Frank Elsner reflects on career with Sudbury police

Sudbury Police Chief Frank Elsner says leaving the community has been “much, much harder” than he thought it was going to be.

Elsner — who was selected following a nationwide recruitment effort by Victoria Police — takes over from retiring Victoria Chief Jamie Graham this month.

The news was leaked by CBC News in Victoria, weeks before Elsner made the announcement in Sudbury.

During an interview with CBC Sudbury Morning North host Markus Schwabe, Elsner said the pending move has made him feel “overwhelmingly sad.”

"I left B.C. at 21 ... you really realize how many roots you have ... throughout Ontario,” he said. But the move is “an opportunity to go back home. I always wanted to retire there."

Elsner will retire from Sudbury’s police force with a pension. The pension — along with the salary as head of Victoria’s police force — will allow Elsner and his family to live in Victoria, where according to Elsner, the cost of living is “astronomical.”

During the interview, Elsner discussed his best and worst days on the job.

Elsner said he will miss the beauty of Sudbury.

"There is nothing like being overheated and jumping into a lake,” he said, adding he’s “never been treated so well in a police service."

Sudbury is the fifth police service in which he has worked during his policing career.

A search firm is currently working on finding the next chief of police for Sudbury.

To hear the full Morning North interview, click on the audio button at the left of the page.