Family of OPP officer who died by suicide helps frontline workers living with trauma
Family of OPP officer who died by suicide helps frontline workers living with trauma
The family of an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer who died by suicide five years ago is seeing their work pay off after launching a fellowship in his honour.
Paul Horne from Oshawa was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder when he died at the age of 50.
“He was a top-notch human being. He had a very deep sense of caring,” Paul Horne’s brother, Rob Horne said. “My brother was really all about helping people and putting them on a better path in life.”
Horne was known to help others, so his family wanted to do the same thing.
Rob Horne holds a photo of his late brother Paul Horne. (CTV News/Carmen Wong)
As part of the family’s healing, they launched a fellowship in his name in 2021, partnering with Homewood Research Institute (HRI), based in Guelph. The institute helps first responders and frontline workers living with trauma.
“There is real tangible research and understanding of post-traumatic stress that's happening and it's happening here but it needs to have the resources to access the best and brightest minds as our fellowship is trying to do,” Horne said.
Their work has reached a new milestone, with donations totaling over $40,000. This meant they were able to hire their first fellow to propel their research even further.
“We’ve been developing new treatments for first responders, public safety personnel, military members, veterans and health care workers to really assist those individuals when they do face challenges,” said Margaret McKinnon, a research chair in mental health and trauma at HRI.
McKinnon said they’re looking at aspects of post-traumatic stress injuries that are often not the focus of current treatments. She believes this research could change lives.
“We don’t often look at things like guilt, shame, disassociation – which is not being present in your body or the world around you – difficulty with memory, attention, concentration that can interfere with the ability to work and difficulty regulating emotions,” said McKinnon.
The first research fellow, chosen by McKinnon, was Andrea D’Alessandro-Lowe, a McMaster PhD student.
“We collect this data with a purpose of understanding the needs among public safety personnel and health care workers and [to] give back to those who protect and serve our communities every day,” said D’Allesandro-Lowe.
Their next goal is to hire more researchers.
Horne’s goal is to turn his family’s tragedy into a story of hope and change.
“I would just encourage you to seek those supports and know that there are really talented and committed people doing work to make tragedies like ours a thing of our past,” said Horne.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health issues, please call Talk Suicide Canada at 1-833-456-4566. The following resources are also available to support people in crisis:
Hope for Wellness Helpline (English, French, Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut): 1-855-242-3310
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping is due to meet with Vladimir Putin in a political boost for the isolated Russian president after the International Criminal Court charged him with war crimes in Ukraine.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's calls for protests ahead of his anticipated indictment in New York have generated mostly muted reactions from supporters, with even some of his most ardent loyalists dismissing the idea as a waste of time or a law enforcement trap.
An Ontario woman has launched a lawsuit seeking $500,000 from Tim Hortons after she suffered major burns from an alleged ‘superheated’ tea. The company has denied all allegations and said she was ‘the author of her own misfortune.'
Police are giving an update on last week's fire in Old Montreal that killed at least one person and left six missing. Fire services began partially dismantling the building over the weekend, uncovering one body Sunday evening. Several units in the building were unauthorized short-term rentals, or Airbnbs.
Even at one of the tallest natural peaks on Earth, humans have left their mark in a trail of bacteria as researchers have found germs from coughing and sneezing that have been potentially preserved for centuries on Mount Everest.
Shares of Credit Suisse plunged 63 per cent in early trading Monday after the announcement that banking giant UBS would buy its troubled rival for almost US$3.25 billion in a deal orchestrated by regulators to stave off further market-shaking turmoil in the global banking system.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling for a national standardized testing process to be created in order to speed up the licensing process for doctors and nurses who are either immigrants or were trained abroad.
Lane restrictions are now in place on Wellington Street as construction gets underway on Phase 1 of the Wellington Gateway and Municipal Infrastructure Improvements project.
The first day of spring in the London region will be a beautiful one. The daytime high is forecast to be 6 C, slightly warmer than the average high for this time of year.
The investigation into a house explosion in Windsor will continue Monday. The process wrapped up for the day around 7 p.m. at the scene on Aspen Lane in east Windsor.
The first day of spring in Windsor-Essex will be a beautiful one. The daytime high is forecast to be 9 C, nearly 2 C warmer than the average high for this time of year.
A speed measuring sign on Essa Road, near Beacon Road, has been put in place by Barrie police after a noticeable increase in reckless driving from residents nearby.
An Ontario woman has launched a lawsuit seeking $500,000 from Tim Hortons after she suffered major burns from an alleged ‘superheated’ tea. The company has denied all allegations and said she was ‘the author of her own misfortune.'
An Ontario woman has launched a lawsuit seeking $500,000 from Tim Hortons after she suffered major burns from an alleged ‘superheated’ tea. The company has denied all allegations and said she was ‘the author of her own misfortune.'
The Rideau McDonald's Farewell March brought people from across the city, some dressed in costumes, who wanted to say goodbye to a part of what they say makes Ottawa Ottawa.
If you are yearning to walk the trails around Mud Lake in the Britannia Conservation Area, be aware there are wild turkeys looking for mates. A gang of three have been chasing and pecking at visitors to the nature trail for weeks.
March 20 marks the first day of Spring in the northern hemisphere, and, after a long, grey winter, Torontonians can soon look forward to warmer temperatures and sunnier days.
An Ontario woman has launched a lawsuit seeking $500,000 from Tim Hortons after she suffered major burns from an alleged ‘superheated’ tea. The company has denied all allegations and said she was ‘the author of her own misfortune.'
Police are giving an update on last week's fire in Old Montreal that killed at least one person and left six missing. Fire services began partially dismantling the building over the weekend, uncovering one body Sunday evening. Several units in the building were unauthorized short-term rentals, or Airbnbs.
Two families were displaced early Monday morning after a fire ripped through a building in Montreal's Quartier Latin. No one was injured, according to the Montreal fire department (SIM).
The University of Prince Edward Island Faculty Association says its staff has gone on strike after what it says are failed attempts to enter additional negotiations with the university's administration.
The student union president at Cape Breton University said food insecurity has become a concern for many students and the on-campus food bank cannot keep up with demand.
The University of Prince Edward Island coach is defending the team’s actions, after the University of Alberta team skated off the ice without handshakes at the U Sports Men’s Hockey National Championship in Charlottetown.
One person has been confirmed dead and six people remain missing as police continue to search for victims after a fire swept through a building in Old Montreal on Thursday.
The Town of Strathmore and Siksika Nation hosted the first Lead By Example Powwow this weekend in honour of a young Indigenous man who was shot to death four years ago.
Autopsies confirmed gunshot wounds as the cause of death for two constables responding to a domestic dispute Thursday, the Edmonton Police Service says.
Autopsies confirmed gunshot wounds as the cause of death for two constables responding to a domestic dispute Thursday, the Edmonton Police Service says.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in 'What Happened to Ben' on CTV W5.
Vancouver firefighters were called to the Downtown Eastside Sunday evening after a fire destroyed multiple tents in an encampment and spread to a building near Main and East Hastings streets.
An international student was swarmed and beaten by a group of people who ripped off his turban and dragged him across the sidewalk by his hair in Kelowna, B.C., Friday evening, according to a local politician.
Rob Horne holds a photo of his late brother Paul Horne. (CTV News/Carmen Wong)
