OACP’s Annual Conference a Huge Success!

This year’s Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) 2023 Annual Conference was a huge success, with more than 300 delegates from federal, provincial, municipal, and Indigenous police services in attendance. Police leaders, government officials, and policing partners from across Ontario gathered in Kingston, Ontario, from June 11-14, 2023.

The Annual Conference kicked off with an Opening Ceremony that featured the singing of the national anthem in three languages, English, French, and Ojibway, by Sgt. Chantal Larocque, Anishinabek Police Service. The Opening Ceremony also included a drumming ceremony by the Sisters of the Drum to help us honour the Indigenous peoples of the territories on which the conference was held. In remembrance of OACP members who passed away since the last annual meeting in June 2022, and police officers who gave their lives in the line-of-duty during this time, a total of 14 names were read out during an emotional Memorial ceremony.

Delegates were also welcomed by the Honourable Michael Kerzner, Ontario’s Solicitor General, and His Worship Bryan Paterson, Mayor of the City of Kingston. A number of sessions on important issues shaping community safety and well-being were scheduled and presented at the conference under the theme Connect Lead Inspire, including:

• Police Services Boards & Senior Management Relations
• Social Media: Turning Challenges into Assets
• Implementation of Bias Testing Through Organizational Leadership
• Lessons Learned Through Meaningful Engagement with Indigenous Communities and Policing Partners
• Violent Crime Reform: Implications for Police Professionals
• Race-Based Data as a Tool for Change: A Human Rights Approach to Gathering Intelligence
• Anti-Racism Working Group Update: Where are we now?

The Annual Conference presentations and photos will be posted on the Members Only section of the website. To view the presentations and photos, click here.

We look forward to the 2024 Annual Conference, which will be held June 9 to 12, 2024 in London, ON!