John Spice

Lead Investigator for the Cornwall Public Inquiry 

  Profile as found on the Cornwall Public Inquiry website April 2007

John Spice, Lead Investigator, is a 35 year veteran of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), retiring last year at the rank of Assistant Commissioner.

John most recently served as the Ethics and Integrity Advisor for the RCMP. His law enforcement background includes holding the position of Senior Officer for the Internal Disclosure of Wrongdoing in the Workplace Policy (Treasury Board) as well as assignments that addressed issues of harassment, sexual abuse of young people, abuse of power and authority and police corruption.

John has many years of investigatory and command experience including having served as Commanding Officer of "M" Division in the Yukon and Officer Commanding for the Peace River Subdivision in Alberta. He also spent 20 years in Manitoba on general detachment duties.

John has spearheaded a broad range of departmental initiatives in areas of integrity awareness, anti-corruption and harassment prevention. He was actively involved with the RCMP's recently formed Ethics Council, focused on providing corporate direction pertaining to ethics and integrity awareness.

News Flash!!

April 2007: The RCMP is currently under investigation regarding allegations of corruption, misappropriation of funds and coverup in the handling of the Mountie's pension plan.  The investigation will determine if a full scale inquiry is warranted.  A read through the linked article leaves no doubt that if an inquiry is commissioned, which without doubt it will be, John Spice will be a witness if not a key witness - unless of course the inquiry follows the path of the Cornwall Public Inquiry wherein no one is required to testify if they don't want to!

Regardless, as you will read in the lengthy but informative, in 2003 when Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli allegedly halted a criminal investigation into the allegations he promptly turned the bulk of the mess to his ethics officer, John Spice.   

Spice figures in the scenario again when, some months later Denise Revine, the former director of human resources, became concerned that the whole thing would fall throught the cracks.  She dispatched a 7-page-letter to John Spice urging him intervene with Zaccardelli.   

What impact all of this has and will have on John Spice's duties at the Cornwall Public Inquiry remains to be seen.

15 May 2007:  Media coverage of John Spice testimony before House of Commons public accounts committee, which is probing allegations of wrongdoing and cover-up related to the RCMP pension fund

20-21 January 2003: John Spice joins IGEC in Hong Kong.  Spice attended the meeting as a new member of  IGEC (Interpol Group of Experts on Corruption).  The IGEC meeting was held on the eve of the first-ever Interpol-ICAC conference (21-24 January 2003) in Hong Kong. Whether or not Spice stayed on for the joint conference is unknown, however his boss at the time, Giuliano Zaccardelli, then Commissioner of the RCMP, was in attendance and gave a the Keynote speech on probity.