Causes We Support
A Message from the Founder of The Human Behind The Responder
meaningful words
Rev. Dr. Cheri DiNovo
I remember well the multiple readings of the Bill to decide that PTSD was indeed, a workplace injury, and my first meeting with Shannon Bertrand, a young paramedic who had tried in vain to deal with the kangaroo court system of Doctors and bureaucrats that was the process then, to get coverage.
How can a first responder identify that one event that triggered a traumatic result that would change their lives, when anyone can understand that a life spent dealing with others’ traumas – is in itself traumatic!
At very Second Reading Shannon was there alone and in the gallery, knowing that even if it passed at Second reading, the journey through committee to law was solely at the discretion of the then majority government at Queen’s Park.
As firefighters, police and eventually correction workers and dispatchers joined the struggle, it became impossible for the government to deny the Bill’s validity.
When 10 years ago, it finally was taken up by the government and made law, Shannon was there too – against a barrage of media – asking of all things, “What gave you PTSD?” She bravely held her own.
To her and all of you who risk your health to help all of us, there are never thanks enough. Happy anniversary of winning a basic right.
Jeffrey Bilyk
"Gimme a expletive gavel and let's do this."
That was the last thing I said before walking into the Chambers of Queen's Park ten years ago.
We didn't walk in as paramedics, dispatchers, stewards, or union executives. Titles didn't matter that day. We walked in as a completely exhausted, entirely unified front of fighters. And we crossed our fingers, because in the halls of government, logic and basic human decency are rarely enough on their own. A battle that waged for many years prior to this day from a swath of people across all facets of paramedicine and unions.
We were there to pass Bill 163, the Supporting First Responders Act. And by some minor miracle of civic duty, we did it.
It was a momentous day. It meant that for the first time, when a first responder's mind broke under the unimaginable weight of what we ask them to see on a random Tuesday afternoon, they didn't have to spend years proving to a bureaucracy that the job did it to them. It made it easier to connect mental injury to the workplace. It made it easier to get help. It wasn't perfect. It certainly wasn't the Holy Grail. But it was a spectacular step forward.
Now, a decade later you would think we’d be taking a victory lap. You’d think we fixed the problem.
We didn't.
Here is the spectacularly grim reality of where we are in 2026: Right now, in Ontario, one in ten paramedics is on leave for an occupational stress injury.
One in ten. We are still systematically breaking the people whose only job is to put us back together, and we are expecting them to just quietly endure it.
The battle isn't over. It's barely at halftime. We have to continue across every available front, fighting a system that is perfectly comfortable looking the other way, to ensure that the people in the back of those ambulances can actually survive to see a proper retirement. And more importantly be healthy enough in their own minds to enjoy it.
So ten years later, we reflect on a win. We take a breath.
And tomorrow, we put the gloves back on. Because it turns out, just having the gavel isn't nearly enough.
Micheal Kaiser
Around the same time in the spring of 2016, I had already been involved for many months in the planning for the epic “Heroes are Human, Capital-to-Capital ride”. We gave it a nickname: C2C
We were going to ride our bicycles from Ottawa, Canada to Washington, DC over two weeks and do our part to reduce the stigma around mental health for first responders. And, as a wonderful coincidence the province of Ontario passed a law that meant it was easier for first responders to get the treatment they deserve when filing a claim with workers’ compensation. We still don’t have similar legislation in New York state.
On May 5th, 2016 we drove up in an FDNY bus which my department loaned as a support vehicle for the entire two weeks. I was thrilled to be a participant in the Capital-to-Capital Ride, where we’d ride for many days to break down the stigma and share our stories with law enforcement, fire and EMS crews and agencies on our path. I have done many memorial rides over the years, but the C2C was my first ride about mental health issues which inflicts so many First Responders and Veterans.
A lot of us suffer, many in silence. We spend so much taking care of everyone else, that we neglect our own needs. Also, the stigma behind admitting you have a problem and asking for help, is too real. Some people look at it as a sign of weakness - some still do. The C2C did help in breaking that stigma.
I feel blessed, the FDNY has had a counseling unit since 2001, which is very active in getting treatment for its members who have mental health problems. The counseling unit isn’t perfect, the stigma is still there, but slowly we are chipping away at it. As a Lieutenant with FDNY EMS, I always tried to be aware of problems affecting the members of my station.
The C2C Heroes Are Human Ride opened my eyes, from listening to the lecturers at the symposium at the Ottawa Police Association Hall, to talking with the other participants, to meeting and talking with members of other departments along the route. I learned that many of them don’t have any kind of peer support, which is sad.
After I got home and returned to work, I had a new awareness for the members of my station, plus the members of the division. I became a better advocate for the members. I eventually joined the counseling unit after I retired from active duty.
Shannon Bertrand
In 2003, traumatic events I experienced in the line of duty changed my life forever, resulting in post-traumatic stress disorder. When I sought benefits through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, my claim was denied on the basis that my injury was not an acute reaction to a life-threatening event.
Refusing to accept a system that failed to recognize the psychological injuries of first responders, I spent years advocating for change. That determination brought my story to Cheri DiNovo, who recognized the broader injustice faced by first responders across Ontario.
From that advocacy came the Ontario First Responders Act (PTSD), 2016, landmark legislation establishing presumptive PTSD coverage for first responders—a bill that took eight years from conception to become law. What began as my fight for recognition helped drive systemic change, ensuring others would no longer face the same battle.
I extend special thanks to Cheri DiNovo, I’ve Got Your Back 911, and to all who courageously shared their stories to help shape this legislation. This law stands as a reminder that when first responders speak their truth and refuse to give up, meaningful change can happen.
Travis Hazelwood
Went off work in 2015 using short term disability. Long Term Disability denied me not once, but twice so my only option in the spring of 2016 was to go on Parental leave for our new son in order to continue to get paid after short term ran out.
While spending thousands and racking up the line of credit to try and sue Long Term Disability, my Association President suggested I apply to WSIB under this new legislation that just came out. He even convinced the board to pay for a paralegal to help with the application. 3 weeks later I was approved and was able to breathe again. My financial situation stabilized and I could support my family of 6 again.
That gave me back some of my dignity and self respect at a time when I was injured by my job and I was hoping to die.
This legislation helped save my life!
Dave Perras
I was a 30 year front line Paramedic. I was told by my general practitioner in 2010 that I was starting to show symptoms of PTSD.
I was determined to be one of the 4% of Frontline medic's who make it to retirement so I ignored his advice. Big mistake. Fast forward to 2017 and I was formed under the mental health act and had my license revoked. I
f it wasn't for the presumptive WSIB legislation, I wouldn't be here today. It literally saved my life. I am beyond grateful to all of those who pursued this act for myself and my family and every first responder who needs help.
Samantha Zahra
Bill 163 represents a pivotal step forward for first responders by recognizing PTSD as an inherent risk of the profession and ensuring access to support without unnecessary obstacles. It has helped shift the culture by validating the psychological realities of the work and reducing inherent stigma.
I am deeply grateful to those who advocated for this change over a decade ago; their commitment and perseverance made this possible and ensured that when I experienced my own PTSD diagnosis, I was able to access support without unnecessary difficulty.
Because of their efforts, first responders today and in the future are better supported and more empowered to heal, rebuild, and move forward with dignity and strength.
Kevin Flynn
I don’t think a month has gone by where I haven’t been thanked for creating Bill 163 and ensuring it got passage through the House and became law in Ontario. It was a time of personal learning for me, having just come off chairing the Ontario All- Party Select Committee on Mental Health and Addictions and creating our watershed report.
It was a time where it was finally becoming socially acceptable to talk about mental health and mental illness. It was an exciting time and yet also a sad time. The curtain was raised and people began realizing what important issues governments, employers, unions, associations and organizations around the world had been ignoring for far too long. The veil was lifted off years of unnecessary suffering that many of the very people who kept us safe, had been enduring in silence for far too long.
Different first responder organizations were at differing stages in their ability to influence government. Fire was likely the most sophisticated. Police leadership was supportive but still dealing with the remnants of a prevailing “macho, suck it up, keep it hidden” attitude within their own ranks. Paramedics were definitely the most passionate and persistent in their approach to legislative change. Nursing, oddly enough, was strangely quiet. Opposition parties, despite having not acted themselves when in office, knew the time had come to lend their support to a progressive bill you played a very large part in creating. I won’t name names for the fear of leaving someone out, but those colleagues knew what a difference they were making in supporting Bill 163.
These days I spend my time as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Institute for Safety, Wellness and Performance (CISWP). I understand we are in contact with Paramedics organizations in Ontario on a regular basis to make their valuable work even safer through our applied research.
Passing Bill 163 stands out as one of my proudest moments in 33 years of continuous elected office and I thank you and your colleagues for speaking out in such a forceful and constructive way. Those younger paramedics, who came after your Bill 163 team, owe you a huge debt of gratitude.
Natalie Harris
“None of us chose to become injured, and many of us didn’t even understand what was happening to us at the time. When I stepped into this work, the movement was already years in the making through the leadership and advocacy of people like MPP Cheri DiNovo and Toronto paramedic Shannon Bertrand, along with many others who had been pushing for this recognition long before I arrived.
I was honoured to be one of the voices who stood at Queen’s Park in Toronto, Ontario, helping ensure the awareness continued to grow. That was where I found my place in the effort — sharing these concerns publicly through the writing and platforms I had available at the time, including blogs, social media, and eventually my book Save-My-Life School: A first responder’s mental health journey. In many ways, everything aligned at the same moment, and I simply stepped forward to add my voice to a cause that was already gaining momentum.
I will never forget standing alongside others at Queen’s Park watching the recorded moment when the legislation received Royal Assent. It was a powerful moment of recognition — one that affirmed that the psychological injuries experienced by first responders and military members are real workplace injuries.
Because of this legislation, those who dedicate their lives to protecting others can now take the time they need to heal without the added burden of proving their trauma or worrying about how their families will survive financially while they seek help. Ten years later, this legislation continues to save lives.
This coin stands as a reminder of the many voices who refused to stay silent — and of the lives that continue to be protected because they spoke.”
Norm Robillard
I have plenty of memories that surround Bill 163: the trips from Ottawa to Toronto as a representative from my union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, in the years from roughly 2012 to 2016. The visits to my own MPP’s constituency office to engage and reinforce the message. Talking it up at work to let my coworkers know that we were trying to do something to get the provincial government’s attention. Speaking up at countless union meetings in an effort to have my local’s leadership hear the same message too. The squeaky and passionate wheel gets the oil, and by that I mean the union almost always had our back. That can’t be said about the employer. We, the front‑liners, were left to do the heavy lifting: the long trips to Toronto and back, and extra time away from our families.
But I guess what I remember most about the trips and the office meetings with MPPs was the passion with which my union brothers and sisters spoke. One MPP questioned us one time: “So, who are you guys? I have lobbyists in here all the time.” Fair question, we responded. I’m Norm, a paramedic from Ottawa. This is Sally—she works on the ambulance in Sudbury—and Suzie here works on the air ambulance with Ornge.
“So, you guys actually do the job?” the MPP said. We looked at each other, smiled, and replied, “Yup, we do. Two of us just came off the night shift and stayed up all morning and early afternoon to meet with you.”
The other thing that Bill 163, once passed, did for many of us was to give us even more confidence that we were on the right track—that what we were convinced was right was heard by the government of the day. We weren’t asking for a lot, and what we asked for was just. I wasn’t the first first responder to ask for change; that was Shannon Bertrand, and we owe her a lot. Without ever knowing Shannon, she inspired us to join this movement and to help her continue to tell our collective stories.
The people who sign up to be paramedics—and indeed all first responders—do so because they love to help others in need. It’s more than a job. All we were asking was that when we ask for help, the system be there for us, just as 911 is there for everyone else.
There is still work to do in this area. Jeffrey Bilyk continues to shout it out. In 2016, we weren’t asking for the moon; we were asking for better, and we achieved that in large part. I hope today’s generation of first responders, nurses, doctors, and other front‑liners know and understand that if they want improvements, no one will do it for you.
So if there is a Shannon amongst you, and an MPP like Cheri DiNovo you can rally around, only you can do the rallying. Only through your collective efforts will they listen. That’s how it works. That’s how it always has.
ROWPS - Memorial Ride 2025
The Human Behind The Responder supported this two-day event hosted by the Region of Waterloo Paramedic Service in their inaugural ride. We gathered to pay tribute to their members who have passed while on active duty:
Amanda Finch
Gabriel Kukuric
Steven Rabak
Mark Gomes
Dean Wick
Paramedic History
Challenge Coin
This project designed and produced in
collaboration with Strike Your Coin
Dinner and Fundraiser for:
6:00 to 7:30PM
$60 dinner & symposium combo
$45 dinner only
Adopting Healthy Habits
Symposium and Dinner
Fri, June 13
Ottawa Police Association Hall at 141 Catherine St
Join the riders who started in Quebec City on June 8 and are hosting this symposium during our rest day before continuing the Adopting Healthy Habits Tour to Toronto
Meet the presenters
and read a synopsis of their topics
The Symposium
Meet Our Presenters
Natalie Harris
Author of Save-My-Life School and Founder of Wings of Change Peer Support
Brian Robitaille
Former Paramedic
Nadine Leduc
Researcher with the Atlantic Canada Public Safety Research and Innovation Lab at Memorial University
Jordan James-MacLeod
Tennessee Critical Care Paramedic. Owner of Compassion Insurance
Amélie Dumais
Paramédic et Kinésiologue
Bas St Laurent, Québec
Dwayne Semple
Paramedic, Stroke Survivor, Coach, Mentor and Mental Health Advocate
Check Out the Other Causes We Have Supported
Walk Out Of The Darkness
Cross Country for Cancer Campaign
A message from the organizers:
We are Howard Schwartz & Chris Buchmoyer; we have been Paramedics for more than three decades. Fourteen years ago, we got into long distances cycling thanks to National EMS Memorial Bike Ride. We have had the honor of spending time in and outside of work with some of the most amazing people throughout our careers. As our lives move on, jobs change, people move, our friendship remains. A few of these people hold a special place in our hearts – they are part of our 'family'.
Two dear friends are currently receiving cancer treatment. Unfortunately, due to the distance between us, we have been unable to physically be there to support them as they travel this journey. Several months ago, to show support for these ladies and raise awareness for so many EMS professionals battling cancer, we began planning a cross-country bicycle ride for late Spring of 2022. We will be riding from the eastern USA to Phoenix, AZ. One of our family members lives on the East Coast, the other on the west side. Our trip will cover approximately 2,000 miles and take about 30 days. In the coming days we will be telling their stories.
We will be sharing our plans, our preparations, and requests for assistance with the First Responders Are Human community. We are asking your help to make our journey a reality; a journey that will honor so many afflicted by cancer.
Our goal is to honor at least one EMS provider in each state we ride through who is presently battling cancer or is a survivor. If you know of such a person and they consent to letting us know, please reach out to Chris & Howard at ccc@n3uea.com.
If you would like to assist us in supporting these individuals, we would be grateful for your donation.
Thank you to First Responders Are Human First in your commitment to promote and support local groups and individuals who are in motion. Howard and I endorse #movementismedicine not only in our personal efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle but in this case, to use our bicycles as vehicles to raise awareness and bolster EMS professionals currently battling cancer.
Sincerely,
Chris Buchmoyer
717-940-8462