Guelph Police Service told they can fire disgraced officer Corey McArthur

The Guelph Police Service has been given the go-ahead to dismiss Corey McArthur unless, that is, he decides to resign within the next seven days.

The decision, announced on Friday, marked the end of the officer’s 10-year battle to keep his job.

In September 2016, a 17-year-old boy was taken to the hospital after threatening to hurt himself. A security camera caught McArthur elbowing the teen, who was handcuffed to a hospital bed at the time. The boy had a 3.5-centimetre laceration under his right eye, bruising and swelling on his face, as well as marks on his eyes and neck. McArthur initially claimed the teen’s injuries were self-inflicted but, when hospital staff watched the security video, they saw McArthur strike the boy.

• TIMELINE: Corey McArthur’s troubled past with the Guelph Police Service

McArthur eventually pleaded guilty to discreditable conduct.

The decision at his first penalty hearing was for dismissal, but that was later overturned on appeal.

At the second penalty hearing, McArthur’s lawyers argued he was suffering from undiagnosed and untreated post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at the time of the assault, stemming from the 2013 death of his policing partner. Since then, they said, McArthur has sought out treatment and was ready to return to policing.

The Guelph Police Service disputed that assertion by pointing to McArthur’s history of volatile behaviour and noted violence was not an established symptom of PTSD.

Penalty hearing decision

Morris Elbers, the hearing officer, sided with the Guelph Police Service.

“I had difficulty in the rationale for the actions of Const. Corey McArthur,” he explained Friday. “To equate this to PTSD is a large leap which isn’t rational in my opinion.”

Elbers said the teen was no threat to anyone but himself and should reasonably expect the officers to take care of him.

Elbers also questioned McArthur’s failure to report the incident.

“Why was his action not documented?”

Elbers was troubled by McArthur’s apparent lack of remorse and also felt McArthur still believed he did nothing wrong.

The hearing officer said McArthur betrayed the trust of the community, his fellow officers and the Guelph Police Service. If McArthur were to remain an officer, he added, it would likely damage the reputation of the force. Elbers also questioned whether McArthur could ever be trusted again with a gun.

Response from Guelph Police Service

CTV News reached out to the Guelph Police Service for comment on McArthur’s hearing.

They only reiterated the facts of the case, shared here in full.

“On July 17, 2026, the sentencing hearing for Constable Corey McArthur concluded,” it said. “The Hearing Officer ordered that Constable Corey McArthur shall be dismissed from the Guelph Police Service in seven days unless he resigns before that time. The Hearing Officer’s decision will be posted on the Guelph Police Service website on July 20, 2026.”

With reporting from Colton Wiens and Krista Simpson