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This year's ceremony will be a virtual ceremony live-streamed from Parliament Hill on Sunday, September 27.
Ottawa (25 Sept. 2020) — Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Memorial Committee of the Canadian Police and Peace Officers’ Memorial Service has announced that this year there will be a virtual ceremony live-streamed from Parliament Hill on Sunday, September 27.
Service at Summer Pavilion overlooking Ottawa River by invitation only
This year’s ceremony will be conducted in a very similar fashion to past years' events. The morning will start with a solemn reading of the names of fallen officers and will include the same familiar elements of previous services.
While the lawns and public spaces of Parliament Hill will be open to the public, all buildings will remain closed. The service itself will take place in the Summer Pavilion adjacent to tables overlooking the bluff onto the Ottawa River. The area is quite small and will only accommodate the small number of people who are essential to run the service. Due to construction, the area is only accessible by 2 small paths on the east and west side of Parliament Hill. Those pathways will be closed by Parliamentary Protective Services, with admission to the area by invitation and confirmed with valid identification.
The area will be closed from approximately 8 am until the conclusion of the service. The ongoing construction footprint provides a significant physical and visual barrier such that anyone wishing to attend the Hill on their own will unfortunately not be able to see or hear the service.
Organizers are investigating the possibility of installing a sound system at strategic points around the Hill for anyone who happens to be in the public spaces to hear, however, that capability is yet to be confirmed.
2 officers to be honoured this year
Organizers have consulted with the families of the 2 officers who were to be honoured this year, Constable Allan Poapst, and Constable Heidi Stevenson. They have indicated their preference to avoid travel to Ottawa this year, and will instead participate in 2021, when organizers hope to be back to normal operations. However both officers will be acknowledged during the service this year.
Link to the Livestream
You can watch 2020 Canadian Police and Peace Officers’ Memorial Service at 11 am Sunday, September 27, 2020 on this page.