First Responders Mental Health Series

Learn about the resources available to support you and your team, and develop techniques to help you strive for greater resiliency.  Hear about these important messages from the experiences of three established keynote speakers: Retired Chief of the Central Saanich Police Service, Les Sylven; former Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer and best-selling author, Laurie White; and Dr. Sylvie Bourgeois, a chief/command psychologist at the RCMP and Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. 

This event is free to attend and is being hosted in partnership by the Cornwall Police Service, Cornwall Fire Services, Cornwall & SDG Paramedic Services and the City of Cornwall.

Pre-registration is required as space is limited.

While stationed in Kitimat, B.C. in 1998, Laurie was shot in the right leg by a sex offender wielding a sawed-off .303 rifle. Damage was so severe that her leg had to be amputated 5 inches below her knee. After only ten months of rehabilitation, Laurie passed the PARE and made an unprecedented return to full, unrestricted general policing duties with a prosthetic leg. When Laurie retired from the RCMP in 2020, she achieved a 22+ year goal of publishing her memoir (“10-33, An Officer Down Steps Back Up”).

In addition to being a best-selling author, Laurie has been a sought-after speaker since 1999. She candidly shares her experiences as a first responder navigating mental health issues and life with a permanent physical disability. While Laurie’s journey began as one of trauma, loss, and grief, it evolved into one of hope, resilience, and post-traumatic growth.

Les began policing in 1988 with the RCMP and after basic training was posted to British Columbia. He served at the Squamish RCMP Detachment and with an integrated organized crime unit in Vancouver before joining the Victoria Police Department in 1996. While at the VicPD, his favorite operational assignments included patrol, major crimes, and the emergency response team. His favorite administrative assignments included use of force trainer, media liaison officer, and officer in charge of human resources.

In 2011, Les accepted the position of Deputy Chief Constable with the Central Saanich Police Service, and in 2015 was appointed Chief Constable. He was active on several provincial policing committees including the BC Association of Chiefs of Police (BCACP) Law Enforcement Memorial Committee, the Policing with Indigenous People Committee, and served as the BCACP President in 2016. In 2020, he retired from policing and for a short time was the Deputy Director of Policing for the Province of BC, before leaving to concentrate full-time on his doctoral studies.

Les completed a BA in Psychology at the University of Calgary in 1988. Sparked by the Canadian Police College Executive Development Program in 2007, he completed an MA in Leadership at Royal Roads University in 2011, the Strategic Management of Regulatory and Enforcement Agencies Program at the Harvard Kennedy School in 2014, and is now a PhD candidate in Leadership Studies in the Faculty of Education at the University of Victoria. His research interests include new models of police leadership, meditation and mindfulness for police professionals, and spirituality in the context of police work.

When not at UVic, or at home with his family, Les can usually be found practicing his life-long sport of judo.

Dr. Sylvie Bourgeois holds a PhD in Psychology from Concordia University. She has served as a senior psychologist and executive with over 19 years of experience in designing, implementing and evaluating psychological programs and services, primarily in safety and security organizations at the federal level. As chief/command psychologist at the RCMP and Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CAF), she has operated as a trusted advisor to senior management and commanders on how to foster mental fitness and resilience of members throughout their career, how to value psychological health as a necessary condition for performance, and how organizational factors matter in the wellness equation.

She currently is the National Director for Psychology and Mental Health at Lifemark Health Group, a Canadian physical rehabilitation and mental health provider.

Host or Publisher Cornwall Police Service/Cornwall Fire Services/Cornwall & SDG Paramedics