The wife of a former Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer who died by suicide over six years ago has filed lawsuits against the OPP and the police union, accusing Saint John Police Chief Robert Bruce of misconduct. In the court documents, Heather Harmer alleges that Bruce, while serving as commander of the field services branch in Orillia from 2011 to 2014, engaged in “tyrannical leadership, bullying, and cronyism,” leading to a toxic work environment that her husband, Jeffrey Harmer, fell victim to.
Although Bruce is not a defendant in the lawsuits, Harmer claims that her husband’s suicide was a result of the treatment he received under Bruce’s leadership. Bruce retired from the OPP as chief superintendent in 2015 before assuming the role of Saint John chief in 2021.
Harmer, from Severn, Ontario, filed the lawsuits seeking more than $31 million in damages on behalf of herself, as the administrator of Jeffrey Harmer’s estate, and their two children. Jeffrey, a staff sergeant in forensic identification services at OPP general headquarters in Orillia, took his own life in November 2019 at the age of 50.
The court documents allege that the OPP and the union failed to take appropriate actions to protect Jeffrey, which could have prevented his suicide. Harmer contends that the defendants’ negligence and inactions contributed to her husband’s death, which they should have foreseen.
None of the allegations have been tested in court, and the OPP has not yet filed a statement of defense, while the union denies all the accusations made against it. Bruce’s lawyer declined to comment due to legal restrictions, and Harmer’s lawyer also refrained from interviews citing the ongoing legal proceedings.
According to the statements of claim, Jeffrey faced escalating workplace issues after Bruce assumed his new role in 2011, leading to a toxic culture of bullying and intimidation within the unit. Harmer alleges that her husband’s mental health deteriorated due to the hostile work environment, eventually culminating in his tragic suicide.
Harmer’s grief has been compounded by anger as she discovered the workplace complaint her husband had filed in 2014 only after his death. The lawsuit alleges that proper intervention by the OPP and Bruce could have prevented Jeffrey’s suicide, holding them responsible for his psychological injury and subsequent death.
The lawsuits are ongoing, with no scheduled hearing dates as of February. The OPP declined to provide comments on the matter, stating that discussing details before the court would be inappropriate. The union has also denied all allegations in the statement of claim and is seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed with costs.
Moreover, the union has filed a third-party claim against the Province of Ontario, arguing that if found liable, the Crown should bear responsibility for any damages awarded to the plaintiffs. The union alleges that the Crown failed to address Bruce’s alleged problematic behavior and the toxic work environment that led to Jeffrey Harmer’s tragic end.