Alex Salloum, Regina Leader-Post
Ground has been broken on a memorial commemorating Saskatchewan’s protective services personnel who have died on the job.
“The monument will provide a meaningful gathering place for families, friends, colleagues and the public to honour and remember lives lost, as well as organizations to hold their own ceremonies,” said Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Tim McLeod in a news release Monday.
“The Government of Saskatchewan is proud to support this monument and the sacrifices it represents.”
The memorial will be constructed on Memorial Way southwest of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building in Regina’s Wascana Park. A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site Monday morning.
It is expected to be completed in the fall of 2026 and will have approximately 80 names engraved on it, with room for more to be added. The people honoured will span back to the 1900s and include those in the fire services, police services, emergency medical services, federal and provincial corrections, victims services, mobile crisis services, Canadian Armed Forces and others.
Positive first step’
Opposition critic for corrections, policing and public safety Nicole Sarauer commended the ground breaking.
“This is a positive first step in recognizing those who put their lives on the line for our safety every day,” she said in a news release.
In the release, she repeated calls made by the NDP and others for the government to also create a memorial medal for those that die in the line of duty.
“A medal is personal. It’s something a family can hold, display, and pass down — that kind of recognition matters,” said Sarauer. “It’s something that would be given to the family of any first responder who loses their life in the line of duty, including those who lose their lives due to PTSD.”
Earlier this year, Regina paramedic David Reed talked to the Leader-Post about his push for a civilian service medal honouring first responders who die in the line of duty, similar to the Silver Cross given to military officers who die or are injured in active combat.
In an email statement provided Monday, the province said it has no current plans to introduce such a medal, “but it is certainly something the province is actively considering.”
The statement said McLeod has met with Reed directly “and thanks him for his advocacy.”
The memorial is being produced by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency for approximately $900,000, which includes $100,000 from WorkSafe Saskatchewan (a partnership between the Workers’ Compensation Board and the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety).
“While the monument will serve as an important and permanent reminder of those who fell in the line of duty while serving Saskatchewan, it should also serve as an important reminder that every workplace injury is preventable,” said WCB CEO Phil Germain in the release.
