Queen’s Park has struck a $500,000 independent panel to probe “workplace culture” at the Ontario Provincial Police after more than a dozen officers have died by suicide in recent years.Solicitor General Sylvia Jones announced the review Monday, saying it was prompted by the deaths and by complaints from current and former OPP staff.“Frontline OPP members in cities and towns across Ontario have raised concerns,” Jones said in a statement.“Ensuring the safety and well-being of our front-line staff is my top priority. OPP officers have our back. They deserve a government that has theirs.” Thirteen officers have taken their own lives since 2012 — including three suicides in a three-week span last summer.The all-male panel is made up of former associate chief justice of Ontario Douglas Cunningham, former deputy attorney general Murray Segal, and former NDP cabinet minister Dave Cooke.They will work with recently appointed OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique.“Our government will act swiftly. That’s why the panel will commence their work in May and provide an interim report to myself by midsummer, with a final report by early fall,” said Jones, noting last month the Progressive Conservative government announced new mental health supports for OPP staff.“But more must be done. The well-being of our sworn officers, civilian staff and their families is too important,” she said.Former Ontario ombudsman André Marin has long called for a province-wide probe for officers.His 2012 report In the Line of Duty found the OPP and what was then known as the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services were “reluctant” to support officers suffering from mental health challenges connected to workplace stress.Earlier this year, Marin told the Star he believed little has changed since his report seven years ago.“It’s hard to say whether or not, had this been addressed more se ...
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