Sgt. Mike Elliott

President
Edmonton Police Association

Breakout: Sharing Best Practice - Edmonton Police Department OSI Injury Program

Day 2 - 1:45PM - 2:45PM

Sergeant Michael Elliott was born and raised in Loon Bay, a small outport in Newfoundland and Labrador. He spent his teenage years volunteering and helping the community as a voluntary firefighter for six years and being Santa Claus in the annual Christmas parade for a decade. After completing his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Michael enrolled into the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) as a pilot.

In 2005, Michael became a Police Officer with the Edmonton Police Service where he holds the rank of Staff Sergeant, and is the current President of the Edmonton Police Association and Director with the Canadian Police Association. Michael is a strong believer in recognizing the effects of mental health on first responders and is an advocate for awareness, treatment, and change. Michael suffers from severe anxiety and PTSD and is keenly aware of the mental and physical affects upon first responders and their families and friends.

Michael has held roles such as the co-chair of Alberta Critical Incident Peer Network, Community Mental Health Action Plan (Edmonton area), & recently joined the network group of the Canadian Institute for Public Research & Treatment. (CIPSRT) Michael has been the recipient of the Queens Jubilee Medal, Jim Dempsey Award for Community Service, and was recently appointed to the Order of Merit of the Police Forces. In his spare time, Michael volunteers/fundraises for Walk a Mile in her Shoes (YWCA) for domestic violence, participates/fundraises in the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics Athletes & is a regular contributor to Canadian Blood Services.

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Breakout: Sharing Best Practice - Edmonton Police Department OSI Injury Program

Since its inception in 2009, the peer-driven Edmonton Police Service Reintegration Program has assisted first responders and other public safety personnel in returning to work after a critical incident or long-term absence from the workplace due to a physical or psychological injury. Members of the Reintegration Team do their work in partnership with clinicians and other stakeholders (e.g., Workers’ Compensation Board) to build the member’s return-to-work plan. The program has two streams, each with its own goal:

Short term: Delivered after involvement in a critical event such as, officer involved shootings, major collisions, attempted disarming, serious assaults, fatalities and more. It is intended to be delivered post event and prior to a psychological injury. One hundred and seventy EPS members have accessed this program to date.

Long term: Focused on returning members to work after a physical and/or psychological injury has occurred. It is possible that there has been a leave of absence from the workplace, a need for modified duties or a possibility that they are your organization’s “Working Wounded.”
The Reintegration Team has also collaborated with members in the disciplinary process on a voluntary basis. This has had the effect of helping members to feel invested in continuing to work on areas for growth while awaiting decisions from inquiries.

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