FREDERICTON — Fredericton Police Chief Gary Forward says the force has implemented 10 of 19 recommendations from an independent review launched after an evidentiary error contributed to the collapse of two murder prosecutions.

Forward told the city’s public safety committee October 1 that the force has added staff, expanded training and strengthened oversight, The Canadian Press reported.

The review by former Ontario police watchdog director Ian Scott examined major-crime and high-risk files from 2021 through 2025. The city said when it released the findings that some details could not be published because disclosure would conflict with the Canada Evidence Act.

What remains

Forward said the force expects to complete all 19 recommendations by June 2027. Police are also discussing with other New Brunswick services whether a provincial homicide investigation unit is feasible.

No one was convicted in the deaths of Corey Christopher Markey and Brandon Patrick Donelan after prosecutors withdrew the cases. The review concluded an error by Fredericton Police created an insurmountable evidentiary problem, but public reports do not disclose the protected details.

The chief said another public progress update is expected early next year. The reform work does not resolve the two killings.

Sources: City of Fredericton review summary; The Canadian Press via Global News, October 2.

Lead image: TNC archive AI-generated Canadian policy illustration; not a photograph of Fredericton Police, the victims or the investigations.