Air Canada aircraft are parked at Vancouver International Airport. The airline says a former captain who retired last year faces a criminal investigation.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Peel Regional Police have charged a former Air Canada pilot with seven criminal counts related to flying passenger jets with a forged captain’s licence.
Geoffrey Wall of Barrie, Ont., faces charges that include fraud, uttering forged documents, counterfeit possession and public mischief.
Police allege Mr. Wall, 59, flew tens of thousands of passengers on more than 900 flights for 17 years as a pilot in charge, a position for which he was not licensed by Transport Canada. Allegedly using forged documents, he commanded Air Canada’s biggest Boeing jets – the 767, 777 and 787, earning a total of $2.9-million to do so, Peel Police Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich told reporters.
“This was all done without the appropriate licensing,” he said. “This investigation and the details surrounding it read like a movie script.”
Nando Iannicca, chair of the Peel Police Service Board, said the allegations are about trust, and an alleged attempt to dodge safety systems that protect the public.
“Every day, members of the public place their trust in institutions, regulatory systems, and professionals whose qualifications and credentials are intended to ensure that safety, whether in aviation, health care, policing, or any other profession entrusted with public confidence,” he said. “That trust must be earned and protected.”
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Mr. Wall retired last year after 27 years at Air Canada, before the police investigation began. The probe began four months ago, after a Transport Canada check in 2025 discovered Mr. Wall’s permits were not in order, police said at a news conference on Tuesday.
Although he was a licensed commercial pilot, he did not have an Airline Transport Pilot Licence and was not allowed to fly commercial passengers, police said.
Barrie-based Georgian College’s website lists Mr. Wall as a “veteran pilot, aviation leader and mentor.”
Mr. Wall was hired by Georgian College as a co-ordinator supporting students with military connections in the summer of 2025, according to an archived version of a post on the college’s website that appeared to have been taken down.
Police in Peel Region have charged a former Air Canada captain who they allege piloted hundreds of flights over 17 years with fraudulent licences. The pilot from Barrie, Ont., is facing charges including fraud, forged documents and public mischief.
The Canadian Press
Philip Scheirich, a spokesman for the college, said Mr. Wall is a part-time employee but declined to comment on the status of his employment.
The college describes Mr. Wall’s 11 years’ service in the Royal Canadian Air Force, flying helicopters in Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia. He flew forest fire support in Western Canada before joining Air Canada, the college says.
In 2012, he was elected chair of the master executive council of the Air Canada Pilots Association, the union that represented thousands of pilots in contract negotiations and other matters with the employer. He held that role for at least four years.
He held junior roles in the union for 11 years before that, according to a Wings magazine story from 2012. The union joined the Air Line Pilots Association in 2023.
In a statement, ALPA said, “We take all regulatory and licensing requirements seriously and work to maintain the highest standards of safety and professionalism across our industry.”
Air Canada said public safety was not at risk.
“Immediately upon Air Canada’s discovery of this, the individual was removed from active duty, and the company voluntarily reported the matter to Transport Canada,” Air Canada said in a statement.
According to Transport Canada, the pilot has been fined $67,500 for 18 counts of flying without a proper licence between December, 2024, and March, 2025.
Transport Canada spokesman Hicham Ayoun declined to say when the fines were imposed.
“All pilots at Air Canada undergo mandatory recurrent training every six months to validate their flying competency, including a flight check with a certified Transport Canada check-pilot every 12 months,” Air Canada said. “However, appropriate licensing is an essential layer of the airline industry’s multi-layered approach to safety, so Air Canada takes this matter with utmost seriousness.”
The airline said it has audited its pilot group and found no other violations. Air Canada employs more than 5,200 pilots.
With files from Jill Mahoney and Colin Freeze