Article content continued

But the agreed statement of facts on record with the Ontario court pointed to allegations of a larger problem of theft at the special forces command. “Mr. Collier was handed these items (in some cases by more senior people) and told to just take them,” the statement noted. “He took them knowing that they did not belong to him.”

“Mr. Collier informed police that there was a prevalent culture within CANSOFCOM of simply taking items from the employer,” the statement added.

“Military police, including the National Investigation Services, are continuing to investigate several other members of CANSOFCOM for their participation in related behaviour,” the court statement noted.

In response to questions from this newspaper requesting further information, the Canadian Forces noted in an email that military police will not discuss or acknowledge ongoing investigations.

“Any statement alleging an environment whereupon even minor transgressions would be dismissed is inaccurate,” added CANSOFCOM spokeswoman Maj. Amber Bineau. “CANSOFCOM takes allegations of or suspicions of theft very seriously and holds its leadership and members to the highest standards.”

Collier was given a suspended sentence and put on 12 months of probation.

Military police charged Collier on Oct. 29, 2018. It’s unclear exactly how the corporal was able to take all of the equipment from the Joint Task Force 2 base at Dwyer Hill without being detected, but as a supply technician he would have had access to much of the unit’s inventory. JTF2 is Canada’s secretive counterterrorism unit.