Ex-Listuguj police officer faces charges after Quebec police watchdog investigation

By Canadian Press on January 7, 2026.

MONTREAL — A former officer with the Listuguj Police Department is facing criminal charges following an investigation by Quebec’s police watchdog.

Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes says Cass Barnaby is facing charges of extortion, non-consensual publication of intimate images, and harassing communications.

The charges are related to alleged offences in 2024 in the Mi’kmaq community of Listuguj, a First Nation on the Gaspé Peninsula near the border with New Brunswick.

The watchdog says Barnaby was arrested in early December and appeared in court in Carleton-sur-Mer, Que., on Dec. 18.

It says 38 peace officers have been arrested after investigations by the watchdog since the agency was created in 2016.

The agency investigates serious incidents involving police officers in the province.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2026.

The Canadian Press