Workplace culture inside the Ontario Provincial Police is going under the microscope following recent suicides and complaints by the force's current and former members.
The Progressive Conservative government announced plans on Monday to create an external independent review panel to examine interactions, behaviours and attitudes within the OPP.
"Frontline OPP members in cities and towns across Ontario have raised concerns," Ontario Solicitor General Sylvia Jones said in a statement. "Ensuring the safety and well-being of our frontline staff is my top priority. OPP officers have our back. They deserve a government that has theirs."
Police officers across the province have become more vocal in recent years about their struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by the job. Since 2012, 13 OPP officers have died by suicide.
Former Ontario Associate Chief Justice Douglas Cunningham, former Deputy Attorney General Murray Segal, and former NDP cabinet minister David Cooke will make up the new three-member panel. The review comes with a cost of up $500,000 to complete.
Jones stated the panel will begin its work next month and provide her with an interim report by mid-summer. The final report is due by early fall.