The following material contains reference to difficult topics, including mental health, bullying, harassment and suicide.

A printable PDF version of this report is available upon request.

A message from the Panel

Mental health, suicide and workplace culture issues in policing are difficult subjects without easy answers. These issues are deeply personal and often painful realities for individual Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) members and their families. Organizational responses, albeit well-intentioned, consistently fall short. We acknowledge the significance and complexity of these issues.

As we have conducted our work, we have appreciated the support and cooperation of leadership within the OPP and its member associations. We wish to acknowledge Commissioner Thomas Carrique who gave generously of his time and insight throughout our appointment and who impressed us with his thoughtful dedication to improving the wellness of members.

We are thankful for the trust extended by current and former members of the OPP who shared their personal experiences and insights, through the survey, interviews, roundtables and our confidential email address. We have taken this collected wisdom to heart and are committed to respecting member input in our observations and recommendations.

We acknowledge those members who are no longer with us, and their survivors. We have had the opportunity to hear directly from families of OPP members who died by suicide and we are grateful for their perspectives and contribution to our review.

We know that there is no easy solution to the challenges confronting the OPP with respect to the health and wellness of its members. These challenges are consistent and pervasive across the policing community and other similar environments. It is our hope that the recommendations contained in this Report will reflect member voices, support the efforts of the Solicitor General and provide practical guidance to the Commissioner on his challenging mandate. We continue to be impressed by the commitment, bravery and humanity of the members of the OPP.

Finally, as a Panel, we were supported in our work by the expertise and insight of Dr. Katy Kamkar, Karen Noakes and Meredith Brown. We are appreciative of the support provided by Amanda Miller, Project Manager, and her colleagues at Treasury Board Secretariat, Ministry of the Solicitor General and the Ontario Provincial Police.

December 9, 2019

(original signed by)

Douglas Cunningham
Murray Segal
Dave Cooke