into changing her testimony and supporting exhibits.

In the wake of formal complaints alleging Criminal Intimidation of a Witness and Obstruction of Justice, O’Toole resigned from the OPS. He has since surfaced working as a lawyer at a Kemptville legal firm.

Illegal Wiretapping Scandal

Both Inspector O’Toole and Prosecutor Stewart were also implicated in the February 2022 illegal wiretapping of Detective Grus and her family under the “urgent emergency” provisions of the Criminal Code – when no such urgent emergency existed.

As the case approaches its third year, observers question whether the OPS will continue to pursue the charges against Detective Grus. Three key factors fuel this speculation:

1/ Emerging Evidence: Since Grus’s suspension almost three years ago, there has been a tsunami of credible evidence that the officer was correct all along in her suspicions.

Authorities in many jurisdictions have admitted that manufacturers and authorities concealed from the public that the shots were DNA contaminated, that the formulas presented for approval were not the vaccines that were fraudulently delivered, that the vaccines were known to be ineffective, and that it was known the vaccines caused serious harms and even deaths – including to babies in the womb and breastfeeding infants.

A decision by the Ottawa Police to continue the prosecution against Grus could come back to haunt them as any appeals process will take years – with additional evidence and case law, and developing public opinion weighing more heavily against OPS.

2/ Prosecution Evidence during the trial indicated that Detective Grus was investigating charges of Criminal Negligence Causing Bodily Harm and Death when the Ottawa Police ordered her to stop and suspended her.

Prosecution Evidence also indicated that Ottawa Police had received a complete evidence file from Detective Grus – yet failed to launch investigations into the alleged crimes.

An appeals process will take years, with the public becoming more aware of how the Ottawa Police neglected their duty to initiate an investigation into vaccination injuries and deaths as additional evidence and case law comes to light.

3/ Departures of Key Personnel: Inspector O’Toole and Prosecutor Stewart are the two people most responsible for charging and prosecuting Detective Grus. With both no longer employed by the Ottawa Police there are doubts about the OPS’s capacity to effectively manage the case now and in the future. Their departures could complicate the current proceedings and any subsequent appeals.

Will Ottawa Police Persist With A Faltering Prosecution?

The Ottawa Police leadership now faces a critical decision: persist with a faltering prosecution riddled with internal strife and burgeoning evidence supporting Grus, or withdraw the charges to mitigate further costs and damage to the organization’s credibility—a credibility already hanging by a thread.

Chaos. Confusion. Concealment.

The refusal of both the Ottawa Police and Vanessa Stewart to inform Detective Grus or her legal team about Stewart’s status—and their stonewalling of media inquiries—transcends mere lack of transparency; it borders on obstruction.

This pattern suggests deeper issues within the OPS. Words like confusion, indecision, and chaos seem insufficient to describe the turmoil.

For over two years, multiple insider sources have revealed a critical divide within OPS senior management over the Grus case. In this light, the ousting of Inspector O’Toole and the non-renewal of Stewart’s contract signal a possible turning point in favor of Detective Grus.

The pressing challenge for OPS leadership is to devise an exit strategy from the Grus debacle. Their goal must be to minimize further embarrassment, control escalating legal expenses, and address potential liability for defense costs, which reportedly approach $400,000.

Notes

Comprehensive coverage of the Detective Grus case with links to articles and sources since March of 2022 can be found at Donald Best’s website:

https://donaldbest.ca/detective-grus-case/

Emails Mentioned in this Article

20241028 email thread OPS Media Relations

20241107 1218pm Best To Stewart OPS

20241107 1219pm Auto Reply Stewart OPS

20241107 1222pm Best To Stewart AttGen

 

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.