AUPE peace officers to attend memorial ceremonies Sunday
EDMONTON – Representatives of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees’ more than 1,500 peace officers will attend Peace Officers Memorial ceremonies in Ottawa and Edmonton Sunday to honour their colleagues who have fallen in the line of duty.
Six AUPE members who are peace officers will attend the national ceremony in Ottawa, said AUPE Local 003 Chair Cec Cardinal, who is a Correctional Peace Officer in Calgary.
Travelling to Ottawa with Cardinal for the memorial will be Peace River Correctional Peace Officer Dianne Gunning, Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Peace Officer Greg Currie, Stony Plain Transport Officer John Hicks, Edmonton Alberta Sheriff Kurt Shultz and Calgary Alberta Sheriff Sharon Dunlap.
More than 100 AUPE peace officers are expected to attend Sunday’s parade in Edmonton.
“It’s important for AUPE to have members who are peace officers at these ceremonies to mark the contribution and the sacrifices made by these working people who put their lives on the line to keep society safe,” Cardinal said.
The Edmonton ceremony, organized by Alberta police officers, will take place Sunday at 1 p.m. on the South Lawn of the Legislature, where the Peace Officers Memorial is located.
Before the ceremony, the Massed Pipes and Drums of Alberta will lead a parade of officers from the bus terminal on 107th Street south along 107th to the ceremony site.
In 1998, the last Sunday of September was officially proclaimed Police and Peace Officers National Memorial Day to commemorate the sacrifices of those who have given their lives in the line of duty.
AUPE Locals 003 and 005 represent the bulk of the peace officers who are members of the union.
AUPE represents peace officers who serve in a several important capacities – including Sheriffs, Forest Officers, Probation Officers, Correctional Peace Officers, Community Corrections Officers, Conservation Officers, Fish and Wildlife Officers, Parks Officers and Transport Officers.
The names of two Alberta Provincial Police Officers who died on duty in the 1920s will be added to the Edmonton Peace Officers Memorial Sunday.