Running and Riding in Memory of Officers

Toronto Police Service members began the National Peace Officers’ Memorial Run and Ride to Remember to Ottawa on September 24, carrying the memory of one of their own.

Constable Marc Pinizzotto of the Emergency Task Force (ETF) died in the line of duty this year. The day the runners gathered at Queen’s Park would have been his 44th birthday.

“Marc’s contributions to the Service, to this city and to the community he served were immense and truly impossible to fully measure,” Chief Myron Demkiw said. “Marc is dearly missed.”

The Chief said the loss of Pinizzotto, along with deaths in other policing and corrections organizations, had shaken members across Canada.

“Each year, more people join this run, helping raise awareness in honour of our fallen officers and providing vital support for the families they leave behind,” he said. “To the family and loved ones of officers we have lost, we are forever here for you. We will continue to honour their legacy, and they will always be remembered as heroes in life.”

Demkiw said the run also symbolizes the risks officers accept in protecting the public.

“Every day, every single day, police officers run towards danger when others are running away,” he added. “To all the frontline police officers and law enforcement professionals here today, we know your jobs are not easy. We know the sacrifices you make, and we are grateful for what you do each and every day.”

Approximately 300 law enforcement professionals from 30 agencies are participating in this year’s run. They will cover about 460 kilometres over three days in alternating legs, travelling from Toronto to Ottawa ahead of the Canadian Police and Peace Officers’ Memorial Service on Parliament Hill on September 27.

Seven fallen members are being honoured this year, including Pinizzotto.

Premier Doug Ford thanked the runners and the families of fallen officers.

“To those taking part, your commitment and determination are a testament not only to yourselves, but to all the fellow officers who gave their lives in the line of duty,” he said.

Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner described the gathering as a promise that does not fade with time.

“Five minutes, five days, five months, five years, 50 years — it does not matter,” he said. “We will not forget them.”

Kerzner called the memorial gathering ‘sacred ground’ and urged those present to remember the lives behind the names.

“Their names etched into this wall are a testament that they lived,” he said. “They walked and they breathed, devoted to their profession and their families.”

Peel Regional Police Inspector Tonya Richel, co-chair of the National Peace Officers’ Memorial Run, said the event has donated more than $695,000 to causes that honour fallen members and support their loved ones.

“Year after year, you join us and bring with your extraordinary strength, resilience, hope and love,” she said. “Please know that this run is and always will be for you.”

Retired Toronto Police Inspector Don Theriault, speaking on behalf of the Ride to Remember, said cyclists are making their own journey to Ottawa, covering more than 1,000 kilometres.

“This journey is not only measured in kilometres,” he said. “It is measured in names remembered, families supported and a promise kept.”

He offered the runners encouragement for the difficult days ahead.

“Run for the person beside you, for the families waiting in Ottawa and for those who can no longer run with us,” he added. “Run safely, watch over one another, carry their courage, carry their memory and carry each other all the way to Parliament Hill… We carry Constable Pinizzotto’s memory close to our hearts as we cover every kilometre towards Ottawa.”

Lynn Neale, vice-president of the Ontario Police Memorial Foundation, urged participants to keep sharing the stories of officers they have lost.

“We need to remember how they lived, not how they died,” she said. “They live on when we speak their names and we tell their stories.”

The run’s co-chairs presented the foundation with a $5,000 cheque at the gathering.

Nancy MacDonald, president of Survivors of Law Enforcement Canada, said the presence of runners, riders and supporters helps families carry their grief.

“We are standing shoulder to shoulder with those families in solidarity,” she said. “We know that the grief and the journey is a long one and it is difficult.”

For Detective Stephen Laramy of 22 Division, the annual journey is personal. He has participated in the run for about 15 years and recalled the loss John Zivcic who had worked on his shift.

“You don’t realize how much it affects you when somebody on your own platoon passes,” he said. “When John passed, it hit home not only to myself, but everybody on the shift that worked with me.”

Laramy helps distribute memorial armbands to runners.

“Having to obtain more as officers have died in recent years has been difficult,” he said. “Every time I have to do that, it just hits hard.”

Police Association of Ontario president Mark Baxter said the run is a chance to learn about fallen colleagues and strengthen the bonds among those who serve.

“Each stride that you take is a tribute to our fallen colleagues, carrying their memory and ensuring that their legacy continues beyond reaching Ottawa,” he told the runners. “This experience is about forging bonds, sharing stories, learning more about the officers that we have lost, supporting one another and uniting our community in a shared commitment to never forget those who have sacrificed so much.”

Baxter also addressed the survivors directly.

“Our commitment to you and to your loved ones never ends,” he added. “We are here to honour the loss of your loved one. We are here to support you and to ensure that their memory always lives on.”