Sault man named president of the OPP Association

A northern Ontario police officer is the new head of the Ontario Provincial Police Association (OPPA). John Cerasuolo, a native of Sault Ste. Marie, was appointed president of the OPPA earlier this month - and he says there are already a lot of issues on his plate.

With the current contract expiring in December, Cerasuolo’s first order of business is to prepare to negotiate a new contract for OPPA members. However, he said Ontario’s Bill 124, which holds public sector wage increases to one per cent, could make that task harder. He added the bill could also hamper recruitment and retention efforts.

“It has a huge effect on how we staff the OPP in the future,” said Cerasuolo.

“And it will become problematic because our municipal police associations are not under that umbrella. So, we will fall behind as far as compensation.”

Cerasuolo says municipalities that rely on the OPP as its primary police service provider would be the first the notice the challenges faced by a short-staffed OPP.

“The barking dog complaints, simple thefts, things like that, they’re treated differently,” he added.

“I’d like to say in my 26-plus years on the job, we try to answer the bell for every call that comes in. And when you’re short, you have to prioritize those calls, and you have to deal with the highest priority, of course.”