2025 Annual Conference - Program and Speakers

Paul Pedersen started his role as Executive Director with the OACP on June 24, 2024. He has more than 40 years of exceptional experience in policing having served in senior leadership positions with York Regional Police and Chief of  Police of the Greater Sudbury Police Service.

Paul holds a Master of Public Administration from Western University along with a Diploma in Adult Education from St. Francis Xavier University and is a graduate of Executive Leadership programs from the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Business, the National Police Improvement Agency in the United Kingdom and the Senior Management Institute for Police through the Police Executive Research Forum in the United States.

Paul is a proud Officer of the Merit of the Police Forces and a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal and the Police Exemplary Service medal as well s being invested as a Member in the Order of St. John.

Paul is passionate about community engagement serving on the Board of St. John Ambulance as the Vice-Chair, the Chair of the Sudbury Food Bank, the Chair of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics, and a past President of the Cambrian College Board. He participates in a wide variety of community events connection with diverse and multicultural communities all thorough the year. 

THOMAS CARRIQUE became the 15th Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police on April 8, 2019. Commissioner Carrique commenced his policing career with York Regional Police in 1990. He worked in a variety of roles including Uniform Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Investigative Services, Traffic, Marine, and Public Order. He progressed through the ranks and served as Deputy Chief of the Administration Branch, the Operations Branch, and the Investigations and Support Branch.

Commissioner Carrique holds a Master’s degree in leadership and training, with a specialty in justice and public safety, from Royal Roads University, and a certificate in terrorism studies from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is a graduate of the National Policing Improvement Agency’s International Commanders Program in the United Kingdom and the United States Department of Justice Drug Unit Commanders Academy.

He is currently the elected President of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. He serves as a co-chair of the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada National Executive Committee and on the board of directors for the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police. He is an appointed member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Division of State and Provincial Police Executive Committee. In addition, he is a member of the Ministry of the Solicitor General Executive Mental Health Steering Committee and co-chairs the Mental Health Collaborative Police Table.

Commissioner Carrique is a recipient of the Police Exemplary Service Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. He is also a Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces as well as a Serving Brother of the Order of St. John Ambulance.

Myron Demkiw, a Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (M.O.M.), joined the Toronto Police Service in 1990, and became Chief in December of 2022. As head of the largest municipal police service in Canada, and the fourth largest municipal police service in North America, Chief Demkiw oversees 5300 police officers, 2200 civilian Members, and a budget of $1.2 billion.

Over the course of his career, he has served as the Unit Commander of Intelligence Services and the Officer in Charge of Strategy Management Corporate Projects, the Second in Command of 32 Division, Duty Senior Officer, and fulfilled several supervisory roles in various units throughout the organization. He has also participated in several Service-wide initiatives, including as an integral member of the Police and Community Engagement Review (PACER) Team, since its inception in 2012.

An alumnus of the University of Toronto, Chief Demkiw earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in his twenties, majoring in both Criminology and Political Science. He later returned to attend the Faculty of Law and completed the Global Professional Master of Laws program. He is also a graduate of the Rotman School of Management’s Police Leadership Program. Chief Demkiw is a married father of two and a proud member of Toronto’s Ukrainian community. 

Ontario Women in Law Enforcement (OWLE) plays a crucial role in assisting police organizations in developing female leaders in their respective services. This session will highlight some of the ways that OWLE is collaborating with police leadership in Ontario to achieve this and invite new partnerships to support our female police members:

• Organic Mentorship
• Training and Development
• Networking Opportunities
• Promoting Equality and Inclusion
• Encouraging Confidence and Empowerment
• Supportive Policies and Advocacy.

 A Game Changing Approach to Strategic Development

Colin Stairs - Technologies that will move your police organizations

Deputy Chief Paolo DaSilva - Navigating A.I. for your police service through opportunities and pitfalls

As policing evolves, the need for sustainable wellness frameworks has never been more critical. Future-proofing police services requires a proactive focus on member wellness—not just as support but as a strategic foundation for resilient adaptive organizations. This panel will explore innovative wellness strategies, partnerships, and their role in recruitment, retention, and operational sustainability. 

Topics: 

• The Role of External Partnerships in Wellness Ontario police services have strong internal wellness programs, but external partnerships provide specialized care that enhances internal efforts. Runnymede’s Rehabilitation Centre for First Responders offers trauma recovery and resilience-building programs tailored for first responders. These partnerships are critical for addressing PTSI and helping officers recover, reintegrate, and maintain long-term mental health. 

• Building a Culture of Wellness Fostering a culture of wellness requires more than programs— it’s about shifting organizational culture to normalize mental health support. This session will explore critical incident response, early intervention systems, and reintegration programs that focus on continuous wellness throughout an officer’s career. Reducing stigma and building supportive environments will be key themes. 

• Wellness as a Recruitment & Retention Strategy The next generation of recruits places a high priority on workplace well-being, mental health resources, and work-life harmony. By expanding wellness offerings, police services can attract a more diverse talent pool and reduce burnout, absenteeism, and premature departures. Investing in wellness creates a competitive advantage in recruitment while strengthening organizational resilience.
• Why? With the rising prevalence of PTSI in policing, this panel will provide leaders with practical strategies to integrate wellness, enhance recruitment, foster sustainable organizational health, and be prepared for the future.

Lisa is currently in her 30^th year working in the policing sector and is the Co-Chair of Advancing WE in Policing-Ontario (AWIP-ON). 

In 2018, Tammy Fryer and eight of her colleagues from services around the province joined together to form AWIP-ON, “a collective voice on equity, inclusion and diversity in Ontario policing”. AWIP is a volunteer-based working group comprised of leaders, regardless of rank, that is committed to cultivating work environments founded on safety, belonging and connection, where everyone has equal access and opportunity to thrive.  Lisa was one of the original members in 2018 and has continued to work alongside Tammy and the team ever since. 

In addition to her role in AWIP, in May of 2022, Lisa was hired into the position of Executive Director with the OAPSB (Ontario Association of Police Service Boards). In this role, she is responsible for steering the organization and managing the day-to-day operations.  Lisa brought with her to this role, a wealth of knowledge and strategic leadership experience from her 27 years of exemplary service with the OPP. During the last 10 years of Lisa’s career with the OPP, she held uniform executive leadership roles, with a focus on leading and working in diverse collaborative teams. Prior to her position as Superintendent of West Region, Lisa was Commander of the Northumberland and Peterborough Detachments.  Lisa is a graduate of WLU, the Executive Development in Policing Program from CPC and a Member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces.  

With over 35 years in the policing sector, Tammy is committed to fostering safer, authentically inclusive workplaces within policing.  In 2018, she formed Advancing WE in Policing-Ontario (AWIP-ON) as a response to working in an unsafe, toxic work environment. Over the years, AWIP ON has continued to evolve creating a new vision, “A future where policing cultivates psychological safety, equity, and belonging, providing the skills and support for every individual to feel that they matter and are empowered to awaken their potential within a connected and inclusive community of police professionals.” 

From January 1990 until July 2020, Tammy was a proud member of the Windsor Police Service, retiring at the rank of Inspector, the 3^rd highest achieved by a woman over 150 years.  Tammy’s police career highlights center around oversight of many top priority organizational initiatives, maintaining community safety and wellbeing, building public trust by collaborating with community partners on multiple initiatives to address social justice issues, recruitment outreach, organizational gender equity awareness, and cultivating wellness within the Service. Tammy has always considered herself to be an agent of change and welcomes the opportunity to introduce a new, modern way of leading within the culture of policing. One that will foster a sense of safety, belonging and connection benefiting not only the membership but enhancing community service and safety overall.

1. Call to Order 
2. Appointment of Secretary
3. Notice of Meeting
4. Constitution of Meeting
5. Approval of 2024 AGM Meeting Minutes
6. 2024-2025 President's Report
7. Secretary-Treasurer's Report
8. Appointment of Auditors
9. 2025 Resolutions
10. Election of 2025-2026 Board Executive
11. Swearing in of the Board Executive
12. Adjournment

What's working in your police service?

What opportunities do you see for Ontario police organizations?