Speakers

The lead investigator and lead prosecutor on the high-profile Hockey Canada case will discuss the challenges and successes they had in bringing this case forward. They will discuss the unique context in which the second investigation took place and how the passage of time and intersecting external processes impacted the case. They will describe some of the complex legal and procedural issues that arose during the trial including jury issues and the admissibility of electronic evidence, and use the case as a jumping off point to discuss how courts continue to struggle with understanding complex victim behaviour, and the importance of adopting a collaborative and victim-centered approach to these difficult cases.

Lyndsey Ryan has 16 years of policing experience and is a detective with the London Police Service.

Lyndsey holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto and spent the first seven years of her policing career with the Toronto Police Service. During that time,
she worked in the Major Crime Section investigating street-level crime, and the Youth and Family Violence Unit where she specialized in investigations involving women and vulnerable victims. This included sexual assault, domestic and elder abuse, offences against children, and other cases involving individuals at heightened risk of harm.

In 2017, Lyndsey transferred to the London Police Service, where she continued to work on complex and highprofile investigations. She served as the lead investigator in the
2022 Hockey Canada sexual assault case and works on special projects as a Part VI affiant.

Lyndsey has an interest in applying evidence based practices to realworld policing. In 2025, Lyndsey completed a Master of Applied Criminology and Police Management degree with thesis distinction at the University of Cambridge. Her research explored ways to improve investigative quality and outcomes.
Lyndsey is currently the Search Warrant Coordinator for the London Police Service and is seconded to Special Projects. In these roles, she supports investigative work across the service while contributing to broader initiatives aimed at strengthening investigative standards and organizational practice.

The lead investigator and lead prosecutor on the high-profile Hockey Canada case will discuss the challenges and successes they had in bringing this case forward. They will discuss the unique context in which the second investigation took place and how the passage of time and intersecting external processes impacted the case. They will describe some of the complex legal and procedural issues that arose during the trial including jury issues and the admissibility of electronic evidence, and use the case as a jumping off point to discuss how courts continue to struggle with understanding complex victim behaviour, and the importance of adopting a collaborative and victim-centered approach to these difficult cases.

Meaghan has been working as a Crown prosecutor for more than 20 years, primarily in Ottawa. Meaghan’s trial work has focussed on the prosecution of serious cases involving vulnerable victims, including intimate partner violence,
child abuse, sexual violence, human trafficking and homicides.

Meaghan has also argued appeals at the Ontario Court of Appeal and appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada. Meaghan was the East Region Sexual Violence Crown from 2015 to 2018, and the East Region Lead for the provincial Human Trafficking Prosecution Team from 2021-2023. She is currently counsel at the Crown Law Office – Criminal and the Chair of the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General’s Sexual Violence Advisory Group (SVAG), which is a specialized group
of prosecutors working full-time on enhancing the quality of sexual violence prosecutions and improving the victim’s experience in the criminal justice system.

As an originating member of the SVAG, Meaghan has been a leader in developing a trauma-informed prosecution model for sexual violence cases, and has created and delivered training to police, crowns, judges and defence lawyers
across Canada and internationally on issues relating to sexual and domestic violence, human trafficking and vicarious trauma and moral injury. Meaghan is a course director for the Ontario Crown Attorney’s Association summer school
course on Sexual Violence and a frequent invited speaker to other courses and conferences.

Meaghan believes strongly in the value of mentorship, and she is the Chair of Ontario’s Crown Mentorship Program. In 2018 Meaghan was the recipient of the Ontario Crown Attorney’s Association Leo McGuigan award, recognizing
prosecutorial and leadership abilities, as well as a commitment to education and mentorship. Meaghan lives in Ottawa with her spouse, son, and Sheepadoodle, Pepper.

Gen A Lie takes a look at the rise of GenAI and the different ways that bad actors have found to abuse this emerging technology.

The presentation takes a look at some real-life cases involving GenAI content and the implications on not only criminal investigations, but on public opinion.

Ian Whiffin is the Senior Customer Engagement Manager at Cellebrite and has recently presented on AI in police investigations at Interpol.

Ian Whiffin starting his career in policing in 2004 with South Yorkshire Police in the UK before emigrating to Canada in 2009 and continuing his policing career. In 2013 Ian began work as a Digital Forensics Examiner and worked a variety of cases before moving to Cellebrite in 2019 as a Senior Digital Intelligence Expert, Decoding Product Manager, and is current Senior Customer Engagement Manager.

Ian continues to work in the Digital Forensics field and writes independent research blogs and tools for fun which are available to all via his website.

This presentation provides an overview of the RCMP’s Phased Interview Model (PIM) and the Interview Assistance Team (IAT) structure, accompanied by a case study demonstrating how both models can be integrated during sexual assault suspect interviews. The case study will highlight key aspects of the PIM
and IAT approach in a suspect interview involving multiple child victims. It will showcase how different strategies can be applied within a coordinated team environment. The session will include selected interview clips and detailed explanations of strategies, techniques, team member roles and functions.
The presentation will emphasize the value of dialogue and objectivebased interviewing, and how these elements work together to advance suspect interviews.

R v Peter Nygård – Case Study:

Peter Nygård, founder of the once-famous Nygård international fashion brand, became the subject of a Toronto Police historical sexual assault investigation involving allegations from incidents dating from the late 1980s to 2005. He was charged in 2021, convicted in Toronto in 2023 on four counts of sexual assault, and sentenced in 2024 to 11 years in prison. Beyond Toronto, Nygård has faced major litigation and criminal allegations in the U.S., Bahamas, Manitoba, and Quebec, including sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

In 2019, an urgent 911 call reporting a break-and-enter in progress while the victim slept prompted an immediate emergency response and launched an investigation that quickly expanded beyond a single incident. As investigators and behavioural analysts identified a pattern of sexually motivated behaviour, the case revealed evidence of the suspect stalking a coworker and connections to earlier offenses attributed to the same individual. This session explores how the investigation evolved, the indicators that signaled escalating risk, and the multidisciplinary strategies used to link and address related criminal behaviour.

Cory Tait

Cory Tait is a 23-year member of the CPS currently working as a Sergeant in the District 1 District Operations Team.  He brings experience from patrol, various Investigative and
Operational / Offender Management Units including the Robbery unit, Break and Enter Unit, Prolific Offender Engagement Team, with experience in both Child Abuse and
Sexual Assault Investigations Units.

Darren Balsom

Darren Balsom is a Threat Assessment Specialist with the Calgary Police Service, where he has served for 22 years and is currently part of the Behavioural Analysis Team. He brings extensive experience from the High Risk Offender Program, the Serious Habitual Offender Program, and the General Analysis Section. He completed the RCMP Threat Evaluation and Management Understudy Program and was designated a Criminal Profiler in 2026. His work focuses on threat assessment, behavioural profiling, and offender risk analysis and management, emphasizing the translation of behavioural indicators into clear, defensible strategies that enhance public
safety. A Past President of the Canadian Association of Threat Assessment Professionals, he has delivered training across government and community sectors and has lectured throughout North America as well as in Africa, Europe, and Asia. He holds degrees in psychology and criminology from Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Drawing from her own experiences navigating the criminal justice system, she will explore how trauma impacts memory, reporting, and survivor engagement with police.

The presentation will examine the persistence of rape myths, barriers to trust in institutional systems, and the importance of trauma-informed interviewing practices in supporting both survivors and effective investigations. She will also discuss her advocacy work surrounding publication ban reform and amendments to the Criminal Code of Canada through Bill S-12.

Kelly Favro is a nationally recognized sexual assault survivor advocate and co-founder of the advocacy organization Beyond the Verdict – https://www.beyondtheverdict.ca/. After testifying in her own criminal trial
in 2016, she turned her lived experience into meaningful change by contributing to amendments to Canada’s Criminal Code in 2023 that rewrote publication ban laws and helped to restore autonomy to survivors.

Kelly now works nationally with parliamentarians, legal professionals, and media to confront rape myths and strengthen trauma-informed practices around sexual assaults.
Her experience helps bridge how the law is written and how it is actually experienced by survivors in courts.

As a speaker, Kelly brings a rare perspective that brings survivor experience and legal reform together. Her goal is to challenge institutions to be more victim-centred in sexual assault investigations while maintaining integrity, neutrality, and most importantly public trust.

Two violent cold case sexual assaults solved after 40 years

Investigator Allen is a retired Detective with 26 years of service at the Calgary Police Service, including 18 years within Major Crimes. This tenure spanned the Child Abuse, Homicide, and Sexual Assault Investigative Units, with 13 years of experience as a Crisis Negotiator.

TBD

Rosalind (Rose) Greenwood has an undergraduate honors degree in criminology from Simon Fraser University and a law degree with distinction from the University of Alberta. After clerking with the Alberta Court of King’s Bench in Calgary, Alberta, Rose started her legal career in the litigation and energy department of a large corporate commercial law firm in Calgary. In 2010, at risk of spooning her eyes out, Rose decided it was time for a career change and accepted a position with the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service in Calgary. For the first fifteen years of her prosecution career, Rose’s practice focussed in the areas of child abuse, child sexual assault, animal cruelty, major sexual assault and homicide. During this time, Rose was fortunate to work very closely with the Calgary Police Service Sex Assault Investigative Unit (SAIU), providing charge advice, education and working with SAIU Detectives on specific prosecutions. In 2025, Rose accepted a position as Senior Counsel in Regional Prosecutions and now works exclusively with the RCMP Major Crimes Unit prosecuting homicides in rural Alberta.

In 2022, the Calgary Police Service received two reports of sexual assaults and robberies occurring at local massage studios. An investigation was initiated, which identified the presence of a serial predatory/specialized offender operating in Calgary. From the initial reports through to the identification and arrest of the suspect, a total of ten related incidents were investigated. As none of the victims were able to see the suspect’s face, traditional visual identification methods were not viable.

This presentation examines the investigative strategies used to identify and apprehend the offender, with particular emphasis on case-building techniques and the deliberate application of investigative pressure to prompt critical errors, ultimately advancing the investigation and leading to the suspect’s identification.

Retired Detective Fitzgibbon served with the Calgary Police Service for over 25 years, including 17 years at the rank of Detective. The majority of his investigative career was spent in Major Crimes, focusing on complex and high-risk investigations. For the past six years, he worked within the Sexual Assault Investigative Unit, both as a Detective and as the Unit’s File Assessment/Investigative Coordinator. In this latter role, he reviewed all sexual assault files received by the Calgary Police Service, determining whether cases met the threshold for specialized investigative follow-up or should remain with patrol. Ret. Detective Fitzgibbon possesses extensive operational experience in the investigation of serial sexual offenders. His experience includes the application of advanced investigative techniques, behavioural analysis, victim-centered approaches and evidence managements practices required to support a complex investigation and lead to prosecution. This level of specialized, operational experience is not readily available. In addition to his investigative experience, he is a regular at CPC and has demonstrated his ability to effectively transfer knowledge in a training environment. To date, Ret. Detective Fitzgibbon’s combination of specialized subject matter expertise, leadership experience in sexual offence investigations, and direct involvement in complex serial offender cases constitutes a unique offering.