Ambulances are parked outside the Emergency Department at the Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus in Ottawa on Monday, May 16, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Ontario has initiated a program to provide two years of free bereavement counseling to the families of first responders who have lost their lives in the line of duty or by suicide. The program, known as the Ontario Immediate Family Wellness Program, aims to offer mental health support, including crisis intervention, counseling, and therapy, to spouses, parents, siblings, and children of police officers, firefighters, paramedics, dispatchers, and provincial correctional services workers.
The announcement was made by Solicitor General Michael Kerzner in Aurora, Ontario. Kerzner emphasized the significant challenges faced by public safety personnel and their families, including trauma, grief, and constant worry. He stated that the program seeks to provide a safety net for immediate family members who have made significant sacrifices for the province of Ontario.
The Ontario government has allocated $3 million for the implementation of the program. Mental health professionals will be available round the clock to offer crisis intervention and care support services. The program will be accessible retroactively to families of first responders who died in the line of duty on or after January 1, 2020, and to families of those who died by suicide on or after January 1, 2023.
The decision to implement such a program was influenced by a 2019 report from the province's Office of the Chief Coroner, which investigated the suicides of nine police officers in 2018. Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Thomas Carrique expressed gratitude for the initiative, highlighting the importance of acknowledging and supporting families who have experienced the loss of a loved one due to their duty.
Statistics provided by John Cerasuolo, president of the Ontario Provincial Police Association, reveal that 113 OPP officers have died in the line of duty since the establishment of the force in 1909, and 49 officers have died by suicide since records began in 1989. Cerasuolo praised the Encompas Mental Health Wellness Program, launched by the OPP union in 2020 with provincial funding, for its positive impact on current and retired officers and their families.
The newly introduced provincial program has received commendation from various quarters, including paramedics. Hamilton Paramedic Chief Michael Sanderson, who also serves as the president of the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs, emphasized the importance of supporting the families of first responders who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their communities.
Sanderson noted the critical role played by first responders in providing assistance during emergencies and stressed the importance of reciprocating that support to their families in times of need. The initiative has been widely welcomed across Ontario, with many expressing hope that it will provide much-needed assistance and comfort to bereaved families during their difficult journey of healing and recovery.
