Overview

• After spray-painting the National Holocaust Monument on June 9 with red paint and the words “FEED ME,” municipal lawyer Iain Aspenlieder was charged with mischief to a war memorial, mischief exceeding $5,000 and harassment.
• The City of Ottawa terminated Aspenlieder’s employment and the Law Society of Ontario imposed an administrative suspension following the hate-crime charges.
• The Ottawa Police Service’s hate and bias crime unit is leading an ongoing investigation into the defacement of the 2017 memorial.
• A 2014 amendment to the Criminal Code established penalties of up to ten years’ imprisonment for mischief against war memorials on indictment.
• A bail hearing is scheduled for July 2 as the case moves forward in court.