Jason DiMichele’s work is not for the faint of heart.

As a photo technician in the Forensic Identification Services unit of the Toronto Police Service for the past eight years, he has seen a lot, so to speak. Jason and his team process photos from crime scenes, disclose evidence for court proceedings and train police officers on how to photograph a crime scene.

Over time, Jason has learned how to deal with the often unpleasant content he sees. “It’s very important not to internalize it,” he said. “We have to see a Service psychologist once a year at minimum. I try to encourage my staff to have something very light and positive outside of work to help balance out some potentially heavy days.”

And Jason follows his own advice – in his spare time he’s a fine art photographer and printer, focusing on landscapes, wildlife and abstract imagery. Prior to his eight years as a photo technician (and current role as supervisor) in the Forensics photo section, Jason worked in IT at the Toronto Police Service’s headquarters for 15 years, starting when he was 23 years old.

In about 10 years, at the age of 56, he can retire. Jason says knowing he’ll have an OMERS pension makes him feel secure. “It allows you to plan confidently because you know the money and the support are going to be there, so it definitely eases any potential anxiety about going into that next phase,” he said.

Jason considers himself lucky to have an OMERS pension, recognizing that without a defined benefit pension plan, his lifestyle during both his working and retirement years wouldn’t allow for as much fun and flexibility. “It opens a lot of doors knowing you’re going to have that money until you die,” he said.

Jason has a lot of plans for his retirement, including traveling with his wife, taking care of his aging parents, spending more time on his photography, taking more canoe and backpacking trips, dedicating more time to his music production and doing some charity work.