Bill is a former RCMP Superintendent, deputy commander of the Canadian police mission in Afghanistan (2011-2012) and author of the book Cops in Kabul: A Newfoundland Peacekeeper in Afghanistan.
Devon is a 33 year advanced life support paramedic with the British Columbia Ambulance Service and a volunteer medic with Technical Evacuation Advanced AeroMedical, a not for profit society comprised of emergency medical personnel & technical rescue specialists providing pre-hospital care and transport in remote settings.
Dave is a decorated 37-year officer of the Canada Border Services Agency who has been recognized for a number of significant drug interdictions over his career. You might even recognize him from the hit show Border Security: Canada's Front Line.
T.C. is a registered nurse who spent 14 straight years working in a British Columbia emergency room and author of the recently published book, The View from the Wrong Side of the Day
Joe has gone from being a homeless youth collecting bottles and cans to support his drug dependency to a successful business leader and motivational speaker. He’s also been on the receiving end of multiple contacts with police officers, and credits one of those interactions for setting him on the path to his remarkable turnaround.
Brett is a veteran police officer in Ontario, Canada and author of the recently published book, PTSD Road to Recovery. He who has spent the majority of his career on patrol and one call in particular, followed by a series of similar calls would threaten everything he understood about himself and change his life and that of his family forever.
Erich Schmidt is a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and a combat veteran who served 2 tours in Afghanistan with the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.
Dave Slatten is a volunteer member of the Central Fraser Valley Search and Rescue team who took time away from work for days so he could help rescue families trapped by rising flood waters.
Henry Braun is the Mayor of the City of Abbotsford, BC. He led his city through some of the worst flooding in BC's history. Mayor Braun discusses the impact the November 2021 storm had on him, and shares his perspective on leading through a crisis.
Matt is a full-time Metro Vancouver firefighter, an experienced mental health clinician and CEO of First Responder Health, a service that works in partnership with Wounded Warriors Canada to help other clinicians better connect with public safety professionals.
Laurie spent 23 years as a British Columbia based member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. She’s been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Medal of Valour from the International Association of Women Police. In 2021 she published a memoir detailing her journey following an incident and radio call that no police officer ever wants to hear, "10-33 Officer Down".
Captain Steve Farina is a veteran British Columbia firefighter, an executive board member of the International Association of Firefighters Local 1782 and Vice President of the BC Professional Fire Fighter Association (BCPFFA) which represents over 4,000 professional firefighters across the province.
Bryan was assigned to policing duties in one of Canada’s fastest growing cities before joining the Emergency Response Team where he was trained as an assaulter, sniper, confined space rescuer and more.
Shawn is a former Vancouver Police Department domestic violence investigations specialist, Canadian Armed Forces veteran and the founder and president of the Police and Peace Officer Memorial Ribbon Society.
AJ is a registered nurse and manager of clinical operations and peri-operative services for the Interior Health Authority in Cranbrook, British Columbia
Joe is a 2018 Olympian, skeleton coach and police officer. He specializes in emergency mental health with the Police and Crisis Team, responding to situations involving people who are suffering from a mental health, addictions, or psycho-social crisis.
Ben is a 32-year member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, a recipient of the Meritorious Service Cross and author of the book, Leading at the Edge: True Tales from Canadian Police in Peacebuilding and Peacekeeping Missions around the World.
Peter has spent more than 20 years working with federal inmates as a correctional officer, parole officer and manager.
Master Corporal (ret'd) John Dowe is a Canadian Armed Forces veteran, co-founder of the International Mefloquine Veterans Alliance, advocate for a Royal Commission to investigate the drug's prescription and use by the Canadian military and is the lead client in a mass tort lawsuit seeking compensation for veterans who were prescribed mefloquine on missions in Somalia, Rwanda, Haiti, Afghanistan and elsewhere.
Deputy Director (ret'd) Randie Scott spent 35 years with Correctional Services Canada and in 2008-2009, deployed with a team of correctional officers to Afghanistan.
It was during this deployment that Randie befriended Afghan police captain, Mohammed Ismail, and stayed in constant contact with him as Mohammed ushered his family via backroads from Kandahar to Pakistan, in a desperate bid to escape the Taliban who were hunting those, like Mohammed, who had supported Canada and it's allies.
Marc is the former president of Equitas Society, a group formed to advocate for better pension benefits for veterans and for social covenant between government and it's military so that veterans never go with out. He is also one of the Co-founders and Co-national Organizer of the Canadian Walk for Veterans, founded in 2018 to provide an opportunity for Canadians to learn about the challenges of coping with life after service.
Master Corporal (ret'd) Chance Burles is Canadian Armed Forces veteran and former Combat Engineer who spent 8 months in Afghanistan as a member of the Edmonton based 1 Combat Engineer Regiment.
He is also the co-founder of the annual Canadian Walk for Veterans and host of the Tools for the Tool Box podcast, a show he uses to to help others get their stories out and, through that process, learn what strategies they employ to work through and cope with the literal and figurative the scars that come from military service.
Lieutenant (ret’d) Ron Boughton is a Cold War veteran who spent 37 years with the Royal Canadian Navy.
Much of that time was spent conducting electronic warfare operations off Canada’s Pacific coast. Or, as he likes to say, chasing Russian spy ships.
He was also among the first members of the Canadian military to visit China after the 1949 revolution that brought the Chinese Communist Party to power.
Dr. Matthew Kane is a Canadian Armed Forces veteran and former military intelligence officer who served in several overseas counter intelligence operations.
He holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Walden University, a master’s degree from American Military University in Psychology, a BA in Military Strategic Studies from the University of New Brunswick and is the President and CEO of Prodigy Intelligence.
Dr. Kane is an expert in the field of non-verbal communication and deception detection and has worked with and delivered training to numerous political parties, law firms, entrepreneurs, and others.
Phil Gurski is a former CSIS analyst, the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting. a Distinguished Fellow in National Security at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI), host of the podcast, Canadian Intelligence Eh! and the author of six terrorism books and counting including , The Peaceable Kingdom, The Threat from Within and When Religion Kills.
Phil is a well known terrorism expert and sought after media commentator who has provided commentary, blogged about, tweeted and presented on violent Islamist-inspired and other forms of terrorism around the globe.
David Cassels is a former Canadian Police Chief and public safety consultant who has supported and consulted both domestically and internationally on a range of policing and public safety issues.
He is also a founding member and President of the Coalition for Canadian Police Reform, an organization advocating for improving and reforming the training police officers receive, elevating police professionalism through the creation of a Canadian College of Professional Policing.
Mubin Shaikh is a former undercover human source for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and former police agent with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) who has worked multiple infiltration operations including the VERY public prosecution of the Toronto 18 terrorist cell.
Mubin also holds a Masters Degree in Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism (MPICT, Macquarie), is a Professor in the School of Public Safety at Seneca College and is featured in a permanent exhibit at the new International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. under, “Preventing Terror.”
Wally Oppal is a former trial attorney, special prosecutor, judge and Attorney General of British Columbia.
He has led two commissions of inquiry into policing in British Columbia, including the Missing Women Inquiry following one of BCs most notorious serial murder investigations, and has authored reports that have advocated for and led to many reforms in policing both in British Columbia and across Canada.
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More recently, he was asked by the government of BC to chair the task force that established the framework for the transition of policing services in Surrey, BC from the RCMP to the Surrey Police Service and he remains in active legal practice as Senior Counsel with Boughton Law where he provides strategic advice on dispute resolution and public sector related matters.
Chief Warrant Officer (ret’d) John Barnes is a decorated Canadian Armed Forces veteran who has served all over Canada, in Germany and in operations in Cyprus, the Persian Gulf, Croatia, Bosnia, and Afghanistan.
He was awarded the Sacrifice Medal for being wounded in battle in Afghanistan, the Meritorious Service Medal for exceptional leadership under enemy fire and, in 2009, was appointed to the Order of Military Merit.
He is also the author of the recently published book, White School, Black Memories, a gripping memoir that delivers the unvarnished truth of a soldier in Canada’s army.
Sergeant Jim Ingram is a member of the Delta Police Department and overseas the DPD’s Public Safety Operations Group that includes their Emergency Management/Disaster Response unit, Tactical Support Group, Drug and Firearms K9 Teams, Violence Suppression Team, and their Community Safety Officer and Reserve Constable programs.
He is also responsible for developing and rolling out the Delta Police Department’s tactical technology including the deployment of Body Worn Cameras, a first among British Columbia police agencies.
Troy Clifford is a paramedic and unit Chief with the British Columbia Ambulance Service who has worked in a range of patient care roles across BC including dispatching, training and education, emergency management and advocacy.
He has also held numerous elected and appointed union and pension trustee positions over the years and currently serves as the President of the Ambulance Paramedics of British Columbia.
Elenore Sturko is Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police veteran who has served in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and in Langley and Surrey, British Columbia.
She is the author of the book Paanialuk:The tall one Remembering Sergeant Dave Van Norman, a tribute to her Uncle Dave, a victim of Canada’s LGBT Purge and is a member of the Curation Advisory Counsel for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights LGBT Purge Exhibit.
In 2022, she was successful in her bid for a seat in BC’s legislature representing the riding of Surrey-South and now serves as a Member of the Legislative Assembly and Shadow Minister for Mental Health, Addiction, Recovery and Education.
Lieutenant Colonel (ret'd) Phil Halton holds an honours degree in military and strategic studies, a Masters degree in Defence Studies and a Master of Arts in Creative and Critical Writing.
He has worked as a contract writer, screenwriter, novelist and has authored several books including the critically acclaimed non-fiction work, “Blood Washing Blood: Afghanistan’s Hundred Year War”.
He was the co-founding editor of the Blood & Bourbon magazine and is the
founding publisher of Double Dagger Books, Canada’s only military and security-focused publisher.
Mike Morris spent 32 years as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police retiring as Superintendent of British Columbia’s north district.
Following his retirement, he was elected a Member of BC’s Legislative Assembly in 2013, 2017 and 2020.
He is a former Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General and now serves as the official opposition critic of the same ministry he once led and, is the author of a proposal calling for a three-tier approach to policing and public safety in BC.
Archie Alafriz spent the majority of his 27-year RCMP career working in the National Security Program investigating terrorist entities and was the team lead in Canada's landmark terrorist fundraising case.
Since his retirement in 2018, he published his first novel, Inoculum; served as CEO of a First Nations Economic Development Enterprise and assisted the Province of BC in analyzing money laundering trends in real estate and luxury vehicles.
He is a senior fellow at the Global Peace Institute (UK), a fellow at the Asia Pacific Center of Security Studies (APCSS), sits as Chairman for the International Organization for Security and Intelligence (IOSI Global) and co-founded Lucent Global Solutions providing financial investigation and intelligence services.
Dr. Alika Lafontaine is an award-winning physician, the first Indigenous doctor listed in Medical Post’s 50 Most Powerful Doctors and the first Indigenous president of the Canadian Medical Association.
He has served in medical leadership positions at the Alberta Medical Association, the Canadian Medical Association, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and as the vice-president and president of the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada.
From 2013 to 2017 he co-led the Indigenous Health Alliance project, one of Canada’s most ambitious health transformation initiatives, successfully advocating for $68 million of federal funding for Indigenous health transformation in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, and was recognized for his work by the Public Policy Forum.
Barbara Karnes is a registered nurse with more than 40 years of experience in hospice care.
She has held both clinical and leadership positions, including staff nurse, clinical supervisor, and executive director at Hospices and Home Health Care agencies and is the author of Gone From My Sight, "The Little Blue Book", that remains the most widely used educational booklet on the signs of approaching death, selling over 35 million copies worldwide.
She is an internationally respected speaker and thought leader on matters of end of life, a renowned authority on the dying process and a leading educator for families, healthcare professionals, and the community at large.
Mark Bouchard began his law enforcement in 2007 serving fourteen years with the Delta Police Department before transferring to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and now serves as an Emergency Response Team operator and tactical medic in British Columbia’s North District.
He earned his master’s degree in leadership from Royal Roads University for his research on the impact of police culture on police officer mental health, is engaged in work based peer support programs, and is set to publish his first book entitled Setting My Sights on Stigma: Thoughts From an Injured Mind.
Deven Kennedy is a police officer in a small community in Canada's Maritimes.
In June 2022, he was involved in a traumatic incident while on duty that shook his faith in his career and himself, and led him down a path of desperation and despair, as so many trauma exposures have done to so many others.
Through his recovery, Deven learned that fitness and a variety of healthy lifestyle choices were complimenting his psychological and medical healing and accelerated his journey back to full duty and launched resiliencethroughfitness.com to help others do the same.
Daniel Sundahl is a former paramedic and firefighter, a published artist and writer who has produced three art books and whose writing has been featured online and in several international periodicals.
His powerful artwork and images are recognized worldwide and he's on a mission to.reduce the stigma of PTSD for first responders and raise awareness of occupational stress injuries worldwide.
Julien Ponsioen was the first openly gay male police officer hired by his department and the only openly gay male in his police academy class.
He launched “Coffee with a Cop”, a very successful series of one minute safety tips and question and answer sessions that expanded across other platforms and developed a following that spans the globe and has helped bridge the gap between police and the 2SLGBTQ community.
Dr. Olivia Johnson's research into first responder suicides, the first of it's kind in North America, flips the script on this critical topic.
She examined seven hundred 🇺🇸 first responder suicide cases and identified what she calls the fatal ten risk indicators. While cumulative stress (and/or trauma exposure) can be a factor, the risk of suicide among police and first responders is no different than the risk of suicide among other professions.
Scott McGregor is a former Canadian military intelligence professional who has advised the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and BC's former Attorney General and Premier David Eby in the lead up to the Commission of Inquiry into Money Laundering in British Columbia and co-author of the recently released book, The Mosaic Effect: How the Chinese Communist Party started a Hybrid War in America’s backyard.
Kathleen Dias writes features and news analysis on topics of concern to United States law enforcement professionals serving in rural and remote locations and uses her background in writing, teaching and marketing to advocate for professional levels of training and equipment for rural officers, open channels of communication for isolated departments, and dispel myths about rural policing.
You can find her published work at RuralBadge.com and Police1.com.
Sergeant Andrea Martens of the Surrey Police Service has over nineteen years of experience across a range of law enforcement professions including as a probation officer, a border services officer and police officer.
She is also the founder of Support Retired Legends, a clothing and coffee company dedicated to raising funds to assist with the medical bills of retired police and military service dogs across Canada and joins us today to talk cops and dogs.
John Vintar is an author and decorated Army officer who has served in the Canadian Armed Forces for over 30 years.
He has instructed the UN Military Expert on Mission course at the Peace Support Training Centre in Kingston, Ontario and lectured on the topic of contemporary peacekeeping in South Sudan at the University of Calgary, Mount Royal University, and the Royal Military College of Canada.
His book, 'A Swamp the Size of Belgium,' details his experiences in South Sudan.
Brendan Hynes spent 23 years in the military including 12 years as a combat engineer, another 11 years in Special Operations Forces (SOF) and completed a total of 8 overseas operational deployments in 6 different countries.
Released from service due to repeated concussive and sub-concussive traumatic brain injuries, he not only overcame the mental health issues associated with these injuries but emerged as a passionate advocate for veterans, mental health, and brain injury research and health strategies.
Calvin Chrustie is a former Senior Operations Officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and a senior partner and critical risk consultant with an extensive background in resolving critical risk for various entities.
He is a graduate of the FBI’s and Scotland Yard’s Hostage Negotiation Programs, a 2016 recipient of the ‘International Police Award’ from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and currently serves as a Director of the Steering Committee for Project Seshat—an NGO focused on building leadership capacity to address global conflict and security issues facing Western democracies..
Christopher Littrell, a US Air Force veteran, former police officer and mental health advocate, shares his journey of resilience and healing. He discusses the impact of traumatic experiences, the importance of support systems, and the challenges of balancing personal and professional life.
Dr. Scott MacDonald, a physician at the Providence Crosstown Clinic in Vancouver, discusses the drug crisis in British Columbia and the need for safe supply harm reduction strategies. He emphasizes the limitations of current treatments and the importance of diversifying options for people with opioid use disorder. Dr. MacDonald advocates for the use of prescription heroin and explores the potential of prescription fentanyl. He highlights the need to move beyond the abstinence-only approach and prioritize patient-centered care. Dr. MacDonald also addresses the role of law enforcement and the importance of resources for individuals seeking help with substance use disorder.
Marissa Rose, a paramedic with a background in advanced care paramedicine, shares her journey of navigating the challenges and traumas of her profession. She discusses how her childhood experiences and the need for help shaped her desire to become a paramedic. Marissa highlights the demanding nature of the job, the accumulation of trauma over time, and the impact it has on mental health. She talks about the feelings of betrayal, anger, and depression that she experienced, as well as the physical and emotional toll of working during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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