Kelowna RCMP sergeant fired for drunk driving

A Kelowna RCMP sergeant has been fired after being caught drunk driving for the second time in his career.

According to a recently published Dec. 11, 2025, RCMP Conduct Board decision, Kelowna RCMP Sergeant Quinton Mackie had bloodshot and watery eyes, and smelled of liquor when he was stopped at a police roadblock near Prince George three years ago.

The sergeant mentioned he was an RCMP officer while at the roadside stop, but that didn’t make a difference, and he was told to blow into the breathalyzer. He blew a “fail.”

“The public expects police officers to adhere to the law and uphold the highest standards of conduct. Impaired driving by police officers is a serious breach of social responsibility and safety,” the RCMP Conduct Board said in the decision. 

The decision said instead of proceeding under the Criminal Code, Mackie was given a 90-day roadside suspension and issued a $500 fine.

The RCMP then wanted him fired.

“Conduct that would otherwise amount to a criminal offence is fundamentally irreconcilable with the duties of a police officer, whose legitimacy depends on exemplifying respect for the law. Moreover, impaired driving poses a known and substantial risk to human life and public safety,” the Board said. “The conduct is not merely unlawful, but also recklessly endangers others and is incompatible with a police officer’s duty to protect and serve the public.”

Mackie argued a 30 to 40 day pay suspension was a more appropriate sanction and pointed to his 24-year record with the force, and that he was on the low end of drunk driving.

The decision said Mackie had been on sick leave since 2021 and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder that year.

He testified he was under considerable stress at the time, and the year before had major surgery followed by a lengthy recovery. He was also testifying in an unnamed case at the Human Rights Tribunal for a historical investigation he had led.

“Mackie relayed that the historical case and subsequent proceeding ‘was tough’ and a ‘huge weight’ on him. He also shared his involvement in assisting family members with their care and health concerns. Sergeant Mackie stated that all of 2022 and 2023 were ‘extremely stressful,’” the decision reads.

The RCMP Conduct Board said that while it acknowledged Mackie’s personal struggles, it highlighted that there was no evidence that his personal circumstances had any connection to him choosing to drink and drive.

“I accept that this PTSD diagnosis could be considered a disability for the purposes of this analysis. However, no expert medical evidence was put before me to establish the link between Sergeant Mackie’s decision to drive while impaired on the night of May 20, 2023, and his PTSD diagnosis,” the Board ruled.

The Conduct Board also pointed out that Mackie had been issued a nine-day suspension in 2017 for drunk driving. At the time, he’d said it was an isolated incident that was out of character.

However, the Conduct Board didn’t buy it.

“I find that the recurrence of Sergeant Mackie’s almost identical misconduct six years later prevents me from considering these same mitigating factors under the current circumstances,” the Board said.

Mackie’s lawyer argued he’d “proudly attained” the rank of sergeant and spent 24 years in the RCMP. In that time, he had “accumulated traumatic experiences” that caused his PTSD. 

“(Mackie’s lawyer) explained that he had engaged in therapy to address the issues accumulating in his life and underlined his willingness to engage in further treatment, which he claims the RCMP had a duty to accommodate,” the decision reads.

However, the Conduct Board said no expert medical evidence had been provided to support this assertion, and it wouldn’t consider it.

“One of the objectives of the disciplinary process is to preserve public confidence in the RCMP. Sergeant Mackie’s second impaired driving offence conveys a disregard for the law and may lead the public to believe that officers are not held accountable,” The Board ruled.

Ultimately, the RCMP Conduct Board ordered Mackie to resign within 14 days, or it would fire him.