The Ontario Women in Law Enforcement is an organization that strives to bring together, promote and advance women working in the law enforcement field across the province.
This week the OWLE is organizing a workshop in Ottawa called Advancing Women in Policing. Each session will address barriers and challenges that women face in recruitment, promotion, and retention. Participants will put together initiatives to address equity barriers.
Inspector Tammy Fryer with Windsor Police Service is one of the people behind this event. Fryer has been an officer for over 30 years and, according to her, the concern of gender equity continues to persist in policing as it is a predominantly male field. Out of 429 officers in the Windsor Police Service, 82 are female officers.
Fryer believes that there is still a lot of potential and as more women see other women working in policing they will, in turn, want to join the force.
In the meantime, efforts still need to be made to treat women equally and encourage inclusivity among all members of the force.
Guest speakers include Deputy Chief Steve Bell, Inspector Isobel Granger of Ottawa Police Service, Chief Kimberly Greenwood of Barrie Police Service, Chief Antje McNeely of Kingston Police Service and Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Strachan from the RCMP.
Workshops will take place on Wednesday, February 20th from 4 pm to 8 pm and Thursday, February 21st from 8 am to 4 pm.
Tickets for the event can be purchased here.