Three Saskatoon police officers fired over off-duty conduct will appeal: lawyer

A lawyer for three Saskatoon police officers who were fired in the wake of misconduct allegations says they were dismissed prematurely.

In a news release Tuesday, lawyer Steve Seiferling took aim at the city’s police chief.

“He has done the wrong. He has behaved precipitously; he has scapegoated three good officers,” said Sieiferling.

The three, including a sergeant and two members of the tactical unit, were among five officers suspended following an off-duty gathering in Sept. 2024 where, according to CBC News reports, a full patch member of a biker gang was present, alongside members from the tactical unit and undercover officers.

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Police Chief Cam McBride acknowledged the incident raised questions about the integrity of the service’s undercover program. The province’s Serious Incident Response Team is investigating one aspect of the incident, police say.

McBride told CTV News the service’s conflict of interest policy has since been updated to include an "undesirable association component."

The two other suspended officers returned to work in April following an internal investigation.

Now, Seiferling has confirmed the three officers who lost their jobs also plan to appeal as soon as hearing dates can be set.

In his statement Tuesday, Seiferling alleges his three clients were fired before the internal investigation had concluded, and says their offers to attend mediation were all rejected.

“The decision to terminate was far from the only decision that could have been made for these three officers,” he said.

The statement comes just days after another former officer, Sgt. Robbie Taylor, took the stand in an appeal to get his job back after being fired over his friendship with an associate of the Hells Angels biker gang.

The Saskatoon Police Service declined to comment on Seiferling’s statement, saying it respects the appeal process and won’t make a statement until it concludes.

The appeal hearings are expected to take place in early 2026.