Title: B.C. RCMP commanding officer relieved of duties following unspecified allegations

URL Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/dwayne-mcdonald-allegations-relieved-duties-9.7306665

Published Time: 2026-08-13T22:59:10.144Z

Markdown Content:
[British Columbia](http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia)

The B.C. RCMP's commanding officer has been ousted following unspecified allegations dating from 2016 to 2018, according to a statement from the force. Dwayne McDonald, who served as the RCMP's deputy commissioner, was relieved of his duties.

## Dwayne McDonald has been replaced by John Brewer, following unspecified allegations dating from 2016 to 2018

[Akshay Kulkarni](http://www.cbc.ca/author/akshay-kulkarni-1.6031235) · CBC News

· Posted: Aug 13, 2026 6:59 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 14

![Image 1: Text to Speech Icon](http://www.cbc.ca/a/assets/texttospeech.svg)

Listen to this article

Estimated 2 minutes

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.

![Image 2: A white man with white combed hair is seen speaking.](https://i.cbc.ca/ais/d5289030-ac75-4ca2-a65e-198bb4ed62df,1778643585597/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C142%2C8640%2C4860%29%3B)

Dwayne McDonald has been relieved of his duties as the top cop of the B.C. RCMP, according to a Thursday statement from the force.(Ben Nelms/CBC)

The RCMP's commanding officer in B.C. has been relieved of his duties following unspecified allegations dating from 2016 to 2018, according to a statement from the force.

Dwayne McDonald has been replaced in his capacity as deputy commissioner and B.C. RCMP commanding officer by John Brewer, who previously headed up [B.C.'s extortion task force](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/david-eby-comments-extortion-task-force-rcmp-john-brewer-9.7055164).

The [statement](https://rcmp.ca/en/news/2026/08/4355904), attributed to RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme on Thursday, said the force would not be providing further details on the allegations at this time.

"I want to reassure you that there will be no impact on RCMP operations or policing services in the province," Duheme said in the statement.

![Image 3: A police officer in a blue uniform is seen in front of mannequins.](https://i.cbc.ca/ais/2b7bca15-13fa-4514-8957-9ae60a3bf68a,1786662124900/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C4143%2C3465%29%3B)

Dwayne McDonald had also served as the RCMP's deputy commissioner in addition to his role as the top Mountie in B.C. He is seen here in 2023.(Maggie MacPherson/CBC)

The statement says the allegations are under investigation, and they were "recently brought" to the RCMP's attention.

McDonald was formerly the [top cop at the Surrey RCMP](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/dwayne-washington-new-surrey-rcmp-chief-1.3791415), and [served as the RCMP's criminal operations officer](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/surrey-rcmp-dwayne-mcdonald-1.5323260)in charge of federal and organized crime investigations for the province of B.C.

CBC News has reached out to the RCMP for more on this story.

McDonald's bio has been removed [from a page](https://rcmp.ca/en/corporate-information/senior-executive-committee) listing the RCMP's senior executive committee.

A [2024 bio](https://rcmp.ca/en/bc/corporate-information/bc-rcmp-commanding-officer) said he had nearly three decades of law enforcement experience, and previously worked at the Canada Border Services Agency.

He had held a number of other roles — including heading up both the Lower Mainland's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team and the anti-gang Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit — and frequently spoke at news conferences.

![Image 4: A police officer speaks in front of a blue background.](https://i.cbc.ca/ais/b1c98422-1dff-4726-a825-0de8dbdc45e5,1786662547978/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%28578%2C410%2C6141%2C4069%29%3B)

As head of the B.C. RCMP, McDonald was responsible for the largest of the RCMP's 15 divisions.(Ben Nelms/CBC)

McDonald [received](https://www.cacp.ca/_Library/order_of_merit_of_the_police_forces_recipients/201606241919511556829791_oomlistofrecipients20142015.pdf) the Order of Merit of the Police Forces in 2015.

The B.C. RCMP, or E Division, is the largest of the force's 15 divisions.

![Image 5: A police officer wearing a white shirt with an RCMP badge speaks.](https://i.cbc.ca/ais/0722f91c-a16b-4f65-a609-a0a5edf75635,1770256045499/full/max/0/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C7370%2C5760%29%3B)

John Brewer, who has now been appointed as the top cop for the B.C. RCMP in an interim capacity, was previously the head of B.C.'s extortion task force.(Ben Nelms/CBC)

Brewer, who was appointed as interim commanding officer of E Division and deputy commissioner, was previously an assistant commissioner with the RCMP.

In the RCMP statement, Duheme is quoted as saying that Brewer has his full confidence, and that he is a "respected member of the RCMP’s senior leadership team."