A Citizen’s Four-Year Fight to Correct the Public Record

By Dana-lee Melfi

I was born and raised in Ottawa.

I have never been convicted of any crime.

I have trained police officers and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) members in technology and secure systems.

I have held high-level security clearances in government and private industry.

I am still employed by SaskTel (a Saskatchewan Crown corporation), yet for the past five years, I have lived on $733 per month social assistance due to a rare medical condition that causes my shoulders to dislocate multiple times a day. I wear a bilateral brace 24/7. The pain is constant. I wish I could work.

On February 19, 2022, I was arrested while standing peacefully in the street during widespread protests at Parliament Hill against federal mandates. The charges—disobeying a lawful court order, obstructing police, mischief—carried a potential sentence of decades in prison.

Every charge rested on official records that were false or incomplete.

When I filed a 17-page Charter Challenge exposing those discrepancies, all charges were withdrawn.

They thought the matter was closed.

It was not.

The Evidence Trail

Disclosures from the Law Enforcement Complaints Agency (LECA File E-202410211407481365) and the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP (CRCC Complaint 2025-3732 / Our File 2025-1265157) later revealed the arresting officer was RCMP Mathieu Castonguay #57914—not an Ottawa Police Service (OPS) officer as every official record claimed.

Release papers originally stated “Disobey Lawful Court Order”—the word “Court” was systematically removed in final versions, altering the charge.

Video evidence shows Mathieu Castonguay #57914 personally arresting multiple citizens, including myself and Jason VanderWier (docket 22-A8408), who was convicted on the same false information and is now appealing.

OPS Officer Jim Kiuoon #10234 was repeatedly listed as the “arresting officer” on paperwork for many individuals—even though he did not make the arrests. His name and role were deliberately excluded from final oversight decisions.

When this pattern was raised with oversight bodies, they refused to investigate, misrepresented complaints, or closed files without review:

• LECA terminated the complaint and directed Ottawa Police to stop the criminal investigation.
• Inspectorate of Policing (IOP) Complaint #26-46 was refused under s.107(2)(b) and misrepresented as accusing Eric Stubbs.
• CRCC named Mathieu Castonguay #57914, but closed without addressing the falsifications.
• OPS Criminal File #25-299498 (opened on CRCC advice) alleges conspiracy to falsify documentation under Criminal Code ss. 366 (forgery) and 465(1)(b) (conspiracy)—and remains active.

The RCMP told the Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC) under oath: no RCMP arrests occurred during the Emergencies Act invocation.
Yet Mathieu Castonguay #57914 arrested multiple people, and those arrests were omitted or misattributed in every official record.

Commissioner Paul Rouleau, appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, stated on the record during the inquiry:

“I sometimes think I am no more than a puppet, with a lot of puppeteers behind, making the whole system work. I deserve no credit for what has happened here today.”

These are the system’s own words.

The Oversight Chain

I pursued every mechanism available:

• LECA File 22-A8428 / E-202410211407481365—terminated without review of offered evidence
• CRCC 2025-3732 / 2025-1265157—named Mathieu Castonguay #57914 but closed without correction
• Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) Legacy Case #25-0127—never transitioned under the Community Safety and Policing Act (CSPA)
• IOP Complaint #26-46—refused under s.107(2)(b), misrepresented as accusing Eric Stubbs
• RCMP Professional Responsibility #00056504
• OPS Criminal File #25-299498—active, alleging conspiracy to falsify
• Ongoing privacy corrections with OPC & IPC
• Orders In Council (OIC) / Department of Justice (DOJ) Binding Report 2024 OIC 53—legally binding orders against DOJ for deemed refusal

Each body issued final, non-reviewable decisions without considering all things — in violation of CSPA ss. 153, 158, 161 and RCMP Act s. 45.61(1)(b).

The Human Cost

These falsifications were not abstract. They were used to charge me with offences that could have meant decades in prison. They were used to convict Jason VanderWier on the same false information. They were used to justify the invocation of the Emergencies Act, which the Federal Court later ruled unreasonable, unjustified, and a violation of Charter rights.

Citizen Tools

I am not here to bring any institution into disrepute. I am here to hold them to the standard they claim—for future generations. I use only the citizen tools the system provides—because when Justin Trudeau said “we are using all tools available,” he never addressed the concerns of millions on the front steps. I am using the tools citizens actually have.

This is bigger than one arrest.

This is about whether official records can be trusted, whether oversight mechanisms work, and whether the public interest is served when evidence is refused and records remain uncorrected.

If this matters to you—regardless of where you stand politically—read the documents. Share them. Ask questions. Demand answers. The record is now public.

Peace requires truth.

Where do you stand?

The full public record is now available at: peace-man.ca/accountability, including all files, photos, PDFs, and correspondence. Updates are made daily. Everything is free, open, and transparent.

Citizens hold the key.