'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
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.