'We need to remember them': New memorial wall unveiled at day of remembrance for fallen officers
A new memorial was unveiled Sunday at the Alberta Legislature, as families and colleagues gathered to pay homage to Albertans who lost their lives in the line of duty.
Since 1876, 101 police and peace officers were killed in the line of duty.
A monument honouring them, the Pillar of Strength, was unveiled on the legislature's south lawn in 2006. Sunday, for the 24th annual Alberta's Police and Peace Officers' Memorial Day, a new memorial was revealed outside of the Minister of Justice and Solicitor General's office.
Inspired by the Pillar of Strength, and designed by Calgary Sgt. Jason Hiscock, the new memorial wall bears the names of the 101 fallen officers.
The annual reading of the names is a moment Chris Young, Alberta Federation of Police Associations president, said is always emotional for him. It's a time to pay tribute to the officers and the people who love them.
"It's important to realize the sacrifice made, not only by our members or our officers, but by their families. It's a calling to be a police officer, and it's a profession that the whole family sacrifices for," Young said.
His friend and colleague, Sgt. Andrew Harnett, was killed in 2020. Freedom isn't always free, said Young, and it's important to remember that public safety comes at a cost.
"It's a horrible tragic thing when someone loses their life for others, protecting them, protecting our society, and we need to remember them," he said. "We need to."
Leslie Lukawy was one of the visitors Sunday to lay a wreath at Sunday's ceremony. Her sister, Cst. Christine Diotte, was killed in 2002 in Banff.
"She loved her job, she loved helping people," Lukawy said.
She comes almost every year, she said, and added that it's almost like a family. She sees many of the same faces year after year, and people know what each other are going through.
"You're never the same," she said.
The memorial happens across the country on the last sunday of September.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jessica Robb
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.