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Ontario Police Memorial Ceremony of Remembrance 2017

On Sunday, May 7, 2017 11am, families, friends and the policing community will gather at Queen’s Park, Toronto, Ontario Canada, to pay tribute to 264 police officers who have fallen in the line of duty. For updates on ceremony itinerary click here. For directions click here. All are welcome.

Screen Shot 2017 05 02 at 12.05.36 PM Ontario Police Memorial Ceremony of Remembrance 2017

Ontario Police Memorial Ceremony of Remembrance May 7, 2017 11am Queen’s Park, Toronto

 

Four historical additions to the Memorial Wall will be honoured at the 2017 Ontario Police Memorial Ceremony of Remembrance

High County Constable Alfred Fabien Hippolyte Campeau of Essex County. Date of death: 12 December 1912

 

alfred campeau essex county Ontario Police Memorial Ceremony of Remembrance 2017

Badge of High County Constable Alfred Fabien Hippolyte Campeau of Essex County. Date of death: 12 December 1912

alfred campeau 177x300 Ontario Police Memorial Ceremony of Remembrance 2017

High County Constable Alfred Fabien Hippolyte Campeau of Essex County. Date of death: 12 December 1912

On December 12, 1912, High Constable Campeau had been working in the

Ruscom area. He arrived at the train station to catch the Windsor bound express,

arriving just as it was leaving the station. He ran for the moving train and jumped

to board it but slipped and fell under the wheels severely injuring his left leg. He

was placed on the train and taken into Windsor to Hotel Dieu Hospital. Surgery

took place but he passed away shortly after.

His policing experience covered 28 years. Alfred Campeau started his policing

career with the Windsor Police on September 15, 1884. In 1889, he was appointed

as a Provincial Officer by the Province of Ontario. In 1896, he was appointed

Chief of Police in the Detroit River area. In 1909, he was one of the first officers

appointed to the newly formed Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). In 1910, officers

with the OPP were issued uniforms however Constable Campeau refused to wear

the uniform and was released from the Force. He was then named the High County

Constable for Essex County.

Alfred was 56 years of age, married with 4 children at the time of his death.

 

Constable Daniel Craig of Chesterville. Date of death: 29 June 1932

daniel craig Ontario Police Memorial Ceremony of Remembrance 2017

Constable Daniel Craig
Chesterville Police
29 June 1932

 

During the evening of June 29, 1932, a drunken youth had been causing a

disturbance within the village of Chesterville. The young man was yelling and

cursing at a woman who was sitting on her front porch. Her husband took hold of

the trouble maker and escorted him across town to the Town Hall to be dealt with

by Constable Daniel Craig. Before the youth could be turned over to Constable

Craig, he broke free and escaped with the gentleman and now others in pursuit.

Some blocks away he was captured again and brought back to the Town Hall

where the jail was located. Constable Craig took over the arrest and wrestled the

young man through the building and into the cell, where he was locked up.

Constable Craig then went to leave the building but suddenly collapsed in the door

way. Two local doctors were quickly summonsed and attended to Constable Craig

but unfortunately he had died of a heart attack within minutes.

Daniel was 59 years of age, married and had been the Town Constable for 4 years

at the time of his death.

 

Constable John Ferguson of Exeter OPP. Date of death 20 October 1949

ferguson opp patch Ontario Police Memorial Ceremony of Remembrance 2017

Constable John Ferguson Exeter OPP
20 October 1949

On October 20, 1949, Constable John Ferguson and his partner travelled to Grand

Bend at the request of the Grand Bend Police to assist with arresting a suspected

mental health patient. It was reported that the suspect was wandering around the

village carrying a pipe wrench. During the arrest there was a violent struggle with

the suspect, but he was subdued, arrested and placed into the back seat of the

cruiser. Constable Ferguson got in beside the suspect. His partner and a Grand

Bend officer sat in the front seats. Before the cruiser could leave that location,

Constable Ferguson suffered a heart attack and died moments later in the cruiser.

John Ferguson was 55 years of age and had been policing for 27 years. He began

as a County Constable in Huron County, then joined the Ontario Provincial Police

on June 1, 1947. He was married and had a son at the time of his death.

 

County Constable Mont Alexander Wood of Lennox And Addington. Date of death: 1 December 1951

mont wood badge Ontario Police Memorial Ceremony of Remembrance 2017

County Cst. Mont Alexander Wood
Lennox And Addington Police
1 December 1951

mont wood photo Ontario Police Memorial Ceremony of Remembrance 2017

County Cst. Mont Alexander Wood
Lennox And Addington Police
1 December 1951

In the early morning hours of December 1, 1951, Constable Mont Wood had

stopped to assist a stranded trucker north of the village of Northbrook on Highway

41. While waiting for a tow truck to arrive, he saw headlights approaching through

the heavy fog. Constable Wood stepped out from behind his car with the intention

to close the vehicles door, when he was struck by the approaching car. Constable

Wood was hurled some 20 feet through the air and landed on the ground seriously

injured.

Constable Gordon Stout of the Northbrook Ontario Provincial Police detachment

arrived carried the gravely injured officer into his cruiser and rushed him to the

Belleville hospital. His injuries proved fatal and he died shortly after arriving.

Mont Wood was 59 years of age, a veteran of World War I and was married with 5

children at the time of his death. He had been the County Constable in Lennox and

Addington for 29 years.

We hope you will join us in support.  Please be sure to check back regularly for updated information.  For further information on the Memorial or to purchase pins, please visit OPMF or Memorial Pins.

Ceremony of Remembrance 2016

On Sunday, May 1, 2016, families, friends and the policing community will gather at Queen’s Park to pay tribute to 260 police officers who have fallen in the line of duty. This year, the we will honour three historical officers:  County Constable John Morrison (Russell County), County Constable William Lorenzo Pickard (Kent County) and County Constable Samuel James Vanstone (Ontario County).

We hope you will join us in support.  Please be sure to check back regularly for updated information.  For further information on the Memorial or to purchase pins, please visit OPMF or Memorial Pins.

 

2016 memorial poster Ceremony of Remembrance 2016

16th Annual 2015 Ontario Police Memorial Foundation Ceremony of Remembrance #HeroesInLife #HerosEnVie

On Sunday, May 3, 2015, families, friends and the policing community with gather at Queen’s Park to pay tribute to 257 police officers who have fallen in the line of duty.

We hope you will join us in support.  Please be sure to check back regularly for updated information.  For further information on the Memorial or to purchase pins, please visit OPMF or Memorial Pins.

 

 

final poster 16th Annual 2015 Ontario Police Memorial Foundation Ceremony of Remembrance #HeroesInLife #HerosEnVie

 

 

ONTARIO POLICE MEMORIAL FOUNDATION’S
CEREMONY of REMEMBRANCE

On Sunday May 3rd 2015, the 16th annual Ceremony of Remembrance for Ontario’s fallen Police Officers will take place.
All 257 names will be read aloud beginning at 10am, by two officers representing the latest graduating class of Ontario’s finest, from the Ontario Police College. Music from the Waterloo Regional Brass Band, and songs from members of the Ontario Police Choruses, will be performed prior to the arrival of the Procession of Honour.
Police Pipe Bands will lead the officers from across Ontario and the United States of America in their march along Queen’s Park Crescent arriving at the steps of the Legislature before 11am for the official start of the annual Ceremony of Remembrance.

Attending the Ceremony will be the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario; the Honourable Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario; Mr. Ted Arnott, MPP and First Deputy Chair of the Committee of the Whole, representing the Honourable Dave Levac; the Honourable Yasir Naqvi, the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services of Ontario; and the families and friends of the fallen officers.

The Ontario Police Memorial Foundation (OPMF), host of the annual Memorial Service, continues with its research, to fulfill its goal of ensuring that every fallen officer from Ontario will not be forgotten.

The architectural illumination of the CN Tower will be done in blue light on May 3rd to honour police officers in the Province of Ontario who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

The Ontario Police Memorial Foundation will be streaming live on Facebook and Twitter throughout the Ceremony.

Contact Persons: Mike Abbott, President, OPMF at 416-659-1469 or Constable Jeniffer Sidhu, Toronto Police Service, Public Information, at 416−808−7094.

Fact Sheet – Ontario Police Memorial

The Memorial is located in a small park adjacent to the Ontario Legislature, at the corner of Grosvenor Street and Queen’s Park Crescent.
The Memorial was built from a grant provided by the Ontario Government. Official dedication Service May 7th, 2000.
The Memorial consists of two bronze statues, (approximate 2.5 m), depicting a male officer in duty dress circa 1950-1990 and a female officer in modern duty dress. The statues are mounted atop a large granite pedestal base (weighing 30,000 lbs). At the feet of the statues are eight (8) cascading granite walls. The four – (4) walls on either side of the main pedestal form a horseshoe shape. The names of all known fallen officers are inscribed on these walls, the “Wall of Honour”.
Toronto based artist; Mr. Siggy Puchta is the sculptor of the bronze statues. He has many awards and accomplishments. (1986 he designed the trophy depicting the Calgary Saddledome for the Calgary Cup Games (pre-Olympic games). In 1991, he was commissioned to create seven large Canada Geese for the Blue Water Bridge Authority in Sarnia, Ontario. In 1994, he designed the Marilyn Bell award sculpture).

The criteria to add a police officer’s name on the “Wall of Honour”:
The deceased member must have been a sworn member of a police service.
The Death must have occurred as a result of a traumatic event influenced by an external agent.
The deceased member must have been on duty at the time of death, or if off duty, acting in the capacity of a police officer, or the circumstances leading to the death must have been brought about because of the deceased’s official status.
The deceased must have acted in good faith in doing everything that could reasonably have been expected.
Notwithstanding all of the above, the Committee may consider any set of circumstances which lead to a death of a member of a police service.

257 Officers from Ontario Police Services are named on the Wall of Honour.
65 Ontario Police Services are named on the Wall of Honour.
The Ontario Provincial Police have 86 officers named on the Wall of Honour.
The Toronto Police have 41 officers named on the Wall of Honour.

The Ontario Police Memorial Pin

This pewter pin replicates the Memorial’s Wall of Honour, which contains the names of all fallen officers who have died in the service of the people of Ontario.

The pin depicts a trillium placed within a badge. The badge is the symbol, which represents the authority of all police officers, and the trillium is the official flower of Ontario. Combined together, they represent the Police Officers of Ontario.

The words, “HEROES IN LIFE NOT DEATH” are on the Memorial’s main pedestal and on the Memorial Pin.

On August 12th, 1998, Waterloo Regional Police Constable David Nicholson lost his life while trying to recover the body of a child who drowned in the Grand River at the Parkhill Dam in Cambridge, Ontario.

In expressing their appreciation and gratitude to family and friends, Mrs. Wendy Nicholson and sons Mitch, Reid and Josh stated in part, “….Dave’s death has been painful and devastating. He was our hero in life, not death. Our memories of him are rich and immeasurable, filling our hearts with both deep joy and profound pain…”

Wendy Nicholson’s words are the inspiration for this inscription.

The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police and the Commissioner of the OPP have endorsed the wearing of this pin on an officer’s uniform. Police Officers, both active and retired, are asked and encouraged to wear the pin as a sign of support and respect for the families and our fallen comrades.

In Memoriam

Cst. John Acton
Toronto Police
27 March 1908

 

 

 

cst john robert acton 211x300 16th Annual 2015 Ontario Police Memorial Foundation Ceremony of Remembrance #HeroesInLife #HerosEnVie

Constable John Acton joined the Toronto Police in 1904 working as a patrolman. In June 1907, while making an arrest, Constable Acton was jumped and was badly beaten by a gang of thugs in the laneway behind the Majestic Hotel (Queen St. and Ryerson Ave.) in Toronto. As a result of his injuries, he went off work and was under Doctor’s care for months. He returned back to work for a short time, but was not well enough and was forced off work again. He was hospitalized for six weeks prior to his passing. The cause of his death was listed as complications of pneumonia, which was very common with injuries to the rib area and the inability to breathe deeply.

He was single at the time of his death.

 

Cpl. Matthew David James Dinning
2 Military Police Regiment, CFB Petawawa
22 April 2006

 

cpl matthew david james dinning 2 300x294 16th Annual 2015 Ontario Police Memorial Foundation Ceremony of Remembrance #HeroesInLife #HerosEnVie

In May of 2003, Matthew Dinning joined the Canadian Forces and completed his basic training in April 2004 as a Corporal and was assigned to the Military Police. Matthew was first posted to CFB Petawawa in 2004 where he was as a Patrolman. Matthew, from near his first day, requested an overseas tour, his primary motivation for joining the Canadian Forces. In 2005, Matthew was posted to 2 MP Platoon and trained for tactical MP employment and Close Protection Security.

In January 2006, Matthew was deployed to Afghanistan as part of the Multinational Brigade Regional Command South – assigned to the security detail to protect Brigadier General David Fraser. On April 22nd 2006, Matthew was in a G-Wagon with 3 other members when they struck an IED on the roadway. Matthew and the three other members all lost their lives.

Matthew was single at the time of his death.

 

Cst. Joseph Prevett
Thunder Bay Police
7 May 2014

 

joe prevett thunder 3 300x237 16th Annual 2015 Ontario Police Memorial Foundation Ceremony of Remembrance #HeroesInLife #HerosEnVie

 

Joseph Prevett served in law enforcement for 16 years. He began his career with Peel Regional Police in 1998 then joined Thunder Bay in 2003.

Constable Joseph Prevett was the K-9 handler with the Thunder Bay Police. On May 7th 2014, while participating in a joint training exercise at the Ontario Provincial Police K-9 training centre in Gravenhurst Ontario, Joseph suffered a massive heart attack. He and his K-9 partner, Timber, were navigating a course when Joseph suddenly collapsed. He was transported to the local hospital where he passed away.

He is survived by his wife and family. He was 50 years of age.

Media Advisory: #HeroesInLife Ontario Police Memorial Ceremony of Remembrance May 4, 2014 11am Queen’s Park Cr E at Grosvenor St, Toronto Canada

opmf memorial 2014 Media Advisory: #HeroesInLife Ontario Police Memorial Ceremony of Remembrance May 4, 2014 11am Queens Park Cr E at Grosvenor St, Toronto Canada

15th Ontario Police Memorial Foundation Ceremony of Remembrance is Sunday May 4, 2014 11am at Grosvenor St & Queen’s Park Circle, Toronto, Ontario Canada, the site of the Ontario Police Memorial Foundation Memorial Wall

 

ONTARIO POLICE MEMORIAL FOUNDATION CEREMONY OF REMEMBRANCE

For Toronto public transit & traffic updates for Sunday May 4, 2014 follow the Toronto Police Service Duty Desk SMEM Toronto Official twitter List as well as the Toronto Police Duty Desk Toronto Media Twitter List

Click here to watch on Youtube Live or anytime later

Media advisory,
Sunday, May 4, 2014, 11 a.m.,
Corner of Grosvenor Street/Queen’s Park Crescent, Toronto, Ontario Canada
Broadcast time: 16:00
Friday, May 2, 2014
Toronto Police Corporate Communications
416-808-7100On Sunday, May 4, 2014, the 15th annual Ceremony of Remembrance for Ontario’s fallen police officers will take place.Beginning at 10 a.m., all 254 names will be read aloud by two officers representing the latest graduating class from the Ontario Police College.

Music from the Waterloo Regional Brass Band and songs from members of the Ontario Police Choruses will be performed prior to the arrival of the Procession of Honour.

Police pipe bands will lead officers from across Ontario and the United States in their march around Queen’s Park, arriving at the Memorial shortly before 11 a.m., for the official start of the Ceremony of Remembrance.

Attending the Ceremony will be the Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario; the Honourable Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario; the Honourable Yasir Naqvi, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services; and the families of the fallen officers.

One name will be added this year to the Wall of Honour:

Toronto Police Service Constable John Zivcic – 2013 . Read Toronto Police Website story titled “John Was A Guy With A Big Heart”

Constable John Zivcic, while responding to a call for a possible impaired driver, was involved in a motor vehicle collision. Constable Zivcic died two days later from his injuries. His organs were donated to help those in need.

The Ontario Police Memorial Foundation (OPMF), host of the annual Memorial Service, continues with its research and to fulfill its goal of ensuring that every fallen officer from Ontario will not be forgotten.

The architectural illumination of the CN Tower will be done in blue light on the night of May 3, to honour police officers in the province of Ontario who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

The Ontario Police Memorial reading of the names, ceremony and March Past will be live-streamed by a community and police team on YouTube. All the links will be posted on the official Ontario Police Memorial Foundation blog.

Please engage and share our Celebration of Remembrance with the official social media

platforms of the Ontario Police Memorial Foundation.

Official Hash Tags: #HeroesInLife (English) #HerosEnVie (French)

TWITTER: @HeroesInLife 

FACEBOOK: Ontario Police Memorial Foundation Official Facebook 

YOUTUBE: Ontario Police Memorial Foundation Official Youtube 

INSTAGRAM: @HeroesInLife 

Procession of Honour route:

At 10:15 a.m., the Procession of Honour will start along the following route:

– Formation: Queen’s Park Crescent, all lanes

– Southbound Queen’s Park Crescent West, southbound lanes

– Northbound Queen’s Park Crescent East, northbound lanes

– Dispersal Queen’s Park Crescent, northbound lanes

Road closures:

– Associated route – Traffic Control 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

– Hoskin Avenue, from St. George Street to Queen’s Park Crescent

– Queen’s Park Circle, from Bloor Street West to College Street

– Wellesley Street West, from Queen’s Park Crescent West to Bay Street

Constable Victor Kwong, Toronto Police Corporate Communications

 — at Queen’s Park Circle.

 

%name Media Advisory: #HeroesInLife Ontario Police Memorial Ceremony of Remembrance May 4, 2014 11am Queens Park Cr E at Grosvenor St, Toronto Canada

Watch the 2014 Ontario Police Memorial Foundation on Youtube Live or anytime later. Click on CeremonyOfRemembrance.com “Watch Youtube Live”

 

Thanks to Rogers Television who will provide a coverage of the 2014 Ontario Police Memorial Foundation that can be watch in areas serviced by Rogers Cable. For broadcast locations and schedule to watch click here. Special thank you to Rogers for making DVD’s for the families of fallen officers of this important event.

 

 

 

 

15TH YEAR OF THE CEREMONY OF REMEMBRANCE!

On Sunday, May 4, 2014, families, friends and the policing community with gather at Queen’s Park to pay tribute to 254 police officers who have fallen in the line of duty.

We hope you will join us in support.  Please be sure to check back regularly for updated information.  For further information on the Memorial or to purchase pins, please visit OPMF or Memorial Pins.

 

%name 15TH YEAR OF THE CEREMONY OF REMEMBRANCE!

Watch the 2014 Ontario Police Memorial Foundation on Youtube Live or anytime later. Click on CeremonyOfRemembrance.com “Watch Youtube Live”