North Bay police reject link between tax hike, officers on leave with PTSD
The North Bay Police Service said Thursday that officers on leave with PTSD are not behind recent municipal tax increases.
Police sent the news release after a local media report quoted a city councillor who said 2.5 per cent of the recent 3.2 per cent tax hike was caused by officers on leave being treated for PTSD.
“This statement is inaccurate,” police said.
“The increase to the North Bay Police Service is the result of the necessary hiring of new officers in 2022 and 2023, the creation of new positions internally that support frontline officers during criminal investigations, and price inflation for necessary goods such as fuel, uniforms, training and insurance,” police spokesperson David Woolley told CTV News in an email.
“It is not the result of officers being off work receiving treatment for PTSD.”
While 18 per cent of sworn officers in North Bay are off work while they receive treatment for PTSD, that is not the highest rate in Ontario, as the report said.
“This is a large number of officers away from work, but it is not the highest rate in the province,” the media release said.
“Many other police services in Ontario have a high rate of officers off work receiving treatment for PTSD.”
Police forces across Ontario saw a significant increase officers being off work for PTSD since 2016, when the province passed the Supporting Ontario's First Responders Act (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder).
For the first time in Ontario, the Act required the province to assume a first-responder with PTSD acquired it as a result of job-related stress.
“While staffing challenges have arisen since the passage of the Act … ultimately this is a positive development as it ensures officers are receiving treatment for PTSD that prior to the passage of the Act may have gone untreated,” North Bay Police said.
To help address the issue, police hired a wellness navigator in 2023 who will be responsible “for ensuring members receive appropriate mental and physical health supports while on- and off-duty.
“The position will also chart the implementation of the service’s employee health and well-being plan, which was approved in 2021. We believe these initiatives will help ensure resilience among our sworn officers and civilian members.”
Vincent Corrente, president of the North Bay Police Association, said many people don’t realize the level of stress police routinely face.
“Our members may be exposed to more trauma over a week than many residents of this city will see in a lifetime,” Corrente is quoted as saying in the release.
“Unfortunately, job-related trauma is cumulative and some of our members reach their breaking point where they need to step away to get the appropriate treatment.”
“Ensuring that our members are healthy and supported as they work to ensure the safety of the people of North Bay remains my top priority,” North Bay Chief of Police Scott Tod said in the release.
“It is disappointing and disheartening to see incorrect statements about our members who are receiving treatment for PTSD become part of the public conversation. These factually inaccurate statements only further the stigma around mental health.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Calgary police shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers dealt with a distraught individual. The incident lasted almost 20 hours.