Canadian soldier charged with recording videos in women's change room at Toronto military base

A high-ranking Canadian soldier has been charged with seven counts of voyeurism after he allegedly hid a recording device in a women's change room at a Toronto military facility — an incident first reported by CBC Toronto in January.

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Master Warrant Officer Mardie Reyes, a part-time reservist with the 7th Toronto Regiment of the Royal Canadian Artillery, was charged on July 28 following a military investigation. He was classified as a temporary full-time resevist at the time of the incident.

Reyes has served in the military for 26 years. He was deployed twice to Afghanistan and also formed part of the Canadian Armed Forces response to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

It's alleged he made video recordings of members of the military between May 2012 and June 2016.

"Any form of inappropriate sexual behaviour is a threat to the morale and operational readiness of the CAF and is inconsistent with the values of the profession of arms. Eliminating harmful and inappropriate sexual behaviour within our ranks remains a top priority," Lieutenant-Colonel Ryan Smid, commanding officer of the 7th Toronto Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, said in a statement.

As CBC Toronto first reported, in June 2016 a female soldier discovered a smartphone taped beneath a sink in a third- floor change room of the Denison Armoury near Downsview Park.

The area where the phone was discovered is supposed to be a highly secure area of the facility where recording devices are prohibited, a source told CBC Toronto in January.

Following the discovery building management reviewed its security practices and found they were appropriate and do not require modification, a military spokesperson said.

Reyes was arrested in October of 2016 and, following further investigation, his reservist contract was terminated in February 2017, the spokesperson said.