Spate of suicides leaves OPP union head badly shaken

Rob Jamieson, president of the Ontario Provincial Police Association

The head of the union representing thousands of Ontario Provincial Police officers is “imploring” members experiencing mental health challenges to seek help, after the suicides of three officers in three weeks.

In a candid letter he wrote with “tears in my eyes” to thousands of members, OPP Association president Rob Jamieson said he wanted to speak openly, in a “real” way, about mental health challenges and suicide, which have rocked the provincial police service this month.

“I have experienced extreme trauma as a result of doing my job as a police officer and four years ago I needed to step away,” Jamieson wrote in a message sent last week.

“This has been a personal journey, and it is difficult to share this with thousands of people I do not know; however, I do so in the hope that it may give some strength to hang on, to speak to someone and to know you are not alone.”

Three OPP officers have died by suicide this month, including Sgt. Sylvain Joseph François Routhier and Det. Insp. Paul Horne. A third officer, who died most recently, has not been publicly identified.

“As we deal with the grief of our most recent loss, our deep- est condolences and thoughts to the immediate family and our (OPP) members,” tweeted OPP Commissioner Vince Hawkes on Sunday, alongside an image of flags flying at halfmast at OPP headquarters in Orillia.

Hawkes tweeted late last week that he was “deeply devastated by the recent loss of three of our members,” saying the OPP is examining barriers that prevent members from seeking support.

Though Jamieson stressed that the intention of his letter was not to talk about himself — “the true heroes are the surviving spouses and family members,” he told the Star on Sunday — he is hoping that frank talk about mental health challenges will spur changes to help all officers and civilians get the help they need.

In his letter, he writes that when he joined the OPP in1995, recognition of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other occupational stress injuries was “virtually non-existent.” This, despite the fact that Jamieson said many first responders, “if not all,” suffer by virtue of dealing with trauma.

Jamieson said he wanted to acknowledge that he, too, has experienced mental health challenges from years on the job, which ultimately prompted him to step away. Since he became president, he said he has seen how members access support — whether it’s someone to talk to or getting into a treatment program.

In all cases, Jamieson said he commended members for “taking that first step in getting help.” While he said both the OPP and society have come a long way since 1995 in terms of addressing mental health, “it is not an easy path to travel, especially in a culture where stigma represents a significant barrier to seeking assistance.”

In 2016, the province introduced what’s known as presumptive legislation, which eliminated the requirement that first responders prove PTSD was triggered by an onthe-job incident when submitting claims to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

The change, advocated by first responder associations including the OPPA, has helped fasttrack worker compensation claims for those in need and reduced stigma, Jamieson said. But he stressed that more “can and must” be done.