Badge of Life Canada

Congratulations to the OPSEU/SEFPO Correctional Bargaining Team on achieving significant improvements to mental health benefits for Ontario correctional workers.

This is meaningful progress.

Effective August 1, 2026, the annual maximum for mental health services increased from $2,500 to $10,000 for employees, alongside expanded access to eligible mental health practitioners. Beginning September 1, coverage will also include in-patient residential treatment for addictions and mental health, up to a lifetime maximum of $30,000 per employee.

For people working in corrections, access to appropriate mental health care is not a luxury. The psychological demands of this work are real, cumulative, and too often carried quietly.

Badge of Life Canada has had the privilege of standing alongside correctional workers and seeing firsthand the strength of this community—and the very real toll this work can take on individuals and their families.

These improvements represent more than increased numbers on a benefits plan. They mean greater choice, fewer financial barriers and more opportunity for someone to access the care that is right for them when they need it.

Congratulations to the Correctional Bargaining Team, the members who continued to advocate, and everyone who helped keep mental health at the forefront of these discussions.

This is progress worth recognizing—and an important step toward ensuring those who serve inside our correctional institutions are supported with the same commitment they bring to their work every day.

💙 Toronto Police Friends & Family Day

Badge of Life Canada was proud to attend Toronto Police Friends & Family Day, a great opportunity to connect with members, families and the broader policing community.

Days like this are an important reminder that behind every person who serves is a network of family, friends and colleagues who walk alongside them through the challenges, sacrifices and successes that come with a career in public safety.

At Badge of Life Canada, we believe supporting our Public Safety Personnel also means recognizing and supporting the people who stand beside them.

Thank you to the Toronto Police Service for welcoming Badge of Life Canada and for creating a day centred on connection, family and community.

We were grateful to be part of it. 💙

🚨 17 DAYS AWAY | AN IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY FOR A FEMALE FIRST RESPONDER 🚨

Badge of Life Canada is proud to share an opportunity that could make a meaningful difference for someone in our first responder community.

A fully sponsored retreat entry is available for one female first responder who has exhausted her mental health benefits or does not have coverage.

Because access to support, connection and healing should never come down to whether there is enough coverage left on an insurance plan. ❤️

Through the incredible generosity of Danyelle Neniska, REALTOR® with RE/MAX Northwest Realty Brokerage LTD., and Becky Doucette, BROKER®, one female first responder will be able to attend the retreat completely free of charge.

To enter:
1️⃣ Email [email protected]
2️⃣ Include your name and your role as a first responder
3️⃣ Put “Retreat Draw” in the subject line

Every eligible entry will be included in a random draw.

Most importantly, confidentiality will be protected. If you receive the sponsored spot, no other retreat participant will know. That information will remain strictly between you and the retreat administration.

To Danyelle and Becky — thank you for recognizing the importance of investing in the mental health and well-being of the women who serve our communities. Generosity like this removes barriers and creates opportunities for people to access support when they may otherwise have gone without.

17 days to go. Please share this. You never know who in your circle has quietly used every available resource and needs an opportunity like this.

Sometimes opening one door is all it takes. 💛

At Badge of Life Canada, we believe that investing in young people today helps build stronger, healthier communities tomorrow.

We were honoured to participate in the Strathroy-Caradoc Police Service Youth in Policing Initiative, an outstanding program led by Officer Katherine Lockwood that gives youth the opportunity to build positive relationships with police officers, develop leadership skills, and gain a deeper understanding of policing and community service.

A special thank you to Officer Lockwood for her vision and dedication to this incredible initiative. Programs like this create meaningful connections, inspire future leaders, and strengthen trust within our communities.

Our Volunteer Coordinator, Jim Thomas, and Maizy, Badge of Life Canada’s Canine-Assisted Intervention (CAI) dog, were proud to represent our organization, engaging with participants and sharing the importance of mental health, resilience, peer support, and the power of reaching out for support. The connection that a CAI dog can create often opens the door to conversations that might not otherwise happen.

Thank you to the entire Strathroy-Caradoc Police Service team for your warm welcome and for your commitment to the next generation. We are grateful to have been part of such an important initiative.

Together, we continue to build healthier people, stronger organizations, and safer communities.

Badge of Life Canada was honoured to attend Guardian Outfitters’ 7th Anniversary celebration as their official charity partner.

Flanders and Executive Director Laura Kloosterman were proud to be there representing BOLC and the public safety personnel and families we serve across Canada.

Partnerships like this matter. When businesses step forward with purpose, they help strengthen a community of support for first responders, public safety personnel, veterans, and their families who are navigating operational stress injuries, post-traumatic stress, and the realities of service.

Congratulations to Guardian Outfitters on 7 years of growth, leadership, and community impact. Thank you for standing with Badge of Life Canada and helping remind our members that they are not alone.

Stronger together. 💙🐾

Today, Bill C-14 comes into effect.

For many Canadians, bail reform is discussed as a public safety issue. For Correctional Officers, it is also an operational safety issue.

When legislation changes who is held in custody, how long people remain in custody, and the level of risk entering our institutions, the impact lands directly on the frontline.

Correctional Officers are already managing overcrowding, violence, mental health crises, addictions, staffing shortages, trauma exposure, and moral injury. Implementation cannot stop at the courtroom door.

Public safety includes the safety of the people working inside our correctional institutions.

We need action that matches the legislation:

✅ Meaningful staffing levels
✅ Proper training and resources
✅ Safer infrastructure
✅ Mental health supports for staff and families
✅ Consultation with Correctional Officers before decisions are made
✅ Accountability from leadership and government

This is not the time for symbolic change. This is the time for responsible implementation.

If we are serious about safer communities, we must also be serious about protecting the Correctional Officers who carry the weight of these decisions every day.

They deserve more than recognition.

They deserve action.

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Women First Responders spend so much of their careers taking care of everyone else. This day is about taking care of you.

Badge of Life Canada is proud to partner with Dearborn Therapy for the Women’s First Responder Wellness Retreat on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at the beautiful North Point Retreat.

This restorative experience is designed exclusively for women first responders and focuses on nervous system regulation, connection, and practical tools to support long-term wellness.

Your day includes:
✨ Trauma and nervous system education
✨ Yoga, meditation, and breathwork
✨ Expressive arts therapy
✨ Optional one-on-one support and Reiki
✨ Time to unwind by the waterfront, sauna, and hot tub
✨ Lunch and dinner
✨ Boat transportation from Minaki Marina

As first responders, we often remind others that seeking support is a sign of strength. This retreat is an opportunity to put that into practice for yourself.

Spaces are limited. We encourage you to reserve your spot early.

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Heavy times can shake us. It can change the way we see the world, the way we carry ourselves, and the way we move through the days that follow.

Tragedy does not get to define who we are.

At Badge of Life Canada, we believe in the strength of Public Safety Personnel, first responders, and their families. We believe in the courage it takes to keep going, to reach out, to heal, and to grow beyond the hardest chapters.

Pain may be part of the story. It is not the whole story.

There is hope after injury. There is strength in connection. There is power in community. There is life beyond survival.

Together, we rise.
Together, we heal.
Together, we keep moving forward.

You are not alone.

On June 3, 2026, the Deputy Chief Coroner's Review of Correctional Service Employee deaths by su***de was released.

Read the report:

Deputy Chief Coroner Review: Correctional service employees deaths by su***de — review and analysis | ontario.ca https://share.google/S4qnfAmzSSr9aTWli

Statement from Badge of Life Caada Executive Director Laura Kloosterman:

Having participated in this review process and met with the Deputy Chief Coroner on several occasions, I read the report with both hope and reflection.

For many years, correctional employees, their families, peer supporters, clinicians, and advocates have been speaking about the impact of operational stress injuries, moral injury, perceived injustice, toxic workplace cultures, and sanctuary trauma. Too often, these experiences were minimized, misunderstood, or viewed as isolated incidents.

This report acknowledges what many have known for a long time: psychological injuries do not occur in a vacuum. Exposure to trauma matters. Leadership matters. Workplace culture matters. Psychological safety matters. How organizations respond when someone is struggling matters.

I am particularly encouraged to see the report recognize the importance of family support, independent support systems, peer support, trauma-informed approaches, and the need to address sanctuary trauma—the additional harm that can occur when individuals seek help from systems they trust and experience further injury instead.

These are conversations Badge of Life Canada has been having for years with Public Safety Personnel and their families across the country.

At the same time, this report is not the finish line.

Reports do not create change. Recommendations do not create change. People create change.

There is still important work ahead to improve leadership practices, strengthen workplace culture, reduce stigma, support families, increase access to trusted supports, and ensure that those who dedicate their lives to serving others receive the care and respect they deserve.

I am grateful to everyone who contributed their voices, experiences, and expertise to this review, especially the families and correctional employees who shared deeply personal stories in the hope that future generations may not face the same struggles.

Progress is being made.

Now we must ensure the momentum continues.