The Ontario government has announced it will expand its Basic Constable Training (BCT) program by running it concurrently at two locations: the existing Ontario Police College in Aylmer and a new temporary site in Cornwall.
- This expansion will allow 121 additional recruits to be trained in the fall session, bringing the total number of seats to 641 across both sites.
- The Cornwall training will take place at the DEV Hotel & Conference Centre from October 6 to December 17, with a review and ceremony at the end.
- The BCT curriculum covers federal and provincial law, traffic law, human rights, diversity and professional practice, leadership, ethics, mental health, de-escalation tactics, firearms, officer safety, and fitness for duty.
- Since 2023, tuition for the BCT program has been eliminated.
Why this matters to boards and policing services:
- This move addresses capacity constraints in training resources and recruitment pipelines.
- Services in smaller, rural, or First Nation communities may access more trained officers sooner.
- Having dual sites helps spread geographic burden and reduces constraints on a single training facility.
- For OAPSB member boards, this offers a clearer path for their police services to plan intakes and training allocations.