NAPS officers could be striking next month

With the threat of a strike looming, the Nishnawbe Aski Police service, its union, and MPP Gilles Bisson are pressuring the government to step in.
The service polices 35 remote Northern Ontario aboriginal communities with only $27 million — half going towards prisoner transport alone.  Their union says more funding is needed for better pay and above all more safety for their officers.

PSAC union President, Jay Storekson says some officers are often alone working dangerous cases or situations.

“Compared to our communities, you might have a situation where you arrest someone and you have them in a cell and you get another call, what do you do? You have no guards and someone in the cells. You have officers being shot at and it takes six hours for back up to arrive.  Six hours in unacceptable.  We’ve had two murders in the far north and single officers are taking care of the scene.  At the end of the that with NAPS, you see these traumatic events and all you have nothing bu the wall at the end of the day.”

Regional Union Vice President, Sharon DeSousa echoed her colleague’s words.

“A lot of them are going on stress leave, a lot of them have PTSD and there’s nothing that’s being done to heal them.  They keep going back into the same situation again and again. They do it because they’re proud of the work they do and feel they have an obligation to that community.”

Storekson indicated a budget increase of roughly $17 million would put them on par how local forces or the OPP manage their jurisdictions.  He says some of that extra funding would go to officers’ pay as well.

“NAPS in a limelight for discriminatory systemic racial under funding of First Nation programs.  We have officers working side-by-side with the OPP making 20% less”

MPP GIlles Bisson says they can pressure all they want but he and the officers will have to get over the game of chicken the federal and provincial governments are playing first.

“If you go then i’ll go but if you go i’ll go. The province has to ask itself  ‘Are these people Ontarians’? It’s a simple question.  They’ve signed a treaty with us but if the federal government isn’t going to move, then we have to shame them into doing their part.”

All sides are going back to the bargaining table in early August and if nothing is done NAPS would be legally able to strike 14 days after.  The province says if that happens, the contingency plan is to use the OPP.  It’s a decision not sitting well with anyone on the other side of the table.

“If the OPP was to run things, you’re probably talking $100 million a year at minimum to run police services.  The OPP would make sure you don’t have single officers at detachments, equipment that works, rescues vehicles and housing for officers.” says Bissons.

DeSousa says the OPP used to be in the communities and it failed horribly.

“It’s wasn’t working, that’s why NAPS was created and to say you’re going back is back tracking and not resolving the issues.”