Investigation launched into Military Police handling of Edmonton arson investigation

An investigation has been launched after a complaint made by the former husband of an ex-Canadian soldier who was found guilty of trying to kill her three children in a house fire.

The woman, who can't be named to protect the identity of her children, was involved in an acrimonious custody battle with her ex-husband when she set fire to her home at CFB Edmonton with her three children inside in 2015, court heard.

The cause of the fire was investigated by the Military Police, who discovered a potential suicide letter from the woman to a close friend.

The letter included $10,000 in cash and indicated that by the time the friend received it, the author would be either dead or in jail.

It was signed with the woman's first name.

According to the Military Police Complaints Commission (MPCC), the Military Police concluded the letter was ambiguous in meaning and connection to the fire, and the investigation found it could not be determined if the fire was deliberately set.

"The complaint alleges that the 2015-16 investigation conducted by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service Western Region into the fire was 'not handled with professionalism or due diligence,'" a news release from MPCC says.

The complaint was found to be unsubstantiated after an initial review by the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal's Office of Professional Standards.

The woman's former husband requested a review by the MPCC in 2018.

After a review, the MPCC requested the investigation be reopened by an outside police service.

A reinvestigation of the case was led by an inspector seconded from the RCMP, and the woman was charged with arson and several counts of attempted murder.

In February, she was convicted of arson and three counts of attempted murder.

She has since been sentenced to 10 years in prison and discharged from the army.

The MPCC had suspended its investigation during the court proceedings.

"The allegations in this complaint are serious," said MPCC chairperson Tammy Tremblay. "If substantiated, they will amount to a failure to investigate a most serious criminal act, and one which had implications for the safety and the lives of young children."

"The seriousness of this case is aggravated by the alleged failure of the Military Police Office of Professional Standards to notice any deficiencies when they reviewed the original Canadian Forces National Investigation Service Western Region investigations," she said.

The three boys now live with their father.