Cop who smoked, shared pot has seven days to quit or be fired

CTV Kitchener: Borda to lose job A WRPS officer who smoked marijuana and shared it with others has been told to either quit or be fired. Frank Lynn reports.

A Waterloo Regional Police officer who smoked marijuana, supplied pot to other officers and wielded influence on behalf of a friend has seven days to resign his job – or else he’ll be fired.

Const. Jeremy Borda pleaded guilty in June to 13 counts of misconduct under the Police Services Act.

Borda was one of three officers charged in 2011 and accused of smoking marijuana two years earlier while not on duty.

He admitted to smoking marijuana and sharing it with other officers at a party in his home, and was criminally convicted of possession of marijuana – for which he was sentenced to nine months on probation.

At a police hearing Monday morning, Borda was given seven days to resign from the police service and told that if he didn’t do so, he would be fired.

York Regional Police Supt. Paul Pedersen, the hearing officer, said Borda had lost the confidence of the police service and of the public and could no longer be a useful officer.

“Borda’s pattern of behaviour casts significant doubt on his ethical character,” he said.

“He saw himself above the law.”

Bernard Cummins, Borda’s lawyer, says his client was unfairly singled out, questioning why only Borda received a criminal sentence.

“There’s a huge disconnect between the management approach in this case and how others were prosecuted,” he says.

“You can’t reconcile the difference in the standards that have been applied.”

In a statement, Waterloo Regional Police Chief Matt Torigian tells CTV News that Borda’s sentencing “is not a cause for celebration” but does reflect his desire for transparency.

“This decision reflects the expectations of our community and the values upheld by the members of the Waterloo Regional Police Service,” he says.

Borda may appeal the decision to the Ontario Civilian Police Commission, Cummins says.