OPSEU member Mike Lundy was the featured guest on local Sault Ste. Marie television program “ONN Point with Andy Martens” on ONNtv Tuesday. Lundy was on the half-hour current affairs program to promote the next leg of the “Peers Need Peers” fundraising barbecue tour in support of the non-profit groups Boots on the Ground and Badge of Life Canada.
Boots on the Ground provides 24-7 peer-to-peer support services, while Badge of Life Canada provides resources and programs to frontline workers and first responders who are recovering from a traumatic on-the-job experience. “Weekly, daily, hourly…it’s so important for Boots on the Ground and Badge of Life to be there for us,” Lundy, who is a correctional officer at the Thunder Bay Jail, told program host Andy Martens.
Next week, OPSEU members from Region 6 will be holding barbecues in North Bay, Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury to raise awareness about the critical role that peer-to-peer support plays in mental health; similar to the “Peers Need Peers” tour in northwestern Ontario in July.