Cornwall, ON – The Cornwall Police Service (CPS), in partnership with the Eastern Ontario Training Board, is pleased to announce the return of the annual Youth Symposium, an initiative to reach local high school students and promote resiliency and self-worth.

The CPS is pleased to welcome back JUNO Award & Canadian Screen Award-nominated singer-songwriter, Peter Katz, as a keynote speaker for the event.

Peter Katz has spent the past 15 years touring internationally and has been described by many of his fans and speaking clients as "a thunderbolt for the soul”. Renowned CBC radio host Tom Power described Peter’s music as “one of the most heartfelt, beautiful, and vulnerable records of the year... an astonishing record”. To date, his music has been streamed over 5 million times and his music videos have over 20 million views on YouTube.

Peter is also one of Canada’s most in-demand speakers, being called on to give his highly customized ‘Keynote Concerts’ to countless companies and organizations across various industries. Over the last 18 months, Peter’s impressive move to virtual has seen him perform to over 75,000 people virtually around the world, including being asked to address the House of Commons of Canada

He has also provided countless workshops and presentations in schools and communities across the country. Drawing the direct correlation between the moments of greatest discomfort, fear and intimidation in his life journey to the greatest moments of discovery, growth and opportunity, Peter engages his audience through his songs and stories and leaves them feeling a renewed sense of courage and determination to see what’s on the other side of that discomfort and fear in their lives.

“With last year’s event being cancelled due to COVID-19, we are thrilled to see the event returning in a virtual capacity,” said Constable Dan Cloutier of the Crime Reduction and Community Partnerships Unit. “We were lucky enough to have met Peter a few years ago and know that he is able to powerfully connect with our youth. We truly believe this could not have come at a better time as many of us, especially our youth, continue to struggle with the ups and downs of the pandemic.”

The 2022 Youth Symposium will be accessed by over 3000 local students, reaching all of Cornwall’s high schools. The virtual event will take place on March 3, 2022 for both, English and French schools.

The CPS is pleased to offer this event in alignment with our strategic priority of community engagement through working with our youth.

-30-