A commemorative service of the RCMP regiment is underway for Const. Heidi Stevenson, who was killed in the line of duty during the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting.
The RCMP was unable to hold a regimental funeral after Stevenson’s death due to COVID-19 restrictions in effect at the time, and a private family funeral was held.
The service is not open to the public, but people were encouraged to gather along the procession route of the uniformed officers at Forest Hills Parkway before the service. Members of the RCMP, the army, the police and the emergency services marched from the church of St. Vincent de Paul to Cole Harbor Place.
Sherry McBride, a Cole Harbor resident, said her son is a member of the Mountains and considered it crucial to show his support in person along the route of the procession.
A procession leads to the memorial service of Const. Heidi Stevenson in Cole Harbor, NS, June 29, 2022. (Steve Lawrence / CBC News)
“Because of everything we’ve gone through, with COVID, with Portapique, with the helicopter crash, the Snowbirds, it’s been a lot for all of Nova Scotia,” McBride said through tears.
“We need to be here … to show our respect for Heidi, to show respect for the RCMP, and any police force, whatever they face on a day-to-day basis.”
The memorial procession has arrived at Cole Harbor Place for Const. Service by Heidi Stevenson. RCMP member was among 22 people killed in mass shooting two years ago
Hundreds of RCMP, police and first responders gathered from across Canada pic.twitter.com/OybNLWXfXS
– @ hkryan17
Another resident, Donna Peers, echoed the sentiment.
“We had never been through anything like that, we hope to never do it again, God willing,” Peers said.
She added that although more than two years have passed since Stevenson was assassinated, it was important to honor the work she and other RCMP members did during the shooting.
During the service, Stevenson’s friends addressed the gathering and paid tribute to his memory. Stevenson grew up in Antigonish, NS, and graduated from Acadian University in Wolfville, NS, with a bachelor of science degree.
RCMP members escort the hearse in a regimental memorial service for Const. Heidi Stevenson, murdered in the line of duty during the April 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia on June 29, 2022. (Andrew Vaughan / The Canadian Press)
Childhood friend Claire McIntyre said Stevenson was a force from the moment he met her.
McIntyre said he was initially surprised by Stevenson’s decision to join the RCMP, but always had an intuitive sense of right and wrong.
“She did what was right, even if it wasn’t the popular choice,” McIntyre said.
Another childhood friend, Angela McKnight, recalled how Stevenson met the love of her life, her husband Dean, while working as a high school liaison officer in Cole Harbor. They had two children, Connor and Ava, who also attended today’s ceremony.
“I don’t know a woman better, older, tougher and more determined than she is,” McKnight said through tears.
Twenty-two people died on April 18 and 19, 2020. Top row from left: Gina Goulet, Dawn Gulenchyn, Jolene Oliver, Frank Gulenchyn, Sean McLeod, Alanna Jenkins. Second row: John Zahl, Lisa McCully, Joey Webber, Heidi Stevenson, Heather O’Brien and Jamie Blair. Third row from above: Kristen Beaton, Lillian Campbell, Joanne Thomas, Peter Bond, Tom Bagley and Greg Blair. Bottom row: Emily Tuck, Joy Bond, Corrie Ellison and Aaron Tuck. (CBC)
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki also addressed the service and said Stevenson had an unforgettable impact on the lives of many.
During his 23 years at the RCMP, Stevenson participated in the Musical Ride and worked as an expert in drug recognition and communications and community policing.
“I’ve always believed that a police career is a vocation. Heidi answered that call and tragically paid the final price,” Lucki said.
“Heidi will be remembered for her courage and strength of character. We will always be grateful for her heroism that day. For the courage she showed and for the actions she took to protect the community she cared so much about.”
Stevenson was one of 22 people killed in the worst mass shooting in modern Canadian history. He was on duty on the morning of April 19, 2020 in the Shubenacadie area when a gunman driving a replica of the RCMP cruiser crashed his vehicle into his patrol car.
An investigation revealed that the 49-year-old officer exchanged shots with the suspect, and fragments of one of his bullets appeared to hit him next to the head.
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