SPOTLIGHT: CIVILIAN
The Police Association of Ontario’s Loss is the Ottawa Police Association’s Gain Pam Twining, Ottawa Police Association & Outgoing Chair of the PAO Board By Lauren Alpern
P
am Twining always knew she wanted to work in policing, but it took a pretty jarring ride-along while volunteering at a local police centre to figure out that perhaps being a police officer wasn’t for her. With an undergraduate law degree from Carleton University, she thought perhaps court work would be a better fit. “I have so much respect and admiration for officers, what they do on a daily basis and what they have to go through. I think policing is fantastic, but I didn’t think I could be an officer,” said Pam, reflecting on her introduction to the industry. “With my law background, I figured court work would be perfect. I took an unemployment course after I graduated, then did a nine-week field placement in Community Services with the Nepean Police Service. They liked me, so I stayed there until something opened up in Records.” And the rest, as they say, is history.
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THE DISPATCH
Pam’s daughters help in her association election campaign.
Pam is now in her 29th year in the industry. She began as a records clerk with the Nepean Police Service (the Nepean and Ottawa Police Services amalgamated in 1995), then worked in court liaison for many years, serving as a coordinator before moving up to supervisor. She now works as a Labour Officer with the Ottawa Police Association, a role that she has held for a year and a half. “I always felt like the best
way that I could be supporting my team as a supervisor was knowing the collective agreement and making sure that my team was always treated fairly,” said Pam, who is loving her relatively new role with the Ottawa Police Association (OPA). “So, when I got involved in association work, it was easy because I was already familiar with all of that stuff. Now I’m just taking that support to a whole new level. I’m not on
the management side anymore, but more on the side of our members and making sure they’re treated equitably and professionally. It’s about helping people.” Helping people has always been Pam’s modus operandi. It’s what keeps her going and what makes her go above and beyond in her duties. And it doesn’t go unnoticed. Patrick Laflamme, fellow Labour Officer with the OPA, worked with Pam on the
SUMMER 2022
