The health and safety of all our employees is our highest priority. I am writing today to provide you with a status update on the historical health and safety concerns identified at the RCMP training facility in Kemptville, ON.
Since my last update in December 2020, the RCMP continues to receive self-confirmation of attendance at the facility from current and former RCMP employees. In response, we are sending letters containing information on the potential hazards to employees who have self-confirmed and who have not yet been contacted. We are making every effort to ensure verified attendees receive important information and updates in a timely manner.
Additionally, the following actions have been taken:
- We have completed a thorough internal review of environmental information for the site, including review of all environmental and health and safety reports, and compiled the hazards and their potential health effects as well as a chronology for the site.
- We have developed internal processes to catalogue all information received and have taken additional steps to locate previously unidentified facility records.
- We are working with RCMP Pensions to ensure retired RCMP personnel who attended the site are included in the process.
As a next step, we are procuring the services of a third-party consultant to validate the RCMP's internal environmental review, to catalogue the hazards present at the site and to quantify potential risk of historical exposures. Work is planned to commence in early April by the contractor. In keeping with the serious nature of the concerns, this work will be given priority and completed as quickly as possible.
I know that this issue has caused much concern and I want to reassure you that we are doing everything we can to address this situation in a timely manner. I will continue to keep you informed on this important matter.
Gail Johnson
Chief Human Resources Officer