An officer struck and killed her partner.The OPP refused to conduct a hearing

Court review sought after police said misconduct was 'not of a serious nature'

- BETSY POWELL

Courtney D'Arthenay with her late partner, Tyler Dorzyk

Courtney D’Arthenay found happiness in her 30s with Tyler Dorzyk, a boat builder known for his gentle nature and streak of ingenuity — he’d gutted and customized a 1976 Chevy van for the couple’s travels to festivals and camping trips throughout Ontario.

“He would save anything and everything for repurposing,” she recalled.

“He was my calm, my rock. A deep hug from him, and I would instantly feel at peace.”

She was devastated when, just after midnight on Sept. 29, 2020, an on-duty Ontario Provincial Police officer on a coffee run struck and killed the 35-year-old as he crossed Highway 12 near Midland, Ont.

It was a tragic accident, D’Arthenay accepts, her sorrow as profound as it was nearly four years ago.

What she doesn’t accept is what the OPP told her in a letter, dated April 19, 2023.

It said that while an investigation by the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) had found there were reasonable grounds to believe that two officers — Const. Jaimee McBain, who was speeding when her marked cruiser hit Dorzyk, and Sgt. Amy Thompson, who made inappropriate comments blaming the victim — did commit misconduct that evening, the OPP had determined “the misconduct was not of a serious nature.”

Tyler Dorzyk stands next to the customized 1976 Chevy van that he and his partner would use to travel across the province.

“This matter can be addressed informally without holding a hearing,” the letter continued, including a generic list of factors that may be considered in decisions of this nature.

“It felt so disrespectful and not transparent,” said D’Arthenay, sent by “folks we trust and pay taxes to protect and serve us.”