Breaking Down Silos: How Ontario Police Services and CPKN Are Transforming Training

In 2023, the Ontario government announced extensive changes to the law governing policing with the Community Safety and Policing Act (CSPA). The bill centered on addressing community safety, modernizing policing, and consistent mandated training requirements.

With the CSPA coming into effect in April 2024, police services in the province needed to prepare for resource constraints and increased demand for interagency cooperation in training both members and recruits. Police services experiencing staffing shortages faced particularly strong demand; simultaneously, limited availability of qualified trainers and the high cost of in-person training exceeded the budgets of certain organizations.

Tammi Ewart, Detective Staff Sergeant, Hamilton Police Service, recognized shared pressures across Ontario police services and, inspired by connections made at the Canadian Police Knowledge Network’s (CPKN) Stanhope Conference, proposed a centralized portal to support interagency collaboration.

“When legislation dictates mandatory training, use it to provide opportunity for your members,” says Ewart. “That’s really how we looked at the CSPA.”

It wasn’t long before the Ontario Interagency Training Program (OITP) was created, linking the Ontario Police College (OPC) and ten police services across three regional hubs—Central (Hamilton, Niagara, Halton, Peel, Waterloo), Western (Windsor, London, Waterloo), and Eastern (Toronto, York, Durham, Peel)—enabling collaborative solutions to training challenges.

Working with CPKN, a dedicated portal was created where participating agencies could list courses, manage registrations, and access shared instructors who can teach virtually, easing pressure on resources and eliminating the need for centralized classroom space. The portal also features tools for managing participant data, sending communications, and handling course waitlists, allowing for more efficient and flexible training delivery.

Ewart and Ryan Million, Staff Sergeant, London Police Service, co-presented Technology-Enabled Collaboration: Addressing Training, Costs and Staffing at this year’s Stanhope Conference, sharing the successes and challenges of developing the portal.

Their session showcased how the OITP can serve as a scalable model for collaborative training across Canada, demonstrating that innovation flourishes through partnerships between agencies and organizations like CPKN.

"This is an example of how we can collaborate and share within a province,” says Krystine Richards, Vice President of Operations, CPKN. “So, then you can emulate this model in other provinces and eventually you could create something national where we're all sharing our content and our courses."

At its heart, OITP is more than a scheduling tool—it’s a strategic model for cooperative training delivery. By sharing assets like classroom space, certified instructors, and administrative support, participating agencies are cutting costs, upholding ministry standards, and minimizing operational disruptions. In just over a year, the OITP has grown from 10 services to 30 across Ontario.

“If you’re struggling with ‘How do we increase opportunities for our members?’ this really is a good way to do it,” says Ewart. “You just have to look beyond the silos of your own organization and start reaching out.”

The OITP is a testament to the transformative power of innovation for police and public safety training. Through this collaboration, CPKN can highlight Ontario’s portal to other agencies, showcasing its cost-effectiveness scalability, and collaborative benefits, redefining professional development across Canada.