Remembering Alberta’s fallen officers ahead of provincial memorial on Sunday

The annual Alberta Police and Peace Officers’ Memorial Day takes place on Sunday, September 24 in Edmonton.

Dale McFee, Chief of Police with Edmonton Police Service, tells City News that Sunday’s annual Alberta Police and Peace Officers’ Memorial Day taking place at the Alberta Legislature will hit closer to home than in previous years.

On March 16, 2023 Cst. Brett Ryan and Travis Jordan were fatally shot and injured responding to a domestic call in Edmonton, marking the ninth and tenth police deaths in the city’s history.

“It goes without saying March 16 this year we lost a couple of our own obviously in Cst. Travis Jordan and Cst. Brett Ryan. The RCMP also obviously lost one of theirs in Cst. Dhami. Three funerals in a very short period of time close together obviously brings this home.” Said McFee.

RCMP Cst. Harvinder Singh Dhami, who served in Strathcona County, died on April 10, 2023 while responding to a request for support from a fellow officer. Cst. Dhami was killed in a single vehicle incident.

McFee says this year’s provincial memorial will be tough for him personally, as well as the families and everyone in the community impacted by the recent fatalities. He says it’s important to ensure the legacy of those lost is honoured and their memories not forgotten.

McFee says policing has been difficult the last few years, but thanks the community for their support following the March shooting.

EPS Cst. Brett Ryan’s name on the Pillar of Strength monument at the Alberta Legislature. (Photo Credit: Adrienne South, CityNews)

“Events like this actually bring us closer together and [we] value each other more, and certainly the biggest turnaround for us with this event was seeing how the community really responded to us and the outpouring of compassion and empathy and care in times that we had lost there for a while.” McFee said. “I don’t want to underestimate how important it was to us to see the community come by and support us like they did and it makes me proud to be an Edmontonian.”

On the south grounds of the Alberta Legislature, the names of the recently fallen were already added to Alberta’s ‘Pillar of Strength’ monument, which recognizes and honours Alberta police officers and peace officers who paid the ultimate sacrifice, costing them their lives while serving their communities.

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Dan Jones, Chair of Justice Studies at Norquest College, who also spent 25 years working for the Edmonton Police Service says it’s been a tough year for policing.

He says having to add three new names to the Alberta monument is difficult. Jones tells City News the increase in violence is worrisome across the country.

“It just felt like a police officer somewhere in Canada was dying either in a car accident, or an ambush attack or any of these things that we’ve seen in Edmonton, and it seems these ambush attacks are becoming more frequent in Canada and across North America,” Jones said.

McFee says the violence he’s seeing right now is “unprecedented” and says this is “truly a sign that change needs to come.”

EPS Cst. Travis Jordan’s name on the Pillar of Strength monument at the Alberta Legislature.(Photo Credit: Adrienne South, CityNews)

These things shouldn’t happen,” McFee told City News on Thursday. “These things shouldn’t be happening in our communities and a lot of the other random violence where citizens are losing their family members, etc. as well so it all ties into that. That random violence, the violence and certainly the addictions and sometimes the mental health are all things we need to double-down on and some accountability measures for sure.”

McFee says there needs to be more accountability in the justice system — including bail reform and better support for addictions and overdose prevention.

“I think you’ve heard me say it long enough now, there definitely needs to be bail reform,” McFee said. “We’re getting people out on triple firearms prohibitions. I’m not sure why we thought the second and third one would work when the first one didn’t. And we have violent offenders, so when we’re talking about violence, there needs to be more accountability in the justice system.”

Referring to the federal government’s “Proposed changes to strengthen Canada’s bail system” bill C-48, McFee says he hopes to see changes made quickly.

“I know that C-48 has had third reading, hopefully that’s expedited. I haven’t seen the particular bill yet, but I can tell you it hopefully can’t be worse than what we have right now because it’s just a revolving door right now I think in relation to the addictions.” Said McFee.

Referring to the officers who lost their lives this year, McFee says he is optimistic change is coming, and hopes to see it sooner, to avoid future tragedies.

“It’s incumbent on us to ensure that those legacies are not forgotten, that we need to drive for those changes that we need to ensure that this doesn’t happen again,” McFee said.

In addition to being honoured in Alberta, Cst. Travis Jordan, Cst. Brett Ryan, and Cst. Dhami will also be honoured in Ottawa this weekend at the Canadian Police and Peace Officer’s Memorial.