Over 300 law enforcement professionals descended on Chris Garrett Memorial Park in Cobourg Thursday night to commemorate the annual “Run to Remember.”
The National Peace Officers’ Memorial Run is a 460-kilometre relay held annually to honour police and peace officers who have died in the line of duty. Established in 2005, the Run to Remember travels from the Ontario Police Memorial in Toronto through communities along the route before finishing at the National Memorial on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Organizer Inspector Tonya Richel of the Peel Regional Police points out that although there were hundreds in attendance, the families of those lost in the line of duty are not forgotten. They come from far and wide across the province and the country.
In attendance were Cobourg Police Chief Chris Leather, Cobourg Mayor Lucas Cleveland and a handful of other dignitaries, who stood side by side with the sea of blue that had just finished their run from the Best Western Hotel to the park. Top of mind for many in attendance was the recent shooting in Belleville that put Constable Sean Ward in hospital. Chief Leather says it serves as a reminder of how many officers have suffered harm in the line of duty.
Nancy MacDonald is the president of Survivors of Law Enforcement, or SOLE. She is the widow of the late Constable Joe MacDonald, who lost his life in the line of duty in Sudbury in 1993. MacDonald says the annual run is a bittersweet occasion, where she gets a chance to connect with other SOLE members and stand shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of Ontario’s finest men and women in law enforcement.
SOLE President Nancy MacDonald
The runners left Cobourg Friday morning as they continued their journey toward the National Memorial on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The annual Memorial Service takes place Sunday, September 27, at 11 a.m.
(Written by: Richard Evans)
