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WHO IS KELLY DONOVAN?

She made a decision to speak out against something she believed was wrong. She never imagined the journey ahead.

In 2016, Kelly Donovan was a police constable working as a Use of Force Instructor for the Waterloo Regional Police Service. She witnessed what she believed were abuses of power when police investigate themselves for domestic violence. She learned that Ontario laws prohibited police officers from making complaints against their chief of police, so she made an unprotected disclosure of wrongdoing by the chief to the police services board.

Kelly faced reprisal for making her disclosure in 2016, and she continues to face reprisal today - even after resigning in 2017.

Public Disclosure

Kelly believes firmly that it is in the public's interest that police business should be transparent, and that's why she created this site for visitors to read all public documents filed in her matter. Transparency is especially important when police use legitimate legal processes to silence a critic or whistleblower.

You can access all public documents in the main navigation menu under "Legal Proceedings" and search by year, or by using the links below where the information is organized by level of court/tribunal.

In the News

Delegation to the Board - May, 2016
Release of Report - July, 2017
Re-Attendance at Board Meeting - September, 2017
Class Action Lawsuit - January, 2018
The Whistleblower Show - March, 2020
Book Launch, Police Line: Do Not Cross - July, 2020
The CBC's Fifth Estate - February, 2021
ACFE Women's Summit - March, 2023
Kelly Donovan on Confronting Police Corruption
01:30:55
Pam Palmater

Kelly Donovan on Confronting Police Corruption

Kelly Donovan on Confronting Police Corruption Warrior Life Podcast with host Pam Palmater This week's Warrior Life podcast is an extended interview with former police officer, Kelly Donovan an Indigenous women from the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne. She has a stunning story to tell about how and why she became a whistleblower to combat police corruption and the battles waged against her as a result. You can buy her books here: Police Line: Do Not Cross: Silencing a Canadian Police Whistleblower https://amzn.to/3v6N9ob Systemic Misfeasance in Ontario Policing and the Coordinated Suppression of Whistleblowers https://amzn.to/48EfSOV Kelly on Twitter https://twitter.com/Fit4Duty_Ethics Kelly on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fit4duty_ethics/ Kelly's website: https://www.policevswhistleblower.ca/ Kelly's Podcast https://www.policevswhistleblower.ca/podcast Original Warrior Life Podcast (audio) version: https://soundcloud.com/pampalmater/kelly-donovan-on-confronting-police-corruption JOIN my channel as a member and get special emotes & perks! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTeExnsj_hu87OwPCHcBcjA/join - - - - - Hi! I'm Dr. Pam Palmater, an Indigenous lawyer, professor, author, and producer. I create educational videos, podcasts, blogs, and other content about Indigenous issues. I provide critical analysis about state laws, policies, and practices that impact Indigenous peoples, and highlight the important work of First Nation (Canada) and Native American (USA) warriors on the frontlines of Native resistance, resurgence, and revitalization. I am a citizen of the Mi’kmaw Nation and a member of Eel River Bar First Nation from Mi’kma’ki (Mi’kmaw territory in New Brunswick, Canada). I am the producer and host of the Warrior Life Podcast which helps lift the voices of Indigenous leaders, advocates, land defenders, water protectors, actors, artists and even chefs! I am also the producer and host of the Warrior Kids Podcast – an award-winning children’s podcast which celebrates everything Indigenous – languages, stories and cool Native peeps! https://www.warriorkidspodcast.com My newest podcast is Criminals on Patrol - shining a light on the dark side of the "thin blue line" in policing. https://www.criminalsonpatrol.com - - - - - FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER https://www.twitter.com/Pam_Palmater FOLLOW ME ON IG https://www.instagram.com/pam_palmater FOLLOW ME ON TIKTOK https://www.tiktok.com/@pampalmater Please note: Nothing in this podcast/video advocates for violence on Indigenous territories. Please also note: The information contained in this podcast/video/stream should not be misconstrued as legal, financial, medical and/or personal advice; nor should it be relied on as such. These podcasts/videos/streams are for educational purposes and represent fair political comment. Any pictures, audio clips and/or video clips that do not belong to me or from the public domain, remain the copyright of the owners and are only used here for educational purposes. - - - - If you would like more information about these issues, you can check out my website at: https://www.pampalmater.com If you would like to support my work and help keep it independent, here is the link to my Patreon account: www.patreon.com/join/2144345 Or you could leave a tip on the Buy Me A Coffee app: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/pampalmater Or you can donate on the Ko-Fi app: https://www.ko-fi.com/pampalmater - - - - - MY BOOKS: Warrior Life: Indigenous Resistance and Resurgence by Fernwood Publishing https://www.amzn.to/3lAleUk Indigenous Nationhood by Fernwood Publishing https://www.amzn.to/3R5iZqu Beyond Blood: Rethinking Indigenous Identity https://www.amzn.to/3xN1jcl NEW WARRIOR LIFE PODCAST MERCH: https://www.teespring.com/stores/warrior-life-2 #indigenous #police #books Photo permission: Kelly Donovan

Kelly's Books:

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Public Speaking

Kelly has spoken at several conferences, including; Canadian Institute, Conference Board of Canada, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), Association of Canadian Financial Officers (ACFO-ACAF)

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