The 27th Annual Ontario Police Memorial Foundation’s Ceremony of Remembrance honouring police officers in Ontario who have died in the line of duty will occur on Queen’s Park Crescent, Toronto, Ontario on Sunday May 3rd, 2026 at 11am. A social event in Toronto is also planned for the Saturday evening. Read on for details. More detailed information about the Ceremony of Remembrance will be posted as it becomes available.
🎉 OPMF Social Night 🎉
📅 Saturday, May 2, 2026 | 7:30 PM – 12 AM
📍 GRETA Bar YYZ, 590 King St W. Toronto
🎟 Early Bird Special:
$40 until April 1
$50 after April 1 (Deadline: April 27)
Your ticket includes:
✨ 1 Drink Ticket
✨ Delicious Appetizers
✨ $25 Game Card
📩 Email thurst@tpa.ca to purchase tickets while quantities last.
Don’t miss out – grab your ticket today and make it a night to remember! 🥂🎮
Everyone is invited to attend the Ontario Police Memorial Ceremony of Remembrance Sunday May 4, 2025 at 11am.
The Ontario Police Memorial Foundation will be hosting the annual 2025 Ceremony of Remembrance in person at the site of the Ontario Police Memorial across from Queen’s Park in Toronto as we honour our Ontario police officers who have died in the line of duty, our Heroes in Life, Not Death.
The ceremony will honour two historical officers who both were tragically injured and later passed away due to their injuries – Rainy River Police Constable Wilford Fairles and Thunder Bay Police Service Constable Craig Cameron Town.
In October 1910, devastating forest fires swept through Northwestern Ontario, causing an influx of people and placing a strain on the small town of Rainy River. During the night of October 8-9, 1910, Constable Fairles was attacked by unknown assailants. He was shot, severely beaten and left in a ditch. He was discovered the next morning and taken to hospital for treatment where he remained until he passed away December 21, 1910.
In 1991 Constable Craig Town sustained life altering injuries from a gun shot wound that left him a quadriplegic. Despite this, he continued to serve until his retirement. In February 2023 he was honoured with his 30-year Exemplary Service Bar for his commitment and strength. Unfortunately, due to complications related to his injuries, Constable Town passed away in August of 2023.
The parade mustering location will be in the northeast quadrant of Queens Park Cresent, between Wellesley and the north end of Queens Park. The parade step-off point will be at the north end of Queen’s Park Cres near the 48th Highlanders of Canada Regimental Memorial.
The following lists the Section for each Police Service, Pipe Band & Order of March.
Column A: RCMP, MILITARY POLICE, OPP
Column B: City Police A to Z
Column C: Regional Services A to Z
Column D: First Nations Police, Police from other Provinces and Nations, Military, Corrections, Customs, EMS, Municipal Services, and other agencies
The Toronto Police Service will be supplying a Command Post and the location of each Section will be marked.
Parade participants are to be assembled no later than 9:15am for an approximate march-off time of 10:15am.
A representative from each Section (responsible for drill commands) will attend the Command Post at 9:15am for a briefing.
Queen’s Park Cres East, from Bloor St W to College St
Queen’s Park Cres West, from Bloor St W to College St
Hoskin Ave, from St. George St to Queen’s Park Cres W (local only)
Grosvenor St, from Surrey Place to Queen’s Park Cres E (local only)
St. Josheph St to be closed at St Thomas St, traffic to be redirected to Bay St. W (local only)
Charles St to close at St. Thomas St, traffic to be redirected to Bloor St. W. (local only)
The Ontario Police Memorial Foundation is hosting our 2025 Social Night Saturday May 3rd 7:30pm at “GRETA” (Arcade * Bar * Street Food), 590 King St W, Toronto. Early Bird Pricing – $40 (until April 11th), $50 after April 11th – No tickets will be sold at the door. Ticket includes $25 game card, drink ticket and appetizers. Email thurst@tpa.ca to purchase tickets while quantities last. Deadline to purchase tickets is April 23rd.
The 25th Anniversary of the Ontario Police Memorial Foundation Ceremony of Remembrance honouring police officers who have died in the line of duty in Ontario is happening Sunday May 5, 2024 at 11am on Queen’s Park Crescent in downtown Toronto.
This year four names will be added to the Ontario Police Memorial:
Detective Sergeant Thomas A. Whitelaw
Metropolitan Toronto Police 1938
Families of fallen officers, dignatarites, all police members, sworn, civilian, active and retired, as well as their families, friends, media and the general public are invited.
There will be a live broadcast of the event.
Order of dress will be communicated by individual police services.
All policing members are invited to march in uniform. An outdoor lunch and refreshments will be provided after the event.
The parade mustering location will be in the northeast quadrant of Queens Park Cresent, between Wellesley and the north end of Queens Park. The parade step-off point will be at the north end of Queen’s Park Cres near the 48th Highlanders of Canada Regimental Memorial.
The following lists the Section for each Police Service, Pipe Band & Order of March.
Column A: RCMP, MILITARY POLICE, OPP
Column B: City Police A to Z
Column C: Regional Services A to Z
Column D: First Nations Police, Police from other Provinces and Nations, Military, Corrections, Customs, EMS, Municipal Services, and other agencies
The Toronto Police Service will be supplying a Command Post and the location of each Section will be marked.
Parade participants are to be assembled no later than 9:15am for an approximate march-off time of 10:15am.
A representative from each Section (responsible for drill commands) will attend the Command Post at 9:15am for a briefing.
Please note that there are several road closures in downtown Toronto on the date of this event for planned marathon. Please check local traffic and leave plenty of extra time to arrive at the destination. The specific road closures for the Ontario Police Memorial Ceremony of Remembrance on Sunday are listed below for your info:
Road Closure time: Sunday May 5, 2024 8am-2pm
Locations:
Queen’s Park Cres East, from Bloor St W to College St
Queen’s Park Cres West, from Bloor St W to College St
Hoskin Ave, from St. George St to Queen’s Park Cres W (local only)
Grosvenor St, from Surrey Place to Queen’s Park Cres E (local only)
St. Josheph St to be closed at St Thomas St, traffic to be redirected to Bay St. W (local only)
Charles St to close at St. Thomas St, traffic to be redirected to Bloor St. W. (local only)
The event will be live broadcasted on the Ontairo Police Memorial Foundation’s Youtube, Facebook, X and LinkedIn channels starting at 10am with the Reading of the Names, the March In, a special 25th Anniversary segment, the Ceremony of Remembrance at 11amET, and the March Past. The approximate end of the live broadcast is 12:30pmET. For the links to watch live or anytime later, as well as the press release for the event, click on ceremonyofremembrance.ca/live.
286 photos from the 2023 Ontario Police Memorial Foundation Ceremony of Remembrance are posted on the OPMF Facebook page.
Approximately 1000 photos in high resolution are available to download on a Google Photo Album by clicking on the link here or on the image above. More photos are being added as they become available.
Watch the archived livestream on Youtube below
The annual Ontario Police Memorial Foundation Ceremony of Remembrance honours and pays tribute to Ontario’s fallen police officers who died in the Line of Duty – these officers are Heroes in Life, Not Death.
The 24th Annual Ceremony of Remembrance will occur on Sunday May 7, 2023, 11am at the site of the Ontario Police Memorial on Queen’s Park Crescent in downtown Toronto.
The event is open to the public. The Reading of the Honour Roll begins at 10am.
Five names will be added to the wall this year (four current and one historical)
Constable Andrew Hong, Toronto, 2022
Constable Devon Northrup, South Simcoe, 2022
Constable Morgan Russell, South Simcoe, 2022
Provincial Constable Grzegorz Pierzchala, Haldimand OPP, 2022
Constable. Vicki Lynn Wilson, Durham, 1992
These additions brings the total number of police officers killed in the line of duty honoured on the wall to 277.
Members of the policing community are invited to attend and participate in the march to honour our fallen comrades.
Parade marching orders are posted below.
There will be a livestream of the event publicly available on the Ontario Police Memorial Foundation’s Youtube, Facebook Twitter and LinkedIn.
Everyone is invited to attend the Ontario Police Memorial Ceremony of Remembrance Sunday May 1, 2022 at 11am.
The Ontario Police Memorial Foundation will be hosting the annual 2022 Ceremony of Remembrance in person at the site of the Ontario Police Memorial across from Queen’s Park in Toronto as we honour our Ontario police officers who have died in the line of duty, our Heroes in Life, Not Death.
The parade mustering location and march-off point will be at Queens Park, in front of the Royal Ontario Museum, south of Bloor St W. The following lists the Section for each Police Service, Pipe Band & Order of March.
Column A: RCMP, MILITARY POLICE, OPP
Column B: City Police A to Z
Column C: Regional Police A to Z
Column D: Police from other Provinces, First Nations Police, Correctional, Fire, EMS, Other agencies
The Toronto Police Service will be supplying a Command Post and the location of each Section will be marked.
Parade participants are to be assembled no later than 9:15am for an approximate march-off time of 10:15am.
A representative from eachSection (responsible for drill commands) will attend the Command Post at 9:15am for abriefing.
· Queen’s Park Cres East, from Bloor St W to College St
· Queen’s Park Cres West, from Bloor St W to College St
· Hoskin Ave, from St. George St to Queen’s Park Cres W (local only)
· Grosvenor St, from Surrey Place to Queen’s Park Cres E (local only)
· St. Josheph St to be closed at St Thomas St, traffic to be redirected to Bay St. W (local only)
· Charles St to close at St. Thomas St, traffic to be redirected to Bloor St. W. (local only)
Full public details of the event are noted in the below media release. A social evening on Saturday April 30 is also being planned in downtown Toronto. Details are posted below.
MEDIA RELEASE & REQUEST FOR COVERAGE
Media is invited to attend the 23rd annual Ceremony of Remembrance, organized by the Ontario Police Memorial Foundation, on Sunday May 1st, 2022, at 11 a.m. at the Ontario Police Memorial in Toronto.
The annual Ceremony of Remembrance honours and pays tribute to Ontario’s fallen police officers who died in the Line of Duty – these officers are Heroes in Life, Not Death.
The last in-person Ceremony of Remembrance was in 2019 prior to the Covid 19 pandemic.
Led by Police Pipe Bands, thousands of uniformed police officers from across Ontario, Canada, the USA, and Europe will assemble in their march along Queen’s Park Crescent, arriving at the wall of honour before 11 a.m. for the official start of the annual Ceremony of Remembrance.
In 2022, the following names of Ontario police officers will be added to the Ontario Police Memorial:
• Constable Jeffrey Northrup, Toronto Police Service, 2021
• Provincial Constable Marc Hovingh, Manitoulin Detachment OPP, 2020
• Constable Joan Theresa VanBreda, Niagara Regional Police, 2020
Historical additions: These fallen officers have been identified by the Ontario Police Memorial Historian after research submissions by the Brockville, Brantford and Guelph Police Services.
• Constable John Teevens, Guelph Police, 1945
• Constable John Hickey, Brantford Police Service, 1897
• Constable Alexander Wright, Brockville Police Service, 1895
Guests of honour will include: Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, the Premier of Ontario, The Honourable Doug Ford, and families of fallen officers.
For members of the public who are not able to attend in person, the ceremony will be live-streamed on the official OPMF YouTube channel, Facebook and Twitter platforms. Social media links to the service
and additional details will be posted on the official blog of the Ontario Police Memorial Foundation CeremonyofRemembrance.ca/Live.
The OPMF will provide a broadcast feed of the ceremony for media outlets unable to attend, beginning at 10:30 a.m., from the Television Operational Centre. In person media will have camera
positions reserved with audio feed. All media outlets are welcome to take the feed live.
If you are a media outlet wishing to broadcast the live feed, or if you require further information, please email Scott Mills communications@oppa.ca or cell 647-449-2801.
The Ontario Police Memorial Foundation is hosting a Fellowship Night Saturday April 30, 2022 starting at 7:30pm at Petty Cash Social House, 487 Adelaide St W, Toronto. There is limited capacity. Please RSVP to Hazel by email HWood@TPA.ca by April 25, 2022 to ensure your spot. A $10 donation at the door includes food and one beverage.
It has come to the attention of the Ontario Police Memorial Foundation (OPMF) that a group of first responders plan to engage in a “silent protest against mandates” on Monday, September 13, 2021 at 11:45 a.m. at the site of the Ontario Police and Fire Fighters Memorials at Queen’s Park in Toronto.
The OPMF is a charitable foundation formed by the Police Association of Ontario (PAO), the Ontario Provincial Police Association (OPPA), the Toronto Police Association (TPA), the Ontario Senior Officers’ Police Association (OSOPA), and the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP). The Foundation is responsible for the management of the Ontario Police Memorial, which includes adding names of fallen officers whenever required and hosting an annual Ceremony of Remembrance.
On behalf of our members, the OPMF denounces such a protest occurring at these memorial sites, which are intended to honour Ontario’s police personnel and fire fighters who have made the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives in the line of duty. To be clear, our Foundation and those within our organization do not endorse and are not affiliated in any way with the group coordinating today’s protest against mandates.
The OPMF is confident the vast majority of sworn and civilian police personnel across the province are committed to doing their part to help keep their communities and fellow first responders safe and healthy. Some policies recently announced or proposed in many municipalities pertaining to COVID-19 vaccinations for first responders are an important step toward ensuring that.
Everyone has the right to peacefully protest and stand up for what they believe in, and we are certainly respectful of that right, but the police and fire fighter memorials are not the appropriate venue to hold a demonstration against a political issue such as mandates. We respectfully request that the organizers of this protest re-locate their gathering so as to preserve the purpose and integrity of what the police and fire memorials represent within our first responder communities and for the families of those who have lost loved ones in the line of duty.
In Unity,
Jason Tomlinson, President
Ontario Police Memorial Foundation
Ontario Police Memorial Foundation President Jason Tomlinson
The Ontario Police Memorial Foundation has long honoured police officers killed In the Line of Duty and offered support to the families and loved ones of the fallen. On behalf of the Ontario Police Memorial Foundation, I am proud to extend our support for the powerful efforts of Canada Beyond the Blue and the Heroes In Life Memorial who are honouring police officers who have died Because of the Line of Duty. Our Foundation applauds the Canada Beyond the Blue-Heroes In life Memorial by joining us in celebrating not only how our honourees lived, acknowledging the sacrifices made through dedicated service, but also by supporting all those affected by suicide.
Click on image to watch 2021 Ontario Police Memorial Foundation Ceremony of Remembrance
Please join the Ontario Police Memorial Foundation on Sunday May 2, 2021 at 11amET as we pay tribute to those police officers in the province of Ontario who died in the line of duty. They are our “Heroes In Life, Not Death”.
The Ontario Police Memorial Foundation will live broadcast the 22nd Annual Ceremony of Remembrance from Queen’s Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A full professional quality broadcast was planned but had to be cancelled due to the Stay At Home Order limit of 5 people for outdoor gatherings in Ontario.
In lieu of gathering together in person to celebrate the lives of our fallen, viewers are encouraged to tune into the Ontario Police Memorial Foundation Facebook Live at 11am and follow along as the Ontario Police Memorial Foundation President, a representative of families, a piper and an officer to lay a single wreath will be live broadcasted from a cell phone to solemnly honour those who have paid the ultimate price while in service to their communities.
The link, once live, will be posted on this blog at CeremonyofRemembrance.ca/Live and it is appropriate to advise people wishing to watch to click on the blog link, or directly on the Facebook page hosting the Facebook Live at the link Facebook.com/HeroesInLife.
Individuals and organizations are encouraged to post videos and photos to their social media using the official hash tag for the event of #HeroesInLife.
Jason Tomlinson has been named the President of the Ontario Police Memorial Foundation. The following is a letter from Jason. January 13, 2021
This past December I had the honour of accepting the role of President of the Ontario Police Memorial Foundation. I joined the ranks of several Toronto Police Association executives to hold the office of president. Tim Zayack, Mike Abbott and Rondi Craig held the position with distinction and it is my sincere hope that I am able to fulfill my role with as much grace and character as my predecessors.
I must recognize the outgoing president from the Ontario Provincial Police Association, President Mike Adair. Mike has been involved as a Director and President committing his time and efforts to successful memorials over his career and was instrumental in honouring our fallen during our 20th Ceremony of Remembrance. Mike remains with our board as the Vice-President to assist us with the transition.
Joining the Executive Board as a Director is Colin Woods from Thunder Bay Police Association. Colin will be replacing Larry Wood as the Police Association of Ontario delegate.
Larry Wood, most recent Vice-President of the OPMF has been honoured as a “Life Member” after years of commitment to the Foundation. Larry’s care and attention has helped ease the hardship of loss for many families who, year after year, continue to re-live the pain of losing a loved one. Thank you, Larry. We look forward to your continued involvement with the board.
The current OPMF Board is represented by:
Jason Tomlinson President, Toronto Police Association (TPA)
Mike Adair Vice-President, Ontario Provincial Police Association (OPPA)
Bryan Larkin Director, Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP)
Graham Beverly Director, York Regional Police (OSOPA)
Colin Woods Director, Police Association of Ontario (PAO)
Thank you,
Jason Tomlinson
President
Ontario Police Memorial Foundation
May 3, 2020 (Click here for official news release)
Each year in May we gather at the Memorial Wall of Honour at Queen’s Park for the Ceremony of Remembrance to honour not only our fallen officers, but also to recognize their family members. It is never lost on us, the incredible life changing sacrifice that they, the survivors, endure every day. It is imperative to keep the memories of their loved ones alive and to ensure that every fallen officer from our Ontario policing family, is never forgotten.
This year we find ourselves in unprecedented times with the onset of the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic. These times highlight the dangers that our job entails. With this pandemic come new risks to our front line police creating new challenges in an already dangerous job. The pandemic safety directives have required that we cancel our public Ceremony of Remembrance event, however, let us not forget.
To date, the names of 267 Police Officers have been enshrined on the Ontario Police Memorial Wall of Honour. The memorial was inaugurated in the year 2000 to honour fallen police officers and stand as a tribute to the bravery and loyalty of those who serve in Ontario’s policing community and to silently honour those officers who sacrificed their lives in their desire to make a difference in the pursuit of justice.
Today and everyday throughout the year we remember and honour those brave men and women who have died in the line of duty. We stand together to express our respect, our gratitude and our utmost appreciation to the families of those officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice. You will never be forgotten. Our “HEROES in Life, Not Death.”
Please join me wherever this message finds you at 11am May 3rd, by taking a moment of silence to reflect and remember all of our brothers and sisters from police services close to home and across Canada, who dedicate their lives to serve and protect their communities and to honour those officers who have died in the line of duty. We are so gravely reminded of this with what has just taken place in Nova Scotia and our fallen sister, RCMP Officer Heidi Stevenson, mother, daughter, hero. We stand together to express our respect, our gratitude and our utmost appreciation to her family and the families of all of the officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
To learn about how to participate in or view our virtual Amazing Grace social media campaign and watch the pipers live or anytime later please visit our website link CeremonyOfRemembrance.ca/AmazingGrace
Editor’s Note:
A number of videos were filmed leading up to the 2020 Ontario Police Memorial Foundation Ceremony of Remembrance, originally to encourage the maximum attendance at the event. After the cancellation due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic, these videos are now being released on the day of the scheduled 2020 Ceremony of Remembrance for all to watch on our virtual Ceremony of Remembrance. We hope to film more videos in the future. If you are a surviving loved one of an officer who died in the line of duty or a member of a police service who wish to film a video please contact us.
