City of Brandon release statement regarding the Roque V Peters case

In 2017, Brittany Roque (Roque) brought a concern forward regarding the sharing of her intimate images while she was an applicant for a position with the Brandon Police Service (BPS). The Chief of Police was made aware. Since the concern involved a member of the BPS, and as mandated by legislation, the Chief contacted the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU). The IIU investigated, conducted a full and complete analysis of this matter, and concluded that there was no attempt to obstruct justice by the BPS officer. The finding was that the officer’s receipt, viewing and maintenance of the images fell within the exceptions outlined in both the Criminal Code (Canada) and the Intimate Images Protection Act (Manitoba).

Roque also filed a Statement of Claim with the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench against Terry Lynn Peters (Peters), alleging that she distributed the images. Peters named the City of Brandon, as the entity responsible for acts or omissions by officers of BPS as a third party in the action.

On April 12, 2022, the Court of Queen’s Bench in Manitoba found Peters and the City of Brandon jointly liable for general damages. Criminal investigations, when brought to the courts, must meet a standard of “beyond reasonable doubt”. While the City and BPS respect the court’s decision, we remain satisfied that Deputy Chief Randy Lewis acted in good faith and in belief as to best interests of BPS and the residents of Brandon. Deputy Chief Lewis is a highly respected, ethical, and virtuous leader of BPS and a valued member of the community. The City of Brandon and BPS did not pursue an appeal on the matter.

At the time of these events, the Intimate Images Protection Act was an emerging piece of
legislation that was being newly navigated by many employers and organizations. In the years since this matter transpired, we have learned a great deal and made modifications to our hiring processes and policies to bring them in line with the noted legislation.

This will be the final statement from the City of Brandon and BPS regarding this matter.

(City of Brandon Release)