Peace officers deserve support every day, Savage says at N.S. memorial service
DARTMOUTH, N.S. — Mike Savage got off to a rough start when his turn to speak came at the Nova Scotia fallen peace officers memorial service on Sunday, joking about being too tall for the microphone, to a crowd that wasn’t in a laughing mood.
Standing next to the monument to fallen officers, Savage rallied, telling the standing-room-only audience at RCMP headquarters in Dartmouth that on most days, being the mayor of Halifax is an absolute privilege.
“But there have been some days that seared me to my core, and behind me is the name of Heidi Stevenson, Constable Stevenson, who, as we all know, died on that awful day … in April of 2020,” the mayor said.
“We all were affected by that. The day after, I was in my office, really not sure what to do.”
Savage decided to call Stevenson’s husband Dean, who was in attendance Sunday with other family members to lay a wreath.
“I expected to leave a message, but he answered the phone, on that day of searing grief for him,” Savage said.
“I didn’t know what to say, I couldn’t get any words out, but what he said to me was, ‘Heidi died doing the job that she loved to do. Everybody that knew her would know what a remarkable force of light she was for the world.’”
Savage said everyone in Nova Scotia had peace officers on their mind the day Heidi Stevenson was killed, and that’s how it should be every day.
“Are we always giving the support and honour to the police and other peace officers, and those who serve, that they give to us?” the mayor asked. “We need to make sure we do that all the time, not just in days of incredible grief and difficulty.
“It’s hard to imagine something more awful than to lose your life in the service of others, and I think we owe it to the families who have heroes that have died serving this great country, this province, this city, to honour them, absolutely when they’ve fallen, but also to honour them for the daily work they do, as well.”
Sunday’s ceremony was the province’s 41st annual gathering to honour fallen peace officers, an honour roll of 27 men and women that begins in the 19th century.
The ceremony is usually held in the Grand Parade in downtown Halifax.
“Grand Parade is now the home of probably 20 or 25 tents of homeless people,” Savage said. “And when I see how police officers interact with the homeless, it makes me smile.
“People might not be aware of just how compassionate and concerned police officers are about everybody, and I think we need to keep that in mind as well. They’re not bad people in Grand Parade, they’re not mean, they’re not angry, they’re not hateful. They’re just homeless.”
