A meeting attended by about 30 people in Hawkesbury on June 21 aimed to better familiarize immigrants in the community with the local detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), and establish trust between newcomers and law enforcement.
Adjusting to life in a new country is challenging enough. Knowing who to call in an emergency and being able to trust the authorities is another challenge for many new immigrants in Canada. Some new residents of the country have moved from places where law enforcement and emergency services are not reliable, or trustworthy.
“We built this presentation to really build trust with new Canadians and the police,” said Hawkesbury OPP Detachment Commander, Inspector Anne-Christine Gauthier.
The OPP and the Town of Hawkesbury believed there was a need to inform newcomers to the community and Canada about police services. The meeting was held under the context of Hawkesbury’s designation as a Communauté francophone accueillante (Welcoming Francophone Community).
Information presented at the meeting included what police do, what happens when someone calls 9-1-1, how police respond to domestic disputes, the OPP Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT), mental health services, and Victim Services.
Jennifer Labelle of the Office of Professionalism, Respect, Inclusion, and Leadership (OPRIL) at OPP General Headquarters in Orillia spoke to the audience about diversity, equity, and inclusion within the OPP and how it approaches those issues in its interactions with the public. The discussion included police relations regarding race, LGBTQ+, and anti-hate initiatives.
“What we do is we support detachments and communities related to these issues,” Labelle said.
Meetings between police services and community groups are not unusual, but the session in Hawkesbury was a first of sorts.
“This the first event we’re doing in the province that we’re doing in French,” Gauthier said.
Constable Sydney Jones of the Hawkesbury Detachment explained how the OPP addresses violence and conducts criminal investigations.
The audience also had the opportunity to hear from someone who is both an immigrant and a police officer. Constable Jean-Michel Maceus grew up in Haiti and moved to Canada in 2002. He joined the OPP in 2012. He shared his experiences adjusting to life and work in Canada, and offered to connect individually with audience members to share advice and encouragement because many immigrants share similar experiences.
“My story is your story,” Maceus said.
