HUNTER: No mention of murdered Ontario cop as killer inches closer to full parole

No one in Sudbury has forgotten Joe MacDonald -- even if the parole board appears to have

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Published Apr 20, 2026  •  Last updated 11 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD: Sudbury Police Const. Joe MacDonald. SPS

Joe MacDonald wasn’t on the itinerary at a virtual parole confab in early April.

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The tragic northern Ontario cop wasn’t mentioned.

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Odd given that ultimately his murder is the reason career criminal Peter Pennett was before the board.

The cop killer is now inching ever closer to full parole as the board extended his day parole another six months. It seems McDonald, his widow, and his children who have grown up without him were an afterthought.

This is all very telling. It’s important that Joe MacDonald’s name be screamed a thousand times from the rooftops.

Murdered in cold blood

On Oct. 7, 1993, two criminals — Pennett and a bum named Clinton Suzack —  encountered Sudbury cop MacDonald, a husband and father of two young children, during a routine traffic stop. Pennett and Suzack ambushed, pistol-whipped, and then shot MacDonald, 29.

MacDonald was hit with seven bullets — including three in the back of his head. The duo also threatened witnesses who tried to help the mortally wounded officer.

The two killers were quickly nabbed and in 1995 were sentenced to life in prison with no parole for 25 years.

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Peter Pennett, who was convicted in the slaying of Sudbury Police Const. Joe MacDonald. ALAN CAIRNS/TORONTO SUN FILES

Pennett holding the bag

Suzack pegged out at a halfway house in January 2025.

That leaves Pennett holding the bag.

This column is less about Pennett than about the Parole Board of Canada not being able to bring itself to utter the name of the victim of this heinous crime. It is nothing short of shameful.

“Without doubt, your index offending represents incredibly serious and devastating violent behaviour and is a clear aggravating factor,” the board wrote.

Then, the document obtained by the Toronto Sun outlines in agonizing detail Pennett’s long criminal history. It notes that, yeah, there are victim impact statements on file.

The Toronto Sun front page for Sunday, March 5, 1995 includes a photo of Nancy MacDonald visiting the grave of slain husband Joe MacDonald.

Actions caused ’emotional and psychological trauma’

“According to these, your actions have caused, and continue to cause, a high degree of ongoing emotional and
psychological trauma to the family, friends, and the community of the victim,” the board wrote.

“The most recent statement reiterates previous requests that you not have contact with them nor that you be permitted to enter the City of Sudbury or the Algoma District.”

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MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD: Sudbury Police Const. Joe MacDonald. SPS

This is what murder does. Thirty-three years after the offence, no one in Sudbury has forgotten Joe MacDonald, let alone how his widow and now grown children feel.

And then, the Parole Board telegraphs what they’re thinking. They note that Pennett is 62 and is an “Indigenous offender.” Which changes things, as we know.

“You identify as Indigenous from the Ojibwa Garden River First Nation, with heritage derived from your stepfather who adopted you at a young age,” the board wrote. “You were raised in an urban setting in a stable environment, free from substance abuse or violence (the emphasis is mine).”

Board considered ‘cultural roots’

But Pennett’s “Indigenous family history” was allegedly kept from him. He was bullied, dropped out of school, left home in his teens, hung out with a bad crowd, started smoking pot with graduation day being speed.

The report said Pennett enjoys “positive support” from his family and is embracing his Indigenous ancestry, engaging in cultural practices and “working closer with elders.”

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“The board has again considered in this decision, your social history and the impacts of disconnection from your cultural roots, exposure to substance abuse, family fragmentation, negative influences, and your own history of substance abuse as maladaptive coping,” the board said.

“While these factors do not excuse your criminal behaviour, they serve to contextualize your life experiences and systemic discrimination that have impacted your life.”

The board extended his day parole by six months and offered him a wink that, ‘don’t worry, full parole is coming soon.’ There were the usual conditions.

But in nine pages, the two-person parole board team never once mentioned Joe MacDonald, his heartbroken wife or the two small children who have no doubt spent their lives wondering: Why?

It was as if he didn’t matter a lick.

Of course, this is par for the course. Ask any victim of crime.

[email protected]

@HunterTOSun

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