BCPOA President Neufeld attends the

The Professional association has been in existence for 52 years, and this was their 50th Annual conference. They now use the term symposium to emphasize the Professional development aspect of the association.

 The Cabinet ministers and deputy ministers of Community Safety and Correctional Services (adult POs) and Ministry of Children and Youth Services (youth POs) along with the Chief of Police of Toronto, the Mayor of Toronto and the RCMP Commissioner for all of Canada were present. TV Cameras were also present and were giving extensive interviews to Cathy Hutchison, President of the Association.

Ontario being a large province, the Association is divided into five regional branches, much like the BC School Trustees association. Local branches get involved with social events and benevolent fundraising events which contributes to the "esprit d'corps" of Professional Probation officers, while the provincial executive concentrates on more global policy and positions, as well as this annual conference. Ontario now has Bell Cairn, a training institute for Probation and correctional officers. Bell Cairn located in Hamilton.

Lori Santamaria is also the Canadian representative to the American Probation and Parole Officers Association. She assisted us with some materials to promote and celebrate Probation and Community Supervision Week, the third week of July. We have attempted to request the Government of British Columbia to declare the third week of July as Probation officer's week in BC. However, there are other employee groups to consider.

The American Probation and Parole Association http://www.appa-net.org/ is a powerful and influential lobby and advocacy group for Probation Officers. At this time, the BCPOA is not an institutional member, but I am an individual member.

For many years, Ontario youth POs only supervised adolescents from 12-15 years of age. 16 and 17 yr old young offenders were part of the adult correctional system. Ontario recently reorganized its correctional services so that Adults are supervised by PO's under the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and Youth from 12-17 are supervised by PO's in an integrated Ministry for Children and Youth. This has caused many internal transfers as PO's decide what age group they would like to work with.

Robert Burkholder pictured at right has an interesting position. He is the Integration Director for youth justice services. When Ontario PO's talk about integrated services, they mean integration between the youth and adult criminal systems, not between child protection, mental health and probation.

I attended workshops on: Gladue PreSentence reports, the Youth Justice Division of the newly formed Ministry for Children and Youth, and unmasking urban graffitti. The speakers didn't receive an honorarium: they got a small token gift and a sum was donated to a charity on their behalf. This year, the charity was the Toronto Child Abuse Centre.   

Willing to look at all sides of the issue, the Symposium featured a luncheon speaker, Professor Alan Young of Osgood Hall Law School. Professor Young is no stranger to controversy. He has been dedicated to the goal of legalizing marijuana and legitimating the use of medicinal marijuana. He has also critiqued Canadian jury selection and represented prostitutes and pornographers. He recently wrote a book entitled: "Justice Defiled" Perverts, Potheads, Serial Killers & Lawyers Published by Key Porter Books available online at Amazon.ca (Thankfully, he left Probation Officers out of the title!) This stirred up some lively discussion about the viability of decriminalizing marijuana. He made me think when he said "it is hard to be a person with integrity when you work for a bureaucracy that doesn't have integrity".  He noted how Canada was morally opposed to gambling casinos until the Calgary Olympics left such a huge debt in 1988. Moral trepidations were quickly put aside and casinos quickly propagated. (Interestingly, Ontario Probation officers offer a core program for gambling addicts).

  I joined a member of the Ontario Provincial Board of Parole as an observer to the Annual General Meeting. It was encouraging to see so many young new PO's put their names forward to be elected as executive members. Ontario Probation Officers cheerfully pay $133.75 Annual membership dues

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By far the most significant event was the formal Banquet, with everyone in his or her finery. Guests of honor were the directors of the Toronto Child abuse Centre. There were awards to honor Probation officers for special accomplishments. RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli gave an inspiring and stirring dinner speech about the history of Tickets-of-leave, parole and probation. He ended with an ode to Louise Pargeter, the Corrections Canada Parole Officer who trusted her employer to keep her safe but took risks "to make a difference".

I sat near the head table with the Executive Assistant to the Commissioner and enquired about the possibility of arranging for Commissioner Zaccardelli attending our BCPOA Symposium in May.

I do thank my employer, the Ministry for Children and Family Development who granted me three days of professional development leave to attend. I attended the conference at my own expense, as the BCPOA does not have the funds to support a trip like this. I stayed with my daughter in Hamilton and commuted each day. My hosts were most hospitable and gracious, assisting me with storing my luggage, and arranging a ride for me to my mother's in Napanee Ontario after the conference (in a government car!). It is a small world: Cathy Trant (Kingston Probation) took her Criminology degree at Simon Fraser University with Josie Kanigan, now a Youth PO in Castlegar. Ms. Trant also worked at the House of Concord and Matsqui Institution in BC before returning to Ontario. Barry McCann (adult PO, Newmarket, ON) said to say hi to Phil Peachey, (Kelowna Youth Team Leader) who he worked with in Ontario before Phil moved West. Many PO's came to me stating that they had been in contact with BC PO's when client files were transferred.

Next year's Symposium will be held in the former Capital of Canada: Kingston, Ontario. Since my mother lives only 20 minutes away, I plan to return for more inspiring professional development!

More information about the Symposium on the Probation Officers Association of Ontario Website at:

http://www.poao.org/id205.htm

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ÓOCOI Studios, 2004