January 20, 2023
Dear CPIO Members,
I trust this letter finds you and yours in good heath and looking forward to all that 2023 has to offer!
While I am happy to welcome new Board Members Andrew Robichaud and Jeff Crowley, I am sad that we had to say good-bye to James Winter, Manish Patel and Boaz Lapointe. They have all moved on to new and exciting chapters in their lives and I cannot thank them enough for everything they did for the CPIO and you, our membership!
2022 was a fantastic year for the CPIO, perhaps even a pivotal year. Following on our successes from 2021, we have introduced a regular stream of courses from Toddington International (discounted for members); launched our own Note Taking and Report Writing course (free to members); continued with the monthly webinars (free to members); had two successful conferences (F.I.T. and Professional Development Day); and, of course, established the CPIO Designation program. As promised, we are now advertising to the insurance industry and other sectors, promoting the designation program, and asking the big question, “Is your investigator a CPIO Certified Professional Investigator?”
We are excited to hear that members have been successfully using the designations to promote their businesses and add weight to their RFP’s. We have Agency Members that have fully embraced the designation program and ensured that all their staff are enrolled, which is tremendous. For the first time in Canada, there is a three-tier Professional Designation program in place, backed by a solid training platform, aimed at making our industry more knowledgeable and professional in both practice and appearance.
Like all professional designations, on-going educational training is required to both legitimise the designation program and to continue on our path of increasing the knowledge and professionalism in our industry. As outlined in the CPIO Designation Protocols, it is necessary for each designation holder to obtain at least 20 hours of continued professional education (CPE) per year. This total may be achieved by attending our webinars and conferences, although, it is hoped that you will avail yourselves of the courses we have arranged for your benefit.
Former OPP Detective Sergeant Jim Smyth’s interviews are probably the most widely viewed examples of how to conduct an interview. His successes on the Tori Stafford case and with Russel Williams are legendary. It gives me great pleasure to inform you that Jim has agreed to conduct a 2-day Basic Interview Techniques course in June 2023, as well as a 2-day Advanced Interview Techniques course in September 2023. We are also expecting to have a Statement Analysis course this year, as well as other courses of general interest to PI’s, to compliment the ongoing Toddington International Courses.
We will be continuing with our industry promotion of the Designation Program. Keep an eye out for us at the various golf days and conferences this year, as well as in publications such as WP!
CPIO membership cards will be sent out when you renew your membership. The first cards should be shipped next week. We are also exploring avenues that will allow us to use the membership cards to obtain industry related discounts (hotels, restaurants, rental cars, etc.).
I have mentioned the Eugene François Vidocq in previous letters. Eugene Vidocq taught himself and was famous for developing new methods of detection and procedures to follow. We have the good fortune of being able to benefit from what he started nearly 200 years ago. We are investigators, we are inquisitive, we want to know, it’s in our very nature! With your help we can take the CPIO to the next level!
I end this letter by sincerely thanking my colleagues on the CPIO Board for all their hard work and dedication. Without the team effort, none of this would be possible.
Thank you for your continued support and stay safe everyone!
Yours respectfully,
James Meadway, CFE, CPIO-MI
President, CPIO
