North Bay Police, OPP, North Bay Fire partake in ride

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The pendulum is swinging in the right direction when it comes to addressing the stigma attached to mental health, says a former Canadian veteran and retired Ontario Provincial Police officer. 

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Ken Leppert, who is also an ambassador for the Wounded Warriors Ride, said when he was in uniform, he grew up in a generation where people were hesitant to come out if they had mental health challenges. 

“I now realize mental health is like physical health, everyone has physical health challenges at some point and that’s the same with mental health, but for some reason we don’t want to make that comparison,” he told The Nugget Saturday morning before the 80-kilometre ride was set to commence. 

He said rides like this continue to raise awareness and move the pendulum in the right direction. 

“The situation is so much better because of services like the North Bay Police Service and the OPP and the Canadian military which have recognized a need for a revolution around mental health,” Leppert said. 

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“It’s so much better than it was when I was a young officer when we really felt we had to keep our mental health challenges to ourselves,” he said. 

“It’s rides like this that show it’s OK and completely normal to have mental health challenges. It’s remarkable to see how the pendulum has swung, but we still have a ways to go and we want to continue to improve, but we’ve done a lot of work and should be proud of how we’ve moved that pendulum against stigma.” 

Adam Grannary, a participant in the ride, said biking is very therapeutic. 

“It’s a workout, but it doesn’t feel like a workout,” he said, adding he hopes to bike 150 kilometres today. 

He uses his love for the sport to raise awareness and money for numerous fundraising campaigns like Wounded Warriors and Sick Kids. 

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Insp. Jeff Warner of the North Bay Police Service said the Wounded Warriors Ride has been going for several years.  

“The North Bay Police Service got involved back in 2021 when we signed a formal partnership with the Wounded Warriors to raise awareness about mental health of our members, support staff and their families,” he said. 

“There have been people within the North Bay Service who have accessed the services the Wounded Warriors provide.” 

Warner said the North Bay Police Service over the last several years has really increased its efforts to improve the mental health services for its members.  

“The job of a police officer is a difficult job, they’re out there every day doing the best job they can, however they’re always under scrutiny by the public and other agencies. It’s a very difficult job, therefore it’s important they remain healthy both mentally and physically.” 

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