The Crown Prosecutor dropped the charge of public mischief against Dr. Ronald Frey after the certified psychologist made a confession about the person. In June 2021, Frey complained to the Ottawa Police Department (OPS) that he believed someone was impersonating him. The complaint was followed by a meeting with the former OPS Const. Kimberly Cadarette showed him a 2007 mental fitness report for her, which bore Frey’s electronic signature and was printed on his company letterhead. CBC News arranged the meeting as it investigated Cadarette’s allegations that the meetings with a psychologist imposed by OPS were in fact with someone posing as a clinician. Cadarette had to undergo a mental fitness assessment in 2007, which came after she claimed she had complained to police that she had been the target of repeated sexual harassment. In a meeting recorded on camera last June, both Frey and Cadarette denied that they had ever seen each other face to face before. Const. Kimberly Cadarette said she still believes she has never met Frey and claims her sessions were not with a genuine therapist. (Judy Trin / CBC)
Following the news on CBC News, the OPS asked the York District Police to investigate Frey’s allegation of fraud. In November, police arrested and charged Frey with a false complaint. At the time, Frey’s lawyer told CBC News that the psychologist had no idea what the accusation might be and would strongly defend it.

A flip flop in court

But at a court hearing on April 22, Frey changed his story. The psychologist admitted that, in fact, he evaluated the Cadarette after being presented with new information, including the appointment records kept by the OPS Health and Safety Unit. “When I spoke to CBC about their story in June 2021, given the time, I had no recollection or record of meeting or evaluating Kim Cadarette in 2007,” Frey said, reading aloud from a prepared statement in court. “After reviewing the revelation and the investigative material gathered by the York Regional Police on this subject – which was recently provided to me – I acknowledge that I conducted an evaluation by Kim Cadarette.” Frey told the judge he saw Cadette to determine her eligibility to return to her OPS duties between September and October 2007. The Crown prosecutor did not give a specific reason for withdrawing the criminal charge and no evidence was presented in court other than Frey’s statement. “After completing this review and carefully examining the matter, the Crown has decided that the indictment was deliberate,” an Ontario Attorney General’s Department spokesman said in an email. Frey was arrested in November 2021 for allegedly making a false complaint about an imitator. (Judy Trin / CBC)
Frey did not respond to multiple interview requests after the April 22 hearing. Despite what happened in court, Cadarette said she was sure the man who evaluated her 15 years ago was not Frey – nor was he a real therapist. Frey’s admission has irritated her, she said. “[He] went on national television, you went through it thoroughly [assessment] report. In his own words, he said that this report was immoral, “said Cadarette. “It just doesn’t make sense.” CLOCKS Cadarette and Frey meet face to face at The National’s June 2021 report:

The female police officer discovers that her psychologist was not the one who said that

A CBC camera records a strange upheaval in a mysterious 15 years. A female police officer who was harassed discovers that the psychologist she was forced to see was a real scammer. 5:21

Live the “damaged” police career

The 2007 Mental Ability Report concluded that Cadarette had “partial paranoia” but could continue to work under close supervision. The officer, however, said he believed the assessment was fraudulent and that its contents had been leaked. The information in the report damaged her reputation, she said, even after she was transferred from OPS to Peel District Police, where she works today. “This has ruined my career,” he told CBC News. Caderette said that in 2007 she was stripped of her police-issued firearm and ordered to see a psychologist shortly after protesting to then-police chief Vern White that she had been sexually harassed and intimidated inside her squad. He said he saw a therapist for five one-hour sessions in a windowless medical examination room on the campus of the University of Ottawa. CLOCKS Cadarette reacts to news of Frey’s hearing:

The police officer says that she has never met a therapist involved in an imitation case

Const. Kimberly Cadarette said she was surprised by the admission of psychologist Dr. Ron Frey that he evaluated it. Last year, Frey told national television he had never met her and told police someone was impersonating him. He claims he never met. 0:31
In previous interviews, she said she and the therapist were sitting in folding chairs during the sessions and noted that the psychologist was driving a blue minivan. Frey told CBC News that he never had a minivan and that his office had plush chairs, with a window overlooking the street. Frey has reviewed Cadarette’s mental health assessment several times over the past two years, including a review with Cadarette and her lawyer, then with the CBC. This report described how the therapist would show up for a surprise visit to Cadarette’s workplace or cancel a last-minute appointment in an attempt to test the patient’s paranoia. In a television interview, Frey flatly denied using the techniques described in the document. “This would be, first of all, informal and highly immoral, and not something I can imagine any psychologist doing,” Frey said last summer. “I want to be clear that I did not evaluate it.” Following Frey’s arrest, the Ontario College of Psychologists imposed restrictions on his practice in late December. He could not provide individual therapy or evaluations unless he was under the supervision of another therapist. The supervisor also had to review Frey’s treatment plans for the patients. Now that the criminal charge has been dropped, the college says it will lift those restrictions.

Experience and control

Frey began working with the OPS more frequently on the recommendation of White, the former Ottawa police chief. White, now a senator, became acquainted with Frey’s work while working for the RCMP in Nunavut. The psychologist was often in the North helping officers deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. Frey has been a practicing psychologist since 2000. According to his resume, he has worked with dozens of public and private clients and has evaluated hundreds of patients from police departments across the country. He has also evaluated employees in the Public Security of Canada, the Canadian Border Service and the Department of Defense.
CLOCKS The psychologist says that the case raises questions:

Psychologist says Frey’s case could damage her reputation

Dr Mary Ann Campbell, a professor and practicing psychologist, says the Frey case will affect public perceptions of mental health services. 0:37
Frey’s previous experience may warrant further scrutiny, says Dr. Mary Ann Campbell, director of the Center for the Study of Criminal Justice at the University of New Brunswick. She is also a practicing psychologist who has worked with law enforcement agencies. “So it makes us wonder, are there other cases where there has been an obvious mistake or miscalculation of the way one should do one’s job?” Campbell said the memory is wrong and that therapists will not necessarily remember all of their patients unless there are circumstances that stand out. However, he said assessments of suitability for the job should be made with the utmost care, as they can affect an officer’s course of work. While Dr. Frey can see many patients, Kimberly does not see many doctors – and it is certain that he was not the one who treated her – Peter Brauti, Kimberly Cadarette’s lawyer
“In these types of settings where we determine whether or not you are capable of being at work, whether you should have your weapon or the parameters of how you should do your job – it is our duty as a profession to be very reliable, trustworthy. , knowledge of the practices of psychology related to this work, so that we provide good psychological care and do not harm anyone.

Seeking accountability

Cadarette’s legal team said the lawsuit had left them with more questions. “While Dr. Frey can see many patients, Kimberly does not see many doctors – and she is convinced that he was not the one who treated her,” said Peter Brauti, a Cadarette lawyer. “It’s catastrophic [to Cadarette] “It’s like kicking someone down when they’re down.” Brownie said he has not seen the Crown revelation, but also finds it difficult to accept Frey’s flip-flops. “He agreed to go with you to the CBC to meet her in person for the first time. I mean, he needed to know how serious that was and how confident he had to be in his media responses.” Brownie called the test a “severe punishment” and said his client was considering filing a lawsuit against Frey and filing a complaint with the Ontario College of Psychologists.