PAO Members Making an Impact at Queen’s Park

By Heather Hogan

As Ontario’s official provincial representative body for over 28,000 sworn and civilian police personnel from 45 police associations, the Police Association of Ontario (PAO) has been a unifying and trusted voice for advocacy in policing since 1933. The PAO provides our member associations with representation, resources, and support.

The PAO is immersed in a variety of activities at the provincial level, including our 24th Annual Fall Membership Meeting and Lobby Day, which was held at Queen’s Park on November 14-16, 2023. Our members participated in 75 meetings with provincially elected officials, highlighting our strength in numbers and the positive impact our members collectively make when advocating for police personnel in Ontario.

Through lobbying and representation with government principals, the PAO has made significant advances in several critical pieces of legislation which impact our members and the communities they serve.

Throughout the week, we heard from Premier Doug Ford, Solicitor General

Michael Kerzner, Attorney General Doug Downey, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Michael Tibollo, Green Party of Ontario Leader MPP Mike Schreiner, Ontario Liberal Party Interim Leader John Fraser, and Ontario NDP MPP John Vanthof.

We have cultivated strong relationships with our elected officials, who recognize the invaluable contribution of the Police Association of Ontario. Our achievements since last year’s Lobby Day, which centred on police personnel staffing, speak for themselves. We can proudly recognize that the Ontario government has responded by making the path to becoming a police officer more accessible – expanding enrollment at the Ontario Police College and covering the full tuition cost for Basic Constable Training.

This year at Queen’s Park, we focused our discussions on our members’ mental health and well-being, as well as strategies to ensure the safety of Ontarians. Our priorities included:

• The need for a clear support path from WSIB when mental health issues require leave or accommodation for police service members.

• Addressing concerns about automated speed enforcement cameras issuing tickets for emergency vehicles exceeding speed limits, emphasizing the importance of a simple change to enhance efficiency and reduce administrative burdens for local communities.

During our Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel business sessions, we discussed labour and legal updates. Also, we gained valuable insights on pension advocacy, navigating the PTSD presumption, and social media engagement strategies on Lobby Day.

A highlight during our last day was the $6,500 donation the South Simcoe Police Association made to SOLE (Survivors of Law Enforcement Canada). The Canadian Police Association discussed national policing priorities. Our Executive Director, Tyler Callaghan, presented the new Strategic Plan and Michael Duffy, Policy and Research Counsel, led us through bylaw updates, including an amendment to our mission and vision.

Moving forward, you can expect to see proactive messaging and engagement with the public and government to act on these priorities.