YRPAFall 2015 - York Regional Police Association

Cheque Presentation to the Salvation Army
Memorial Golf Tournament - 2015
2
York Regional Police
Association Executive
Todd Sepkowski, President
Cell: 289-383-5640
Larry Wood, Vice President
Cell: 905-726-0048
Phil Shrewsbury-Gee, Secretary/Treasurer
Cell: 905-715-6561
Rob O’Quinn, 1 District Director
Cell: 289-383-1174
Dalton O’Neill, 2 District Director
Cell: 905-758-2731
Owen Mashinter, 3 District Director
Cell: 289-383-5643
Brent Stitt, 4 District Director
Cell: 905-751-8885
Alwyn Vanden Berg, 5 District Director
Cell: 905-751-8884
Jon Carson, Headquarters Director
Cell: 289-383-7641
Steven DeSousa, Court Security Director
Cell: 905-751-4415
Cara Everson, Civilian Director
Cell: 905-960-7600
Inside
President ..................................................................... 4
Vice President ............................................................ 6
Secretary/Treasurer .................................................. 8
One District ................................................................ 9
Two District ............................................................... 10
Three District ............................................................ 11
Four District .............................................................. 12
Five District ............................................................... 14
Court Security ........................................................... 15
Headquarters ........................................................... 16
Civilian Cara Everson ........................................... 18
Civilian Tracy Mackay-Stewart.......................... 19
Legal Counsel ........................................................... 20
Events & Vacation Properties Mgr ........................ 22
World Police and Fire Games 2015........................24
York Dragons Scott Vincent.....................................26
Cartoon........................................................................27
Peer Support ............................................................. 28
Classifieds ................................................................. 30
Tuck Shop.....................................................................31
Congratulations ........................................................32
Thank Yous.................................................................36
Discount Tickets.........................................................38
Tracy Mackay-Stewart, Civilian Director
Cell: 905-868-5124
The York Regional Police Association Magazine
is published by
The York Regional Police Association,
600 Stonehaven Avenue,
Newmarket, Ontario L3X 2M4
Toll Free: 1-866-644-4623
Tel: (905) 830-4947
Fax: (905) 898-7282
Printed in Canada
“Copyright 2015 York Regional Police Association”
Editor: Sarah Jane Card
CANADIAN PUBLICATIONS MAIL Agreement No. 42930552
RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO
Front Line Support
Suite 300, 90 Eglinton Avenue West
Toronto, Ontario M4R 2E4
This magazine is published under the mandate of the Board of Directors of the York Regional Police Association. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including mimeograph, photocopy, recording or any information storage system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. This
magazine is the official communication vehicle of the York Regional Police Association. For advertising information call 1-800366-3113 ext.1.
The York Regional Police Association does not assume responsibility for statements of fact or opinion made by any contributor.
Comments made by individuals may not reflect the official position of the YRPA. Acceptance and publication of articles, advertisements, products and services does not indicate endorsement of same by the YRPA and YRPA assumes no responsibility for their
accuracy.
3
President’s Message
Todd Sepkowski
President
It seems that in a blink of an eye
summer has come and gone as
it always does and the kids are
back to school. I hope everyone
had a chance to have a break
from the daily grind and enjoy
the long and overdue warm
weather.
Collective Bargaining
The Uniform and Civilian
Collective Agreements expire
December 31, 2015. Although
we won’t start to meet and
negotiate our next contract until
the current one expiries, we have
already started to assemble our
Collective Bargaining Proposals
which will be presented to
the Police Services Board for
consideration. We are concerned
with the present political climate
at Queen’s Park and the daily
discussion in the newspapers
concerning other bargaining
environments, and encourage
members to become familiar
with the recent settled contracts
of the Toronto, Peel, Hamilton
and Halton Police Services.
We have compiled a highly
experienced bargaining team
4
and will ensure we make
every effort to present the best
negotiated settlement proposal
to the membership. I would like
to thank all of the members who
provided responses to our recent
survey, as it has given us some
clear direction regarding key
items for the upcoming contract.
Year End
Our fiscal year end is upon us
(Sept 1st/14 - Aug 31st/ 15).
We have had another very
successful year at the YRPA.
The representation and support
of our members is once again
in very good hands. Your
elected Executive Board has
represented your interests in a
very professional manner. We
will always put the members’
needs first.
Personnel file – Keep it up-todate
Frequently, members call the
Association inquiring about
their personnel files and the
records contained within them.
Each member has one central
personnel file, which should
contain all relevant information
about your work history. It
should also include, among
other things, your performance
appraisals, diplomas, certificates,
commendations and any recent
disciplinary documents.
It is a good idea to occasionally
check your file to make sure all
information is accurate and upto-date. Ensure the file contains
all letters of commendation and
that any disciplinary documents
have been removed according
to the terms of the working
agreements (See Article 33 of the
uniform agreement and Article
34 of the civilian agreement).
It is also a good idea to check
your PERM screen occasionally
to make sure any reference to
discipline and the forfeiture of
hours is also removed according
to the terms of the working
agreement.
Keeping your personnel file upto-date will also be beneficial
if you find yourself involved
in a formal discipline matter.
Having quick and accurate
access to your file will assist
us in bringing forward all your
positive attributes and the value
you bring to the service and
the community you serve. An
updated file will also benefit you
following your career in policing.
If your wish is to stay busy, or to
venture off into a new profession,
your work record will be an
important tool in achieving your
future goals by allowing you
to demonstrate your training,
skills, and expertise along with
positive commendations.
You can access your file by
contacting Human Resources to
make an appointment. If you find
an inaccuracy in the file, bring
it to the attention of Service to
have it corrected.
Closing
In closing I want to highlight
that myself and your elected
Executive Board Members are
here to assist you in any way
we are able to. This is not only
our job, but also our duty as
fellow members. We take this
responsibility very seriously,
and will continue to work hard
to ensure your best interests are
being represented.
Stay safe!
5
Vice President
Larry Wood
Vice President
With summer drawing to a
close, the very busy month of
September is almost upon us.
The YRPA is gearing up for
collective bargaining, elections
for executive and Director
positions and the Memorial in
Ottawa, along with our regular
daily duties.
In this article, I would like
to touch on an initiative I am
really excited about. Over the
past several months, your Board
of Directors has discussed the
creation of a Benevolent Fund.
This will be a charity set up to
assist members and their families
in their time of need, things that
normally our bylaws would
prevent us from doing. This
Fund will operate with the simple
mandate of “members helping
members.” The Benevolent Fund
will be funded entirely through
charitable special events and will
not come out of operating budget
dollars. A subcommittee will be
created to review requests. This
Benevolent Fund is something
I have given a great amount of
thought to over the past two
6
years and I know it will be an
outstanding addition to the
services YRPA can provide to our
membership.
these tough economic times, the
public is looking very closely at
the cost of policing and we must
be aware of this.
We have already started fundraising for the Benevolent Fund.
This year’s YRPA Memorial Golf
Tournament was a resounding
success and from the $10,000
raised, $2,000 was provided as
a start up to this Fund with the
remaining dollars being donated
to the Salvation Army Youth
Centre in Aurora. We are currently
working on two additional ideas
for this fund. The first is the
creation of a Memorial Pin that
includes the 4 badge numbers of
our fallen officers, PC Douglas
Tribbling, PC William Grant,
D/Cst. Robert Plunkett and PC
Garrett Styles. These pins will
be available in time for the Police
Memorial in Ottawa. I encourage
all members to purchase these
pins to pay tribute to those
officers who have paid the
ultimate sacrifice, as well as to
assist with the Benevolent Fund.
Laura Johnston is also hard at
work on a fundraising event at
the Shed, planned for September
24th.
Recent services that have settled
include:
As you all know, we will be
starting Collective Bargaining
very shortly and have been
paying close attention to
what other associations have
successfully bargained for. In
Toronto Police Service Contract
Highlights:
• 4 year contract (2015-2018)
• 8.65% wage increase
• Increase in psychological visits
by $1,300
Peel Regional Police Contract
Highlights:
• 5 year contract (2015 – 2019)
• 10.64% wage increase
• Increase in benefit coverage
in the areas of vision care and
visits to psychologist
Halton Regional Police Contract
Highlights:
• 4 year contract (2015 – 2018)
• 8.85% wage increase
• Increase in massage therapy to
a maximum of $800
•Increase in psychological
coverage to $3,000 annually and
$1,000 yearly for dependents
We have always had a productive
relationship during bargaining
with the Board and I am
confident that this will continue.
Finally, my term as Vice President
is up for re-election and I am
very committed to continuing the
great work this Board is doing. I
have worked hard over the past 4
years to represent our members
in a professional way and believe
my record stands for itself. In
addition to the work I do for our
Association, we also recognized
that it was important for our
members that the YRPA had a
voice at the Provincial Level. I
successfully ran for a Director
position on the PAO Board and
am starting my second year.
My experience on this Board
and in serving on a variety of
Provincial subcommittees has
strengthened my leadership
skills and understanding of what
is happening in our profession.
My experience on this Board
and in serving on a variety of
Provincial sub committees has
strengthened my leadership
skills and understanding of what
is happening in our profession,
provincially and locally.
This is a very important time
for policing in this province,
and if given the opportunity, I
am confident I can continue to
deliver results. My experience
over the past 4 years, and the
amount I have learned, have
prepared me to effectively work
and adapt to a variety of different
situations in representing the
membership. I hope you will
agree and support me in moving
forward.
“Earn your leadership every day.”
Michael Jordan.
Twin Hills Ford Lincoln V.I.P. Program
YORK REGIONAL POLICE ASSOCIATION SPECIAL
The Twin Hills V.I.P. Program offers
YORK REGIONAL POLICE ASSOCIATION MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES
new in-stock or factory-ordered vehicle for a
HASSLE-FREE PRICE of $150 OVER FACTORY INVOICE.
Also included in your special purchase price is our V.I.P. Service Program, which provides you with priority service
scheduling and a no charge courtesy car when you bring in your vehicle for any servicing or repairs.
*****By Appointment Only*****
We have a full line-up of Ford, and Lincoln vehicles. They're all here for you - from sporty to practical. In order to serve
you better, make an appointment and identify yourself as an association member.
Ask for Michael Cassar (905-884-4441).
Don't forget to bring your police ID with you. We look forward to serving you.
Sincerely,
Michael A. Cassar
Fleet/Leasing & Sales Manager
10801 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill, ON L4C 3E3 Phone: 905-884-4441
Why didn’t YOU advertise here?
E-mail publications@imkgp.com or call 1-800-366-3113 Ext.1
Ask for the publication advertising coordinator to assure your spot for the next issue.
7
Secrtary/Treasurer Report
Phil Shrewsbury-Gee
Secretary/Treasurer
600 words or less? I can’t even
order a coffee with so few
words! Now, you start over.
8
Over the years I have both read
and written many papers, most of
which the topics were dictated.
Writing articles, for me, is a
whole lot more difficult. Often,
the hard part is not the writing
but rather the development of
the topic. I remember being a
reader and saying how nice it
would be if the authors would
just tell us about things that are
relevant. For all of us on the
Board, finding a relevant topic
to talk or write about is actually
quite easy. Finding and writing
about a topic that is relevant
to the bulk of the readership
is probably one of the most
difficult things to accomplish. I
suppose that we all could write
about many relevant issues but
the information would become
choppy and probably less
meaningful in the long run.
There are many periodicals that
have writers who dedicate their
entire writing to specific subjects
such as: Labour Relations, Health
and Wellness, Politics, Training
and the like. Perhaps that is
what we should be doing too.
The reality is that we often get
one or two comments but rarely
do we get direction from you
about what we need to address
in your magazine.
Give us at the office and your
Directors some feedback. Let us
know what type of things you
appreciate reading about. Tell us
about the things that you find
informative and interesting and
perhaps those things that you
can use as a resource in the
future. And don’t forget, any of
you are quite welcome to submit
articles for consideration in
future publications. Remember,
this is your magazine and you
have the ability to help make it
great.
n
As I sit here plowing through
what seems to be an endless
stream of priority tasks, I
think about which ones would
be the most interesting and
beneficial for me to write about
in my magazine article for this
quarter. So many thoughts
start, but then quickly come
to an end. Actually, it is funny
how much you want to write
and how detailed you want it
to be, but then, you realize that
some of your thoughts should,
for the moment, just remain
that, thoughts. You filter those
thoughts out and start putting
pen to paper (not really, we
all now use computers). Two
to three paragraphs into the
article, you come to the quick
realization that your thoughts
can’t be written in an article
and that to properly present
your ideas you need a book.
Then, when you think you have
it right, you get the old, “Phil,
you didn’t keep your article to
under 600 words.”
And what starting over usually
means is that you start a whole
new thought and not just finetune the one already underway;
a thought that you can convey
in a short and concise manner
and that will still have some
meaning to you, the reader. One
that you can say was not only
interesting but that you learned
something from it.
1 District Director
Rob O’Quinn
1 District Director
Can we have it all? I say we can,
but it may come at a cost. It’s
critical for police to maintain
and foster a good work/life
balance since the relationship
between stress and mental
illness is direct and complex and
stress can worsen the situation
for us. Police operate in a world
of emergencies and witness the
worst of human suffering that
carries stresses, and that stress
should have been expected
when we joined the job. The shift
work that many of us suffer, have
suffered or will suffer is cause
for concern because shift work
has been empirically linked to
“…disruptions in biorhythms,
physical and mental health
problems, exhaustion, as well
as challenges with respect to
work/life balance and increased
problems at home” (Duxbury, L.,
& Higgins, C., 2012, March).
It’s interesting to learn that
organizational stresses are
worse for police today than
operational stressors. We are
expected to do more and more
and the tools of measurement
are confusing at best and the
lack of clear-cut priorities and
direction is problematic adding
to the stress accumulation.
Technology has created a new
stress for police because we
feel tied to the job via our cell
phones or other devices. We are
constantly “checking in” even
though we are not on duty and
this constant checking in doesn’t
allow the “day-off” separation
from work, which would let us
decrease the stress associated
with police work. The majority
of us spend time reading and
responding to work emails on
our days off and sometimes
we have to hide this from our
spouses to avoid the conflict this
creates. Add to our work stress
the “at-home” stresses and some
may be trying to balance work,
childcare and eldercare.
So what’s the solution? Police
need to work when they are at
work and leave work at work
when they go home – learn to
turn it off, I know how hard that
is! We need to have a healthy
life-style including diet and
physical activity and above all
a healthy life away from the job
- as hard as it is we need to turn
off the hyper-vigilance-meter
that over-invests us in our jobs.
“Follow the B.O.D. principle.
Take care of the BODy and then
Bleed OMERS Dry”.
Mike Goode
Take care of each other and
when you need us, we will take
care of you.
Reference:
Duxbury, L., & Higgins, C.
(2012, March). Caring for and
about those who serve: Worklife conflict and employee well
being within Canada`s Police
Departments. Retrieved from
http://sprott.carleton.ca/wpcontent/files/Duxbury-HigginsPolice2012_keyfindings.pdf
n
It seems that the culture of
policing is not about work and
family, but quite the contrary
it’s work or family. This has
changed over the years for
the better and our younger
officers now strive for balance
with family as opposed to the
“work-first” mentality of the
older professionals among us.
We have seen many police that
forego promotion and transfers
due to the desire to spend that
extra time with their families
and this was their life choice.
9
2 District Director
Dalton O’Neill
2 District Director
Hello folks,
I hope this article finds you and
your family well after some much
needed summer vacation time, as
we look ahead to another great
year of Maple Leafs Hockey….
hahaha…sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Luckily we have the Blue Jays
making a terrific run right now
and hopefully still leading the
American League East when this
article comes to print, with their
eyes fixed on the playoffs and a
trip to the World Series.
The drum continues to beat at 2
District as our officers continue
to try and balance life and work,
as is the nature of the beast. I am
encouraged by the work of our
Pit Crew as they have worked
hard to develop a strategy that
will assist in identifying peak call
times and down times that may
allow less strain on our officers
and serve the community more
efficiently. For those of you that
haven’t heard, the new approved
Pilot Project kicks off in 5 District
and is based on 5 Sectors as
opposed to 18 Patrol areas and
will include a new designated
afternoon 12 hour shift that
will provide our officers with
greater shift flexibility. I had the
opportunity to work a fixed day
eight hour shift in my early years
with the Ottawa Police Service
and it became very popular with
10
some officers who didn’t wish to
spend 12 hours in the car. That
day shift was further combined
with a fixed 10 hour afternoon
shift that was also sought after,
for persons who had issues
with the long overnights. We
will have to give it some time
before passing judgement on the
new Sector Model but I believe
it will provide officers a greater
ability to identify problem areas,
specifically Criminal Offences,
and deal with them accordingly.
The selection process is currently
on for various spots within our
Investigative branches and by
the time this article comes out,
new Detective Constables will
be occupying new positions
in various areas. I have been
lucky to work with some great
people in my time on Patrol
and in CIB and look forward to
working with the new folks in
the upcoming years. There has
been ongoing discussion about
changes to the CIB schedule
which would eliminate the
dreaded seven shift block and
move towards a fixed schedule
that would be easier on families
and spouses. I can attest to the
issues that I have faced working
in a dynamic area such as CIB.
The schedule is always changing
for various reasons, whether it
is a late arrest, assistance on a
warrant, surveillance requests,
attending Bail Hearings,
submitting affidavits or simply
altered to keep your hours
in line with a current targets
activity. Fortunately I have great
Supervisors who want to see us
succeed and provide us the rope
we need to get the job done. In
keeping the schedule issues in
mind, I would like to recognize
the efforts of Dave Sedgwick
for keeping us informed and
attending the various meetings to
discuss potential shift schedules.
Dave has been attending these
meetings on his personal time
while still keeping up with
family commitments, his personal
workload and assisting in other
investigations. Dave, thank
you for your efforts and I will
be personally providing you
an all-expense paid dinner to
Congee Queen at the end of this
marathon.
Thank you for your continued
support of each other as we
move forward to a big contract
year in 2016 and if anyone
wishes to see any comparables,
I will be posting some of the
recently signed contracts on our
board so you can have a look at
the landscape and see where we
will be landing.
3 District Director
Owen Mashinter
3 District
for their tireless efforts!
We have just completed one
of the busiest weekends of
the summer for us in August,
which was the 160th edition of
the Sutton Fair and Horse Show.
This long-standing event is one
of the oldest running fairs in the
whole province and is always
an event that the residents
of Georgina look forward to
every year. YRP has played an
important role in recent years at
the fair by maintaining a high
level of visibility, providing
security and safety to all who
attend the event. The COR unit
at #3 District led by Sgt. Riddell
did a fantastic job again this
year and need to be recognized
Farewell to Richard Bailey who
has returned to surveillance,
and also farewell to Mike Corsi
who has left YRP to enjoy a welldeserved and earned retirement.
We all wish Mike a happy,
healthy and lengthy retirement
from YRP and much success
with whatever he pursues in
the future.
Everyone stay safe out there and
remember: “Keep your stick on
the ice…. I’m pulling for ya,
we’re all in this together!”
n
Summer time is in full swing and
Georgina is busy – the cottagers
have returned, the boaters
are out on the lake and the
campgrounds are overflowing.
Summer is the busiest time for
us at #3 District and I’m always
amazed how our members pick
up the pace and get the job
done, even while being shorthanded – our guys and gals
need to be commended for their
efforts!
Welcome Bob French, Peter
Dunn, Gabrielle Debney, Daniel
Banks, Adam Hay, and Cameron
Woods to the #3 District staff;
I wish you all the best during
your time with us in Georgina.
than great riches; to be esteemed
is better than silver or gold.”
Proverbs 22:1
Another reminder to our
members to always let your
district rep or a member of the
YRPA executive know if you get
notified that you are involved
in a complaint of any sort. We
can’t emphasize enough how
important it is to have someone
on your side, supporting you,
right from the beginning of
the process. The assistance
with preparing responses and
strategizing a game plan is only
a phone call or e-mail away and
it is much easier to correct issues
at the start rather than trying to
deal with them after you have
already started the process on
your own.
“A good name is more desirable
11
4 District Director
Brent Stitt
4 District Director
Hey folks, I hope everyone has
enjoyed this beautiful summer.
4 District has undergone some
changes recently, one of which
has been new leadership of
which many of you have met and
I’m sure have been pleasantly
surprised with your interaction.
I look forward to working with
this leadership, as they have a
vested interest in the health and
well-being of the hard-working
officers at 4 District. I asked
the boss if I could get a raise,
and he said, “Because of the
fluctuational predisposition
of your position’s productive
capacity as juxtaposed to the
industry standards, it would
be monetarily injudicious to
advocate an increment.” I said,
“I don’t get it.” He said, “That’s
right.”
I’d like to touch base on the
civilian complaint system. If you
are asked to provide a response
arising from a complaint please
seek the advice of a YRPA
representative, either myself
or an executive board member.
Always include the preamble
and answer directly to the
12
alleged complaint. If time is
an issue simply respond to the
PSB that you are seeking the
advice of the association, strive
for excellence and therefore
never hurry a response. With
so many rules and regulations
it’s not always obvious when
we missed something. Advice
is free folks, I’m available 24/7.
If you don’t do anything stupid
when you’re young, you won’t
remember something funny
when you’re old...
Well folks, we are soon entering
into a new stage of contract
negotiations. I’m sure you’ve
heard crime is down, cost
of policing is up, and police
organizations must do more
with less. Why is crime down?
Perhaps we are doing a better
job or perhaps crime has
become more complex. Studies
have found police organizations
are less effective when dealing
with complex crimes with a
reliance on generalist officers.
We do a pretty good job with
the specialty units, but how do
we sustain the increase in costs?
We all want a raise, and want the
benefits we deserve. So perhaps
the way we do things needs to
change. I’m speaking of the
specialist. We spend piles of
money training officers in units,
only to ship them out in 3 to 5
years. So in essence once you
get good at your job it’s time to
move on. As an organization
we take this one step further
and say you need to move on to
get promoted or at least a few
points in that direction. Leaders
need to identify the specialists
and let them thrive. It’s difficult
to be good at everything but to
be excellent at one area isn’t
that what the public wants.
The strong in any organization
should continue with an area
expertise. Sometimes it takes a
bit to find your place, that’s why
I say: hey, more secondments.
Make the evaluations worth
something, movement will
happen through natural
attrition.
Happy people do a better job,
no? This model of policing
will produce a much superior
product and will give way
to better mentoring through
a much higher degree of
experience and specialization.
This will cost the organization
less in training – just look at
the cost associated with the
amount of movement that
goes on the yearly basis within
the organization. As we move
forward we can promote from
within and expand our areas
of expertise and specialization.
As technology advances, the
criminal element will only get
more complex, and criminals
will become more tech savvy
as we move into the future. We
need to be equally prepared
and have the budget to keep
pace and pay the officers as the
professionals we have become.
Finally, a lot has been said
about the degree of standards
police officers should uphold.
We are scrutinized to the degree
that parallels the politicians –
should we not be compensated
as such? When it comes to a
pay increase or benefits for the
well-being of the future police
officer this should be without
argument. Change is afoot and
we must adapt.
ionalism and commitment to
specialization of police work
deserves the compensation and
recognition as such. Be safe and
keep smiling.
Change is inevitable - except
from a vending machine.
- Robert C. Gallagher.
The reason why people give up
so fast is because they tend to
look at how far they still have
to go, instead of how far they
have come. -Nicky Gumbel
Your
dedication,
profess-
13
5 District Director
Alwyn Vanden Berg
5 District Director
Well by the time you are reading
this magazine, summer will be
over. Football season will be
in full swing and possibly the
Blue Jays will be swinging
their bats into the playoffs. I
hope everyone had a safe and
enjoyable summer.
A big change will be happening
at 5 District for a six month
experiment starting October
1st. This initiative is being
implemented through the PIT
CREW and ECT. During the
process this model will be
assessed to see if it is effective
to continue or to be used in
other Districts. I will attempt to
explain this model through the
help of S/Sgt. Ed Villamere, a PIT
Crew member.
14
There will be no extra staff added
to the frontline besides the 4
supervisors. 5 District is currently
below authorized strength and
this pilot project will help to tell
us if more staff is required to
keep the sectors full and how
soon they will be needed. The
goal of the PIT Crew is a data
driven, consultative approach
to change. Possibly it will lead
to increased job satisfaction for
frontline officers by balancing
the workload with the sector
model and improving work/life
balance with the opportunity
to work an alternating shift. An
administrative supervisor will
be working a 5 a.m. to 5p.m.
shift as well as an operational
supervisor will be working a 12
p.m. to midnight shift. There will
be 5 sectors in place, 4 operating
in Markham while the other one
will be in Whitchurch-Stouffville.
Within each sector there will be
3, 4 or even 5 patrol cars. The
hours of shifts during the day
shifts will remain the same but
on the night shifts 4 constables
will be working the 12 noon
to midnight on weekdays. On
weekends 8 constables will be
working the 3 p.m. to 3 a.m.
shift.
As a result of this, YRPA will need
input from 5 District officers on
the positive or negative aspect
re. sector policing. YRPA will
need this feedback to discuss
it further with ECT, or to see
how it impacts on the wording
of our current contract. Or it
might be something where we
need language in place in any
future working agreements.
Then again if it isn’t a success
we would want it retooled or
disbanded.
Finally, I would like to say it was
a privilege to serve YRPA and the
5 District members these past
three years. I hope with your
support and vote I can continue
this service for the next 3 years,
thank you.
n
Beginning October 1, 2015, 5
District will move to a sector
model from the current patrol
area model. Eighteen patrol
areas will become five sectors
and the officers will work
together as a team to answer the
calls within their sector. In order
to match staffing to call volume,
a 12 noon to midnight shift will
be established staffed by four
officers from the night shift in
addition to the current 3 p.m. to
3 a.m. shift. Finally, additional
supervision will be added in
the form of two administrative
and two operational Sergeants
who will be available to provide
mentorship and guidance to
frontline officers. Throughout
the six month pilot, it will be
evaluated and adjustments will
be made to ensure its success.
Court Security
Steven DeSousa
Court Security
It seems that summer has ended
almost as quickly as it started.
Nevertheless, I hope you all had
a great summer getting some
time to enjoy the hot weather
this year. As you read this I am
sure that we are well underway
in bargaining preparations as our
contract does expire at the end
of this year. We will keep you
updated as best we can as we
strategize and strive to negotiate
a contract sooner than later.
Welcome
I would like to start this article
by welcoming Superintendent
Doug Conley to the Court
Bureau. So far I have had nothing
but positive and productive
exchanges with him. I look
forward to continuing such
exchanges as we always strive to
improve the way we do business
here at the courts.
Styles
Back on the 18 of June 2015,
the guilty verdict of first
degree murder was rendered
in the Styles case. This verdict
demonstrates that despite the
accused being a young person
and now in a wheel chair, the
community will not tolerate
the killing of an officer. It was
encouraging to see the support
from our members, members
of the YRPA executive and the
ECT, who all made numerous
appearances throughout the
trial. Although this still remains
a tragic event, justice was served
to some degree and our thoughts
and prayers will constantly be
with the Styles family.
Conference
On November 8-9 2015, The York
Regional Police Association will
be hosting a Police Association
of Ontario (PAO), civilian
conference at the Springhill
Suites hotel in Vaughan. Anyone
willing and available to help
volunteer in various capacities,
can please contact myself, Laura
Johnston, Tracy Mckay-Stewart
or Cara Everson. We can provide
you with more details such as
the various tasks, times and
locations.
Health and Safety
On August 31 2015, The Ministry
of Labour (MOL) investigated
a
private,
anonymous
complaint here at the courts.
This complaint was lodged
with The MOL regarding Bill
168-Violence/Harassment
in the workplace under the
Ontario Occupational Health
and Safety Act. Without being
too specific, the MOL basically
issued NO ORDER and found
that the employer has and does
its due diligence in providing
and disseminating information
regarding violence and or
harassment in the workplace.
Although any member at any
time can make such complaints
with The MOL, I encourage you
to reach out to the YRP Joint
Health and Safety Committee or
YRP’s Health and Safety Bureau
before to express any concerns.
For the most part, both internal
mechanisms are quite diligent
and knowledgeable in this area
and our members’ health and
safety is of utmost importance.
Often some clarification is
provided regarding legitimate
health and safety concerns
compared to perceived ones.
Both internal entities are well
versed in all areas of health
and safety matters so before
reaching out to the MOL, I
simply encourage members to
reach out to YRP’s Health and
Safety Committee or the Health
and Safety Bureau. More often
than not, issues can be clarified,
rectified and members informed
at this level.
Conclusion
Thus in keeping with the new
word limitation, I will end this
article with a quote about safety,
For safety is not a gadget but
a state of mind. –Eleanor Everet
So let us constantly remain aware
of our and one another’s safety
and as usual, I look forward to
working with you all.
15
Headquarters Director
Jon Carson
Headquarters Director
On the 14th and 15th of May
the 5th annual Garrett Styles
Memorial Baseball Tournament
took place. With a new format in
place the tournament welcomed
six local High School Varsity
16
teams and four Emergency
Services teams. The top two
teams in the High School Division
from St. Andrew’s College and
Our Lady of the Lake from Sutton
squared off on a sunny afternoon
with St. Andrew’s prevailing
8-5. Tournament MVP went to
Jack Little from SAC and Mike
Peggs’ parents were on hand to
present the trophy in honour of
Mike. The emergency services
tournament wrapped up on
Friday afternoon as the NY State
Court Blue Sox took out the TPS
Iron Pigs 11-1. The tournament
raised $4,000 dollars for the Jays
Care and Jumpstart, all in an
effort to keep kids off the streets
and engaged in sport. Next
year’s tournament will take place
in May 2016 www.1405baseball.
com for more info.
Thank you to our Sponsors:
YRPA
Bobblehead Canada
St. Andrew’s College
Toronto Blue Jays
National Sports
YRPA Blue Sox Baseball Club
Newmarket Legion
17
Civilian Director
Cara Everson
Civilian Director
facilitated by Human Resources
and the Training and Education
Bureau. The key areas of the
workshop include:
The summer always seems to
fly by and here we are again,
back to the reality of winter
soon approaching. September
is always the time of year when
I reflect on what I want to
accomplish for the calendar year
and how I’m going to do it, at
work, and in my personal life.
Last year at this time Cindra
Massicotte and I developed a
presentation on career planning
advice for civilians at Learn@Work
Week. This was an important
initiative for me as the Civilian
Director because of the interest
our civilians have in this area.
Planning your career aspirations
takes time, and determining your
strategy is a key part of that.
18
This is ideal for members
interested in pursuing a new
position within the organization.
It can provide members with
new ideas and ways to gain new
skills and experiences. Members
have the opportunity to hear
from Human Resources and ask
specific questions regarding HR
related topics. To date there
have been two sessions and
another two are planned for
this year. The feedback I have
received has been positive, and
with the Civilian Development
Seminars being cancelled I hope
more courses like this will be
developed.
Celebrating 40 Years of Women
in Policing
On September 30th York Regional
Police will be celebrating 40
years of women in policing. The
celebration will be taking place
in the Atrium at Headquarters
The celebration will be hosted, in
part, by the Women in Leadership
ISN – who are actively recruiting
members to join one of the four
subcommittees (Special Events,
Women’s Health & Wellness,
Training and Education,
Recruiting & Mentoring). This
is intended as an inclusive
group dedicated to provide
support, mentorship, guidance
and networking opportunities,
as well as raise awareness of
women in policing.
Members interested in joining a
WIL subcommittee can send an
email to WILISN@yrp.ca.
Cara Everson # 5479 @ ceverson.
yrpa@gmail.com (905-960-7600).
n
We brought the idea to Inspector
Bigras of the Training and
Education Bureau and Karin
Larkan, Manager, Human
Resources to see if we could
expand on this initiative. They
were extremely supportive
and agreed that this was
something that would be
beneficial for the members, and
could be developed further. In
partnership we developed a
one day workshop that is being
• Taking Control of Your Career
• Job Position Description Dissection
• Career Tools and Resourses
• Civilian Career Achievement
• Job Preparation Information
• Career Management Suggestions
• Career Management Action Plan
• A Panel Presentation and
other Presentations from YRP
members.
beginning at 1 p.m. and will
feature several of YRP’s historical
female figures from both sworn
and civilian members. Linda
Doggett #230 is scheduled
to speak from the uniform
perspective as she was one of
the first of two females hired,
along with Joy Dennison #229,
reporting for duty on January,
1975.
Civilian Director
Tracy Mackay-Stewart
Civilian Director
your labour interests. No one
but these elected members have
that right or that responsibility.
The board of directors, which
encompasses the nine elected
directors, has the additional responsibility of providing oversight and direction to the positions of president, vice-president
and secretary/treasurer.
Recently, discussions at the association board table have been
centered on how we are doing
business, the checks and balances of ensuring we continue
to meet the needs of our 621
civilian support staff and 1,559
sworn officers. It’s simply good
business practice to review,
evaluate and tweak where necessary.
Reflecting on those discussions,
my feeling is that a segment
of our membership isn’t aware
of hierarchy within the York
Regional Police Association
(YRPA).
In an effort to provide a little
education, hoping that you’ll
understand more about how
the association works, here’s a
snapshot of the association positioning, from the top down.
The YRPA is member-driven.
We are guided by the policy,
procedures and by-laws developed through consultation with
you.
You elect a board of directors,
nine positions in total, with
three additional elected positions serving as president,
vice-president and secretary/
treasurer. At the end-of-the-day,
these 12 elected members support you and represent all of
The positions of president and
vice-president are tasked with
the higher-level action items and
contact with York Regional Police executive command team,
meaning the chief and deputy
chiefs of police. The secretary/
treasurer is naturally hands-on
with financial matters.
And finally, the positions of
president, vice-president and
secretary/treasurer set the work
responsibilities of the association office staff and thereby
oversee the day-to-day running
of the association.
NOTE: This represents only a
general overview of the duties assigned to the 12 elected
positions.
I would be highly criticized by
my colleagues on the association board and rightly so, if I
didn’t add that comment.
Frankly, due to the new association magazine layout, we are
limited to a maximum of 500
words in our article. Outlining the full range of our duties
would well surpass that limitation.
Most important of all, these 12
elected positions and the people you place in those positions
are the people who speak for
you, represent you and bargain
for you. As a matter of fact, our
current working agreement –
under Article 2 of both the Civilian and Uniform Working
Agreements - guarantees just
that. Know that we are here for
you when you have a question
or concern, but know also that
when we recognize an issue we
will work to resolve it. We are
required to safeguard your interests with or without your requesting our involvement.
Looking for Volunteers
November 8 through 10, the
YRPA is hosting the Police Association of Ontario Civilian
Conference at the Springhill
Suites Marriott in the City of
Vaughan. We will be looking
for volunteers to assist in a
number of areas. For instance,
we are seeking several civilian
members who possess a Smart
Serve Card, to volunteer in the
hospitality suite.
Get in touch with me if you
have the time to help out.
Joint Job Evaluation
As of mid-August, we have
seven jobs waiting to be evaluated, with two evaluation
meetings scheduled in the next
month.
I continue to look for input into
future articles. Let me know
what topics interest you.
Phone: 905-868-5124
Email:
tmackaystewart.yrpa@
gmail.com
Fraternally,
Tracy
19
Legal Counsel
Pamela Machado
Legal Counsel
Yes, thank you, we are all familiar
with Sir Robert Peel’s principles.
Instances of police “brutality” and
police shootings were presented,
in the same week that five police
officers were brutally shot and
killed in the U.S. Those statistics
were not offered.
Police Oversight: Who is
Watching the People Watching
Us?
Oversight is the action of
overseeing something. Seems
pretty simple, however, when
applied to policing, like many
things, it’s more complicated.
What is CACOLE? Not just another
confusing acronym; it is the
Canadian Association for Civilian
Oversight of Law Enforcement.
It is a national non-profit
organization of individuals and
agencies involved in discussing
the oversight of police officers
in Canada. This includes the SIU
and the OIRPD. To be clear, this
is not an additional oversight
body.
Following the increase in public
complaints and the corresponding
demands being placed on our
members, I decided to attend
the annual CACOLE conference
in May to ‘learn’ from the people
who are watching you. Although
the acronym itself created a few
laughs, some of the lectures
were not as entertaining. “The
public perception of policing
has changed,” we were told;
something we have all heard
before. “The police are the public
and the public are the police!”
20
There was, admittedly, fruitful
discussion concerning the
increased awareness of mental
health within policing, and the
respect that corresponds with
the duties our members perform.
Some of the debate concerned the
fact that the public themselves
may lack the confidence in the
oversight bodies that profess to
promote trust within policing.
After all, these bodies exist
to create transparency and
accountability within policing,
right? A recurring question,
from the attending Associations:
when will we see legislation that
will have proper oversight of the
oversight bodies?
the best method of presenting
accounts for both sides of
the story. This was obviously
missing from the presentation
and this blatant disregard for
the truth was conveyed to the
Chair of CACOLE, also the Chair
of OCPC, who was advised
several delegates would NOT be
returning should that speaker’s
name re-appear on the agenda
next year. My examination into
his conduct won’t end there.
If they are watching us, who is
watching them? The Association
will continue to ask these
questions, at the Provincial level,
and demand accountability on
both sides.
Without a doubt, the most
disturbing part of this conference
was the bigotry that was exhibited
by one speaker. His presentation
categorized the police as
militaristic and prejudiced, who
use force as a first resort without
justification.
The OIPRD
An increase in public complaints
corresponds with an increase in
requests for duty reports from
our members. When you are
asked to submit a statement in
response to a public complaint,
ensure you have contacted the
Association. This allows us the
opportunity to ensure you are
appropriately articulating your
perspective; this could impact
the ongoing investigation in
many different ways. Allow us to
ensure your involvement is being
presented accurately.
Clearly this presenter has never
required the assistance of the
police at his child’s school in
response to a mass shooter.
Clearly he chose to present his
tunnel-vision perspective, and
clearly, he had no idea who his
audience was.
Surviving the legal challenges of
these matters includes properly
explaining your decision-making
and justifying your use of force.
You have the benefit of being
a part of an organization that
can give you experienced and
immediate legal advice.
If we are going to report on police
brutality, it must be supported by
facts, not opinions. Furthermore,
Help us watch those who are
watching you to ensure you are
protected.
facebook.com/
sisleyhonda
SisleyHonda.com
twitter.com/
hondasisley
York Regional Police
Thank you for protecting over
1.1 million residents in the York Region!
As a gesture of appreciation towards the hard and brave work,
Sisley Honda would like to extend Manager’s Special offer to York
Regional Police force. Please visit our showroom for full details.
Must present Valid Police ID card.
Proud supporter of our braves...
88 Steeles Avenue West, Thornhill, 800 916 1448
Business listings
Best Western Voyageur Place Motel
17565 Yonge St
Newmarket ON L3Y5H6 CA
905-895-2131
MI NE JAPANESE RESTAURANT
10815 Yonge St Unit 1
Richmond Hill ON L4C3E3 CA
905-883-6616
RSD Contracting
24065 Kennedy Rd
Sutton West ON L0E1R0 CA
905-722-6178
SHOPPERS DRUG MART
8000 Bathurst St
Thornhill ON L4J0B8 CA
905-882-0201
YORK AUTO REPAIRS & TOWING
250 Basaltic Rd
Concord ON L4K1G6 CA
905-738-3588
21
Events & Vacation Properties
Laura Johnston
Manager, Events & Vacation Properties
dates for that specific property/
week. Please don’t hold back
from submitting based on if you
would qualify in the top five
at that specific time, as it can
change quickly, and also then
you will be added on to the
waiting list.
Vacation Properties
We have been working very
closely with our website experts
to make it operate more user
friendly and efficiently. You will
notice some big changes this
October on how the website
operates, and hopefully you will
find it much more helpful when
submitting a booking request.
Right now we are in the
process of clearing out multiple
accounts from the same user
and combining them into one
account. We will keep your
badge email as the primary
email address that you will use
to sign in with, and your home
email address as secondary. All
communication will go to both
your primary and secondary
email addresses. We hope that
this will clear up any confusion
with passwords and confirmed
bookings, due to having multiple
accounts.
Also, we will have a live
ranking system once you select
a property/week, so you will
know the current top five start
22
One last thing we are working
on is integrating a single-signon. This will allow members to
log on through the YRPA website
or Holiday Homes site, therefore
making it easier to redirect the
user from either site. You must
have already created an account
on both sites in order for this to
work. This will allow the sites
to be much more user friendly
for our members, and hopefully
we will see a decline in issues
with not being able to log on to
the sites.
We should have our final
numbers for the budget, as we
reach the end of year for our
Vacation Properties, and will
present it to the members at our
AGM in October.
Memorial Golf Tournament
The YRPA Memorial Golf
Tournament took place this
year on Monday, June 1st at
Redcrest with a full house of 148
golfers. Many other Associations
throughout the GTA and
Southern Ontario came out,
along with many of our local
sponsors and members to show
their support and enjoy a great
day on the golf course.
YRPA is proud to announce that
we raised a total of $8,000 for
The Salvation Army – Central
York Region. These funds will
help assist with the construction
of their brand new building in
Aurora.
Kids Picnic
The Annual YRPA Kids Picnic
took place this year on
Monday, June 22nd at Canada’s
Wonderland. The weather has
always been great to us, and
this year it came through again
with beautiful sunshine all day
long. The hour early access is
a great benefit to our members,
and those brave enough to go on
the Behemoth really noticed a
difference in the line, once it was
open to the public. We received
lots of great feedback on the
lunch, and the balloon and tattoo
artists are always a big hit with
the kids. Feel free to send us an
email if you have any feedback
and/or recommendations for
next year’s Picnic.
Upcoming Event:
Thursday, September 24thStarts @ 5pm- YRPA Charity
Food Truck Event
23
World Police and Fire Games 2015, Fairfax, Virginia
Suzanne Byrnes #1091
Well we did it! I would like to
congratulate all of the participants
in the 2015 World Police and
Fire Games which were held in
Fairfax, Virginia between June
26th and July 5th 2015. A number
of York Regional Police members
attended various events, and
despite the venues being located
over a large area (three states, in
fact: Virginia, Maryland, and D.C)
, the experience was great.
YRP were represented in the
following events; Dragon Boat,
Indoor Rowing, Motocross, Judo,
46 km Cycling Road Race, 2 km
Hill Climb Time Trial, Submission
Grappling, Beach Volleyball, and
Baseball.
A Special Thank You to Inspector
Miner who steered all of the
Dragon Boat races. York Dragons
participated in the following
categories: Unisex 18+-20
where they finished 2nd and
received the silver medal in the
Championship final; Women’s
18+ where they finished 4th
behind the NYPD-Women in the
Championship Final; and Unisex
18 +-10 where they finished 4th
behind NYPD- Momentum in the
Championship Final. The Men’s
18+, 10’s finished 3rd in the
consolation final. York Dragons
promise to come back strong in
Montreal in 2017.
York Dragons included the
following members:
Superintendent Mark Brown
Inspector Gary Miner
24
Staff Sergeant Edward Burke
Detective Suzanne Byrnes
Detective Constable Ashley Smith
Detective Constable Ian Hsiung
Constable Sandra Stark
Constable Paul Oakey, and guests
Susan Godfrey, Lea Browning,
Julie Padleford, Nikki Mark,
Lesia Murphy, Eric Murphy,
Jane Kaufman, Craig Labaume,
Christine McCallum, Tamara
Buerger and a few members of
the Singapore Team.
Detective Karen Hodge did
us proud by bringing gold
home in the Motocross event.
In temperatures exceeding
100 degrees on the day of
competition and with rough
conditions, Karen finished first.
Karen is accompanied by Becky
Grey from Fairfax County and
Sara MacCarron retired from
Armed Forces Investigations.
Detective Sergeant Jacqueline
Wilson participated in the 46 km
Cycling Road Race and the 2 km
Hill Climb Time Trial where she
won gold in both events.
Al Henson participated in his
first Judo tournament. Kevin
Ban competed in Judo where he
received bronze in his weight
category as well as Submission
Grappling where he received
silver in his category. Constable
Chris Kowaluk participated in
Submission Grappling and got
silver in his weight category.
However he broke his rib in his
first fight. Alan Cuison received
gold in Submission Grappling.
Constable Matthew D’souza
enjoyed his first time at the
games where he played Baseball.
Their team held their own during
the tournament, however did
not receive any medals. Steven
Warbuck and Adam Summers
also participated in the baseball
tournament. I participated in
Indoor Rowing for the first time.
I was fortunate to have partnered
up with Adriana Paraschiv from
Romania, whose coaching landed
us gold in Women’s Pair 40 +
and bronze in Individual 50 +
2 km. Constable Robyn Kassam
participated in Beach Volleyball
where her team was defeated by
Finland in the playoffs. She also
participated in Indoor Volleyball.
Let us remember Brazilian
Inspector Carlos Silva who
died as a result of his injuries
during a Cycling race event.
Two other cyclists were also
critically injured. Silva, who was
scheduled to participate in the
Triathlon, was awarded a gold
medal posthumously which was
accepted by his team members.
I would like to thank the York
Regional Police Sport Committee
for the financial assistance to the
athletes attending the games.
We hope to see you in Montreal
in 2017 www.wpfgmontreal2017.
com
25
York Dragons
Scott Vincent #1974
Just wanted to thank the Association for your ongoing support of the
York Dragons Dragonboat team.
Here are some pictures from the
festival in Mississauga from June
7th, 2015. You’ll notice us sporting
some bronze hardware from the B
Division Finals.
Thank you again for your assistance. We look forward to bringing even more home from Fairfax,
Virginia at the World Police Fire
Games in a few weeks!
26
27
PSYCH 101 – The Difference Between Mental Health
Professionals
Beth Milliard
Peer Support Unit
The Peer Support Unit is not
only responsible for assisting
and providing peer support to
members and their families, but
we have also taken the initiative
to look within and outside the
Region for good mental health
care professionals, who have
experience with first responders.
Recommendation #8 of the
2012 Ombudsman Report, “In
the Line of Duty”, states that
police services should work
with their Employee Assistance
Provider (EAP) as well as other
police organizations and create
a community referral list of
mental health resources. Since
2013, the Peer Support Unit
(formerly the OSI Project) has
been working diligently to fulfill
this recommendation.
The first thing we did was reach
out to the Ontario Psychological
Association (OPA) for guidance.
We were fortunate enough to
meet and to this day continue
to work with the president of
the OPA, Dr. Jane Storrie. Dr.
Storrie admits that working with
first responders is a lot different
than working with the general
public. This is evident in her
private practice and her initial
training and experience with the
NYPD.
Although the Ombudsman
Report said to work with our
28
EAP, we realized that during our
research that the mental health
professionals at the EAP are not
clinical PhD psychologists. In
other words, most EAP mental
health professionals usually hold
a Master’s degree in Social Work
and are a good resource for
problems that need to be solved
over the phone in 1-5 sessions.
Psychologists, on the other hand
have a PhD in psychology and
a much broader scope when it
comes to education, training and
accountability.
obligated to adhere to.
The role of the Clinical
Psychologist as compared to
a Therapist, Counsellor, Social
Worker, etc., is that a Psychologist
is qualified to assess, diagnose
and treat mental illness and is
on par with the scope of practice
of a Medical Psychiatrist,
except for the prescribing
of pharmaceuticals. This is
important because members
sometimes require a diagnosis
to be able to access certain
coverage and/or to implement
the appropriate treatment plan.
What is the difference?
Psychologists’ scope of practice Also, terms like therapist and
is on par with Psychiatrists. counsellor are not protected
Psychologists, psychiatrists and titles, so essentially anyone can
family physicians are the only use them.
professionals who are legally
allowed to diagnose mental What does it really mean for
the member?
health issues.
When it comes to funding, the
Psychologists who have a PhD main difference between the
are one of only five health care health care professionals is that
professionals legally allowed our Sun Life benefits only
to use the title of “Doctor”. cover Psychologists or mental
Psychologists are registered with health professionals who are
the College of Psychologists supervised by a Psychologist.
of Ontario and have declared This point is extremely important
areas
of
specialization as I’ve heard from many
following advanced training, frustrated members who have
which includes an internship finally got up the courage to seek
and residency component. In out a mental health professional
addition to being part of the on their own, make contact, and
College, psychologists are bound establish rapport only to find out
by rules, ethics and a code of that Sun Life will not reimburse
professionalism other mental their claims.
health professionals are not
It is no wonder that members are
confused about the differences
among health care professionals
when the Sun Life Benefit Group
document (May, 2014) under
Extended Health Care Benefits
coverage lists:
“services of a psychologist
limited to $2,500 in a calendar
year.”
Although it lists “psychologist”,
it is not go into detail of what it
does not cover.
Other complications when
seeking out a mental health
professional
Another issue that we hear in
our unit is that a member has
reached out to a psychologist
that they believe has experience
in dealing with first responders
when it is evident they don’t.
What we have learned through
Dr. Storrie is that there are no
official training programs in
universities or clinical settings
specifically for working with
police or first responders, as this
is not currently a recognized area
of competency with the College
of Psychologists of Ontario.
The few Clinical Psychologists
that have experience working
with first responders and
specifically with police officers
have mostly gathered their
experiences independently and
primarily by seeing officers for
treatment. This is another reason
why we are taking the time to
meet with each mental health
professional and obtaining a
copy of their CV.
Through these meetings we
are able to meet face to face
and learn about their specific
experiences with first responders,
motivations in working with first
responders and their family,
their training and education,
treatment methods and most
importantly we have been able
to gain a relationship, so when
our unit calls them for assistance
we are given priority. In other
words, by our unit reaching out
and getting to know our mental
health professionals, we have
been able to expedite treatment
for our members.
When dealing with WSIB
Anytime a member submits a
“traumatic mental health stress”
claim WSIB requires that all
supporting documents be signed
off by a psychologist who is
registered with WSIB. This is
something else that may come
up as an issue when a member
has gained a rapport with a
mental health professional only
to learn that they need to find
someone who is registered with
WSIB.
Knowing is the key
As noted above, it is all too often
that we get phone calls regarding
questions and concerns around
mental health professionals. As
a result, we have created a list
of mental health professionals
that includes: their contact
information, designation and if
they are supervised, the type of
treatment they provide, if they
are registered with WSIB and
types of payment they accept. We
did have the list on the YRPNet
but decided to remove it because
we are constantly updating it
and some psychologists have
actually given me their private
cell phone numbers to use in
emergency situations.
If you have any questions
regarding mental health
professionals, or if you know of
any mental health professionals
that you feel should be part of
our list please reach out to me,
1323@yrp.ca or the Peer Support
Unit psu@yrp.
Eves & Eves Home Selling Team
For your complete home buying & selling reports along with VIP insider information, please visit:
www.YourRealEstateInfo.ca
www.evesandeves.com
29
CLASSIFIEDS
Members wishing to submit small classified ads, 25 words or less, may do so at no charge.
E-mail submissions to sj.yrpa@rogers.com
PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP
SERVICES:
Mobile Make-Up and Hair Services
on your wedding day- we travel
on location to help make your
special day stress free.
services@MakeupByTihana.com
www.makeupbytihana.com
“AMPS DIRECT” Video Transfer
Service
Film, Slide & Video Tape Transfer
to DVD
Best Price, High Quality
Frank Ruggiero
H: 705 437 4573 - C: 905 715 3050
ruggiero54@rogers.com
Florida Home for rent,
4 bedroom in sought after
Davenport area, 10mins. from
Disney World. Private pool and
all the amenities. Special Rate
for Police only $850 per week.
Owned by YRP members.
Check out our website www.
CanadianFloridaVacationHome.
Com or email us at
FairHopePass@hotmail.com
Smooth Operators DJ
Services
Weddings, Corporate functions &
all type of Parties.
Very reasonable rates.
Contact: Frank Ruggiero (905)
715 3050, ruggiero54@rogers.com
Fort Myers, Fla.
2 bedroom condo for rent to YRP
members & family. $500 per week.
Contact: Paul Chiang
RENOVATION RESERVATIONS?
Licensed tradesman with 20
years experience. Specializing in
plumbing, heating, gas, electrical,
framing, tile work and complete
washroom renovations. JAY 647680-1847
BADGE NUMBER PENDANT
Stainless steel.
Makes a great gift for a spouse!
Just $35 – made by YRP member.
Also available in sterling silver.
http://lensman888.wix.com/
policependants
SALMON FISHING -LAKE
ONTARIO
Discount for YRP members
Free entry into the Great Ontario
Salmon Derby
Contact: Steve Patrick 905-8416517
Reelactioncharters@rogers.com
www.ReelactionCharters.ca
KERR Events & Design
High quality and affordable event
decor & rentals.
Full service design management
and planning for weddings and
special events.
Leave it in our hands and enjoy
your day!
Theresa Kerr – Dan Kerr
kerrevents.ca, 705-817-8733
30
HAIR STYLING
9yr experienced hair stylist
looking for new clients, Keswick
and Uxbridge locations. Contact
Melissa Hoult (YRP wife) 647-2935077. Colour/Cuts/Extensions/
Kertain hair treatments
Sarasota, Florida.
3 Bedroom 1,400 square feet
Condo for rent.
15 Minutes from Siesta Key Beach .
$600 Per week.
Contact: Jason Currie.
norton850commando@hotmail.com
n
FOR CAKE’S SAKE
Cakes and other treats
for all occasions! Discounts for
emergency service workers.
Contact Amy McLeod at
for_cakes_sake@hotmail.com
COCOA BEACH, FLORIDA
CONDO
Two bed/bath condo directly on
beach with view of the ocean.
45 mins to Orlando, 5 mins to
Port Canaveral. $850-1195/
week. Contact Chris Armstrong
vacationcocoabeach@gmail.com
or visit https://sites.google.com/
site/vacationcocoabeach/
Wallet- $50
Tuck Shop
Diaper Shirt (3M-24M)- $15
Crewneck Black- $30
Toddler T-shirt (2T-4T)- $10
Men’s Ogio Cargo Brown Polo- $50
Black/White Nike Cap- $25
Black Jacket- $80
Youth Crewneck- $30
Duffle Bag- $20
YRPA Patches- $50
Ladies Gravity Fleece- $55
Grey Sweatpants- $20
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please
contact Laura Johnston at (905)
830-4947 Ex. 108 or ljohnston.
yrpa@rogers.com.
31
Congratulations!
...to the following members and their families:
Dominique (#2021) and Sara Lee on the birth of a daughter
Born July 30, 2015 at 2044H to
Penny and Niko at Markham
Stouffville Hospital weighing 7lbs,
5 oz (3.3 kilos). Aunt Ria also YRP
is a proud aunt and Sgt Morash is
honorary aunt!
Welcome on the safe arrival of
Cara Marie from the house of
Dimitrakopoulos, the First of her
Name, heir to the King of the Andals and the First Men, Lady of the
Seven Kingdoms, Princess of Whitchurch and Protector of the Realm.
Born July 30, 2015 at 2044H to
Penny and Niko at Markham
Stouffville Hospital weighing 7lbs,
5 oz (3.3 kilos). Aunt Ria also YRP
is a proud aunt and Sgt Morash is
honorary aunt!
32
Making Connections
TRAUMA EDUCATION & RESOURCE EVENING
FOR FIRST RESPONDERS
AND THEIR SPOUSES, PARTNERS, FAMILY
MEMBERS AND FRIENDS*
SEPTEMBER 28TH, 2015
7PM-9PM
THE NEWMARKET THEATRE
505 PICKERING CRES. NEWMARKET, ON. L3Y 8H1
GUEST SPEAKERS:
LIVING THROUGH TRAUMA: A SPOUSE SHARES HER STORY
Addiction and Occupational Stress;
When all seems lost.
Tom Gabriel - (DIPL.) (ACW, ICADC)
Tom is a former Police Officer (35 years, Toronto Police
Service) and is currently under contract with the
Toronto Police Association as an EFAP Consultant and
Crisis and Addictions Counsellor. His experience arises
out of many years of dealing with people with
Addiction, Trauma and related mental health issues.
PTSD, What Is It?
What Can We Do About It?
Ron Mellish - M.A., R.M.F.T., C.T.S
Ron provides Counselling for individuals, couples,
families & groups Clinical Supervision for
counsellors wanting to enhance their work Critical
Incident Stress Management (CISM). Ron has
worked as a counsellor/consultant since 1984. He
is a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist
(RMFT), a Clinical Fellow in the Ontario
Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
(OAMFT), and a Certified Trauma Specialist in the
Association of Traumatic Stress Specialist related
mental health issues.
PLEASE R.S.V.P. BY SEPTEMBER 14TH 2015 TO YORKCISMEVENTS@GMAIL.COM
*DUE TO DISCUSSION TOPIC THIS EVENT IS GEARED TOWARDS THOSE 16 AND OLDER.
33
Photo: Harry De Jong
Canadian Police and
Peace Officers’ 38th
Annual Memorial Service
Le 38e service commémoratif
annuel des policiers et des
agents de la paix canadiens
September 27, 2015
Parliament Hill
Ottawa, Ontario
Le 27 septembre 2015
Colline du Parlement
Ottawa (Ontario)
TM
34
!
!
FOOD TRUCKS
for Charity
BENEFITING
!
Thursday, September 24th, 2015
YRPA- The Shed
Starts at 5pm
RAIN OR SHINE
!
Food Truck Alley
(behind the building)
•
•
•
•
!
Great Canadian Food Truck
Born2eat
!
Mustache Burger
Tu-Tone Jack Live @
Olympic Softee
The Shed
!
!
Music will start at 7pm!
Gladiator Jousting will take
place on the back field! Challenge
one of the executives or member
of your platoon
!
!
Come on out and support a great
cause!
35
36
37
DISCOUNTED TICKETS
FAMOUS PLAYERS
For Sale in the Shed only - $9.50
Wonderland
www.canadaswonderland.com/affilates
online
Username: cw-YRPA15
Password: YRPA2015
Ontario Science Centre
1-888-696-1110
up to 20% off
Code 276413
Santa's Village
santasvillage.ca
online
Code: SANTA60
AGO
https://tickets.ago.net
online
38
2015
20% off
Code YRPAonline
Hockey Hall of Fame
http://www.hhof.com/htmlGeneralInfo/gi10820.shtml
online
PAO11
ROM
www.rom.on.ca
online
YORK
MEDIEVAL TIMES
https://partners.medievaltimes.com/employee/home.aspx?pID
=90D2341D-A267-4F45-BE93-77BE41C51C8B
online
Adult 40% off - Kids 25% 0ff
Centreville
www.centreisland.ca
online
2015YRPA
Safari Niagara
www.SafariNiagara.com
online
SN121683
Implant
Annual General Meeting
Wednesday, October 28th
7:30 PM
Banquet Hall - The Shed
953-9902
AGENDA
•
AUDITOR REPORT
•
FINANCIAL REPORT
•
NOMINATIONS
VICE PRESIDENT
2 DISTRICT DIRECTOR
5 DISTRICT DIRECTOR
COURT SECURITY
SPORTS COMMITTEE
VICE CHAIR
SECRETARY
• SPORTS COMMITTEE REPORT
• PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
• OTHER BUSINESS
39
Residential Specialists
info@jtlandson.com
JTL AND SON LIMITED
MASTER ELETRICIAN
(905)294-7500
(416)751-5909
JIM
19 Eastwood Cr.
Markham L3P 5Z6
905•669•0557
242 Applewood Cres Unit 13
Concord ON, L4K4E5
40
Ontario’s #1 Mazda Dealer
41
Thank You
for Supporting
our
Advertisers!
Picture it...
YOUR ad
right here!
E-mail publications@imkgp.com or call
1-800-366-3113 Ext.1
Ask for the publication advertising coordinator
to assure your spot for the next issue.
42
77 16th Ave, Richmond hill ON, L4C 7A5
43