On May 5 and 6, a number of USJE National Executive and front-line members joined hundreds of other public safety personnel (PSP) in Calgary for the second annual Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research & Treatment (CIPSRT) conference.
The two-day conference, matching last years incredible turnout, saw approximately 500 public safety personnel (PSP), Academics, Researchers and Clinicians from across the country and overseas, come together to learn how they can better support PSP mental health and wellbeing. The conference included engaging keynote speakers, interactive sessions, and expert-led discussions designed for frontline PSP, public safety leadership, and their families.
The Honourable Ralph Goodale opened this year’s conference with an address related to his direct involvement in the formation of CIPSRT, when he was the Public Safety Minister. It is to be noted that in his capacity of Public Safety Minister, Mr. Goodale also embraced several conversations with USJE, including hosting a roundtable discussion. RVP Jeff Sandelli was able to meet with Mr. Goodale later in the conference and engage in a conversation to thank him for opening the proverbial door for our members and further to provide updates on our current campaigns. Mr. Goodale expressed gratitude and well wishes for USJE’s ongoing work.
This year’s keynote speakers included, Dr. Colleen Carney, who is a Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University and the Director of the Sleep and Depression Laboratory. Dr. Carney spoke in relation to evidence-based sleep interventions that can support individuals working as PSP; shift work, physical injury and trauma. The other keynote speaker, André Picard, is a highly decorated Canadian journalist who has travelled the world, witnessing and writing about numerous memorable events and atrocities. These experiences helped shape his frame of reference in relation to trauma and intervention. Mr. Picard focused on “beyond duty, sacrifice and resilience: The importance of support systems for the health and well-being of public safety personnel”.
The conference provided information that was applicable to the numerous sectors of PSP, which includes the more traditional and visible members such as Police, Fire and Paramedics, but also took into consideration PSP that work behind the scenes, such as many of those represented by USJE, by providing broad discussions that were applicable across occupation.
To gather more information on the conference content, we would invite you to click on the following link.
On behalf of RVPs Laurie Ann Wesselby, Valda Behrens, Zoe Johnston, JP Surette & Jeff Sandelli, along with all USJE conference participants, we would like to thank the CIPSRT for this great conference. We have been advised that the date and location of next years conference will be confirmed and announced in the coming months, stay tuned!
USJE is a founding member of CIPSRT and continues to participate by way of their membership on the Public Safety Steering Committee (PSSC) along with other front-line PSP representatives. Currently our National President David Neufeld and USJE RVP, Jeff Sandelli, sit on this committee. “Established in 2017, the Public Safety Steering Committee (PSSC) is a standing committee whose members represent federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal public safety organizations. The primary function of the PSSC is to engage in collaboration with CIPSRT, Public Safety Canada (PSC), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) on matters related to the mental health and well-being of current and former Canadian Public Safety Personnel (PSP), their leaders, and their families.” CIPSRT Website