By Dan Jones LJI
Northumberland 89.7 FM
The policing past of Cobourg’s newest police chief is not an issue, said the chair of the Cobourg Police Services Board, Friday.
Board Chair Adam Bureau said the new chief, Chris Leather, was thoroughly vetted before being hired.
The Cobourg Police Service Board announced on Wednesday night that Chris Leather would take over from retiring police chief Paul VanderGraaf, effective June 1.
Leather has an extensive 36-year policing career, including 21 years with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Leather was the Chief Superintendent in Nova Scotia during the 2020 mass casualty incident, which left 23 people dead, including the perpetrator, while three others were injured. It is the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history.
During the incident, Leather provided statements to the media on April 19, 2020, following the massacre, saying, “I can tell you that in excess of 10 people have been killed, but the investigation is still ongoing, and I expect to have more details in that regard in the coming days,” in response to a Canadian Press reporter.
When pressed to explain “in excess of,” Leather responded, “We don’t have a complete, uh … we’re not fully aware of what that total may be because as we’re standing here the investigation continues into areas that we’ve not yet explored across the province.”
Following the tragedy, the federal and Nova Scotia governments ordered a commission to investigate what happened.
The Mass Casualty Commission Final Report stated at the time of the press conference in April 2020, the RCMP knew of 17 deaths. The final report was critical of the handling of communications.
“RCMP witnesses acknowledged that there were problems with the transparency and accuracy of the RCMP’s public communications in the days following the mass casualty,” the report said. “While they testified that they never intentionally misled the public, some of the information they provided was incorrect, and other information did not fully reflect what the RCMP knew at the time.”
The Commission found days after this press briefing, Leather and other senior leaders in Nova Scotia withheld information from the public, including victims’ names and details about the weapon used by the killer, despite RCMP officials in Ottawa calling for the release of this information.
“There were a number of questions I wasn’t prepared for … having the limited experience I had in those types of scenarios,” Leather told the inquiry on July 27, 2022, during the commission hearings. “That’s what led to some of the incorrect accounting. I’ll say it right now: obviously, I missed the mark on more than a couple occasions.”
Shortly after, Leather was transferred out of Nova Scotia. He joined the federal modernization project at the RCMP National Headquarters in Ottawa. Then, he was promoted to serve as Chief Superintendent and Criminal Operations Officer for the RCMP’s Central Region (Ontario), until being hired in Cobourg.
In a press release issued Wednesday by Cobourg Police Service, Leather’s appointment was announced.
“I look forward to working closely with the Police Service Board, our policing partners, and the residents of Cobourg to advance public safety, strengthen community engagement, support the well-being of our members, and ensure the Service continues to meet the evolving needs of the community with accountability, compassion, and professionalism,” he said in the release.
When asked about his role in the mass shooting in an interview outside the Cobourg Police station on Thursday, Leather said he took accountability for his handling of information to the media in 2020.
“It’s in my past. It’s several years ago. The organization (RCMP) and myself have done a lot to understand our response to a mass casualty event,” he explained. “I also think there has been plenty of opportunity both formally and through the Commission itself, the various investigative bodies, and the media, of course, to assess, analyse and dissect what took place. I want to be forward looking. I hope the community understands that, that we all learn from that experience.”
Leather said he’s hopeful this part of his career won’t affect his job while in Cobourg. He also said his Nova Scotia experience was disclosed to the Police Board during the due diligence process and was discussed.
The Cobourg Police Board, upon learning of VandeGraaf’s retirement in December, commenced the search for a new police chief, contracting a recruitment firm to recommend candidates. A three-person subcommittee of the Police Board was formed to oversee the hiring process.
Bureau said the subcommittee spent hundreds of hours combing through candidate applications and conducting interviews before agreeing on Leather. He explained that the subcommittee did a deep dive on Leather’s involvement in the Nova Scotia mass casualty incident, including discussing that with Leather. Ultimately, the Bureau said Leather has owned up to his mistakes from six years ago.
“We looked at that and agreed that that was a mistake. He has owned up to it. Since that time, the RCMP has promoted him a few times,” said Bureau.
Both the recruitment firm and the Police Board viewed Leather as a strong candidate, and the Board voted unanimously in favour of the chief selection.
Leather stood out above other candidates for his work with the RCMP in organized crime and drugs divisions, believing this experience and knowledge would be an asset to Cobourg, Bureau said.
Bureau added, Leather will need an adjustment period before implementing his vision for policing in Cobourg; however, he remarked that Leather is tough on crime. As to his full vision, the public will have to wait to see that develop.
“I think he’s going to be tough on crime. He’s going to be a great leader for the officers. I think the history and the knowledge that he has can only benefit Cobourg,” Bureau explained. “I think we really did this right.”
(With files from the Canadian Press.)
The full interview with incoming Cobourg Police Chief Chris Leather:
Originally aired: Thursday, May 21, 2026
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