City of Ottawa lawyer charged with defacing National Holocaust Monument has been fired, mayor says

An employee with the City of Ottawa has been charged in connection with the vandalism at the National Holocaust Monument. CTV's Josh Marano reports.

The City of Ottawa lawyer charged in connection to vandalism at the National Holocaust Monument earlier this month has been fired, according to Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.

Red paint was discovered on the monument just west of downtown Ottawa on June 9. A photo sent to CTV News Ottawa showed the words “Feed Me” painted in large red letters on the monument.

The Ottawa Police Service announced Friday a 46-year-old man was charged with mischief to a war memorial, mischief exceeding $5,000 and harassment by threatening conduct.

Police did not release the name of the suspect, but court documents identify him as Iain Aspenlieder. According to the Ontario Salary Disclosure list, Aspenlieder was a “Legal Counsel” with the City of Ottawa.

In a post on social media Saturday evening, Sutcliffe said the suspect was a city employee.

“While it’s encouraging to see that the police investigation into the incident at the National Holocaust Monument has progressed, I’m very disturbed to learn that the person charged is a city employee who was on leave,” Sutcliffe said.

“As a community and as an employer, the actions at the Monument do not represent our values. I’ve asked city officials to take all appropriate action in light of these developments.”

The suspect was scheduled to appear in court on Saturday.

On Sunday, Sutcliffe said the employee has been terminated.

“The city’s legal department has confirmed that the individual charged, who was on leave at the time of the incident, is no longer employed by the City of Ottawa,” Sutcliffe said in a post on X.

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa on Monday, interim City Solicitor Stuart Huxley said the man charged was “on leave at the time of the incident and is no longer employed by the City.”

“The recent act affecting the National Holocaust Monument was deplorable and is counter to the values we seek to uphold in our community,” Huxley said.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to members of our community impacted by this disgraceful act. As the matter is the subject of a police investigation and is before the courts, the City will provide no further comment.”

The Ottawa Police Service says anyone with information is asked to contact investigators with the Hate and Bias Crime Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 5625.

“The OPS treats incidents of this nature seriously and recognizes their profound impact on the community,” police said in a media release on Friday.

“We encourage anyone who witnesses or experiences such incidents to report them to police. Reporting hate-motivated incidents is an important step in stopping cycles of hatred.”

According to the National Holocaust Monument website, the monument in Ottawa commemorates the six million Jewish men, women and children murdered during the Holocaust, and the millions of other victims of Nazi Germany and its collaborators.

The monument was inaugurated by former prime minister Justin Trudeau in September 2017.