As we rolled into Ontario, the information centre in Kenora waved a giant flag at half mast. The thing was huge, patriotic, strikingly red and white. There were chains on the side of the flag that held it to the pole because of how windy the place could get, ripping apart the fabric and tearing it from the enormous lightning rod.
It’s not that I ignore Ontario news, I don’t, but I also don’t engage with it as much as I should. I might have been born in Ottawa, but I feel no attachment or love for the province of my birth. Like most people who live outside the province, I recognize that most of the country’s political power lies in Ontario, with all of the other provinces having half of the representation that Ontarians have. In Ottawa, if you win Ontario, you’ll win the election. Usually.
Thus, I was confused. Why was this gargantuan flag flying at half mast? For what were we mourning? I was earnestly worried that the premier had died or something.
When we entered the building, I asked the clerk of the information centre what had happened.
“An officer was killed on duty,” she told me.
Tarun Bali, a constable for the Ontario Provincial Police was killed in Hearst. He was chasing a man named Justin Verroneau, who had escaped a hospital because he was being assessed under the Mental Health Act in Ontario. Verroneau was likely being forced into psychiatric care by the province because of a mental health problem, a practice that has been condemned widely and which studies have shown is a harmful practice.
“Although the prevention of suicide is a common reason for involuntary treatment (92), only one of the included studies found that involuntary admission decreased the risk of suicide compared to voluntary admission (93), while another found an increased risk of presentations to emergency departments with suicidal behaviour after involuntary treatment orders were rescinded by independent review (94),” (link)
As Verroneau attempted his escape, an accident occurred and Bali, the constable, was hit by the car. Verroneau will be charged with first degree murder.
