An OPP officer who was driving an unmarked police vehicle when a pedestrian was fatally struck in Bala, Ont., was later promoted, prompting renewed questions from the victim’s family about police accountability.
Noah Landriault, 25, died after he was hit on Muskoka Road 169 shortly before 6 a.m. on September 29, 2024.
The vehicle was being driven by then-Detective Constable Rebecca Lindsay, who was travelling north through the Bala area while heading to a temporary assignment.
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Opp Officer: What happened in the Bala collision
The Ontario Special Investigations Unit investigated the death because the vehicle was operated by an on-duty Ontario Provincial Police officer.
The SIU’s reconstruction found that Lindsay was travelling at roughly 70 to 75 km/h as she approached the collision site, where the posted limit was 50 km/h in a community safety zone.
Investigators determined that Landriault and another man had left the Bala Bay Inn and were crossing the highway when Landriault entered the northbound lane.
The SIU report says the road was dry, level, illuminated and unobstructed.
The officer braked sharply when Landriault was about 16 metres away, but the Jeep still struck him.
Lindsay stopped, went to the pedestrian and called for emergency assistance.
Landriault was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The SIU concluded that there were no reasonable grounds to charge Lindsay with dangerous driving causing death under the Criminal Code.
The agency said the evidence did not establish the marked departure from reasonable care required for criminal liability.
Internal discipline and the promotion
The absence of criminal charges did not end the matter.
A separate professional-conduct process found that Lindsay’s speed breached the standards expected of an officer and resulted in disciplinary action.
Records indicate that Lindsay forfeited 40 hours of pay.
The penalty was imposed through the police discipline process rather than through a criminal court.
Records also show that Lindsay advanced from detective constable to detective sergeant in 2024.
The available information does not establish the precise date on which the promotion was approved or whether the competition began before the fatal collision.
That timing has become the central issue for Coreena Jones, Landriault’s mother.
She has questioned how an officer could receive a higher rank while the family was still dealing with the death and while the conduct process remained unresolved.
For the family, the concern is not limited to the pay increase attached to the new rank.
Jones has argued that a promotion following a fatal collision can create the impression that serious driving misconduct has little effect on an officer’s career.
Why the case raises oversight questions
The case highlights the different purposes of criminal investigations, police discipline and employment decisions.
The SIU determines whether the evidence supports a criminal charge.
A professional-conduct process examines whether an officer breached workplace or policing standards.
A promotion competition considers an employee’s qualifications and record under the rules governing the police service.
Those processes can produce different outcomes.
An officer may be cleared criminally while still facing discipline, and a disciplinary finding may not automatically bar the officer from applying for another position.
That distinction may be legally significant, but it does not necessarily resolve the public-confidence question.
Police services exercise powers that depend heavily on public trust, including authority over road safety, investigations and enforcement.
Road-safety advocates have said promotion systems should give greater weight to serious collisions involving police vehicles, even when prosecutors or the SIU do not approve criminal charges.
What happens next
The available records do not indicate that Lindsay faces criminal charges related to Landriault’s death.
The professional-conduct penalty has also been determined.
The continuing issue is whether Ontario’s police promotion rules should require a completed review, or impose a temporary pause, when an officer is involved in a fatal collision and faces a related misconduct process.
Any such change would likely involve the OPP, the provincial government, police associations and civilian oversight bodies.
It could also raise questions about how pending discipline is disclosed to promotion panels and how families are informed about the administrative outcome of fatal police-involved collisions.
For Landriault’s family, the debate remains tied to the circumstances of his death and to whether the system treated the collision with sufficient seriousness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was killed in the Bala collision involving an OPP vehicle?
Noah Landriault, 25, died after being struck on Muskoka Road 169 in Bala on September 29, 2024.
Who was driving the OPP vehicle?
The vehicle was driven by then-Detective Constable Rebecca Lindsay, who was travelling to a temporary assignment.
Did the SIU lay criminal charges?
No. The SIU said it found no reasonable grounds to charge the officer with dangerous driving causing death.
Was the OPP officer disciplined?
Yes. The professional-conduct process resulted in the forfeiture of 40 hours of pay over the speeding-related misconduct finding.
When was the officer promoted?
Records indicate that Lindsay became a detective sergeant in 2024, although the precise promotion date has not been established publicly.
Fact-Checked: Key collision, investigation and criminal-clearance facts were checked against the SIU’s official report and news release, with rank and salary information checked against Ontario police collective-agreement records. ([siu.on.ca](https://www.siu.on.ca/fr/directors_report_details.php?drid=4367))
Disclaimer: The promotion and discipline details are reported from available administrative records; the precise timing of the promotion and internal decision-making process has not been publicly established.