A structure inspired by helping hands will soon rise in Saskatchewan
Construction has begun on a provincial memorial to honour protective services personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty, with completion expected by fall 2026.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place Monday on Memorial Way, southwest of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building in Regina’s Wascana Park. The $900,000 project will commemorate those in fire services, police, emergency medical services, federal and provincial corrections, victims services, mobile crisis services, and the Canadian Armed Forces.
“Our protective services personnel are a critical component of our communities,” minister of corrections, policing and public safety Tim McLeod said at the ceremony, according to CTV News. “They’re the ones that are running into the face of danger when the rest of us are running away from it.”
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency is leading the project, with $100,000 contributed by WorkSafe Saskatchewan through a partnership between the Workers’ Compensation Board and the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety.
The memorial will feature an image of the Saskatchewan Protective Services Medal, a “helping hands” structure, and a commemorative message. Initially, 80 names spanning back to the 1900s will appear on the monument, with space for additional names in coming years.
Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency vice-president of operations Steve Roberts said the centralized location addresses a current gap in recognition, as reported by SaskToday.ca.
According to Roberts, there are a number of memorials across the province and there are medals federally and other recognition programs, but there’s “never been a centralized ability to have a memorial where all of those individuals can be recognized.”
The memorial aims to recognize all public safety responders, including permanent, volunteer, government and non-government workers. The site will host annual ceremonies and events to commemorate those individuals.
Workers’ Compensation Board CEO Phil Germain highlighted the risks faced by first responders, telling SaskToday.ca that over the past five to six years, approximately 5,000 first responders were injured at work, representing 4% of all accepted claims.
“When you look at fatalities, there were 20 fatalities, which represent almost 13% of the fatalities registered and accepted with Saskatchewan WCB,” Germain said.
Opposition critic Nicole Sarauer called the memorial “a positive first step” while renewing calls for a memorial medal honouring those who die in service of their communities, according to the Leader-Post.
The government said it has no current plans for such a medal but is “actively considering” the proposal.
