Canada's Top Employers for Young People (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 68
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CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2026)
York Regional Police helps young recruits to flourish
D
uring the first two
weeks of training
to become an
officer for York
Regional Police
(YRP), Rebecca Bachoo, constable,
recalls, she found herself thinking,
“Oh, my god, what did I get myself
into?”
One of the most
inspirational parts of
my job is watching
people grow into their
positions here.
— Lindsey O’Quinn
Director,
9-1-1 Communications Centre
“I had just come out of
university and had no structure,
no discipline. And then the
training yanked me out of that. It
was a big mental leap to say, ‘OK,
I’m going to get up at 5:30 every
morning and I’m going to polish
my boots every day. I’m going to
push myself physically.”
Bachoo not only persevered
through nine months of the
sometimes gruelling instruction
but also came to appreciate it. “By
the end,” she says, “I realized that
all of the experiences had made
me so much stronger, that I was so
much more capable and resilient
than I thought I was when I first
started. I’m honestly grateful for
it.”
Both of Bachoo’s parents are
currently in administrative
positions with YRP, having both
served as police officers there in
the past. But what really helped
Bachoo make it through the
whole training experience was
the support of her instructors and
Lindsey O’Quinn, civilian director, 9-1-1 Communications Centre, at York Regional Police.
other YRP staff.
“The teachers, the veterans, all
of the staff were so helpful,” she
says. “They talked us through it
all, even including the runs and
the workouts, telling us that they’d
been there, that it gets better.
They were always in our corner,
pushing us to be our best.”
Lindsey O’Quinn, the civilian
director of the service’s 9-1-1
Communications Centre,
says YRP’s culture is all about
teamwork and mutual respect. “It’s
really singular. You get to know
people, you get to help people. You
work very closely with a variety
of different demographic and age
groups, and you’re all dedicated to
one common goal.
“I joined the service when I
was 22, and from the get-go I was
respected and provided with a lot
of opportunity.”
Now that she’s well-established
at YRP, she enjoys being part of
a culture that values its recruits.
“People come to us very young,
right from post-secondary
education and into a really intense
career,” she says. “One of the most
inspirational parts of my job is
watching people grow into their
positions here.
“We hire for potential, and I
think this organization really lets
