
October 2024
On 27 December 2022, 28-year-old Provincial Constable Grzegorz “Greg” Pierzchala, a rookie member of the Ontario Provincial Police, Haldimand detachment, was shot and killed while responding to a report of a vehicle in a ditch near the Town of Hagersville. It was nothing short of an ambush attack, with Pierzchala not even having a chance to draw his sidearm to defend himself.
At the time of this death, Pierzchala had just successfully completed his 10-month probationary period as an OPP officer, having been told earlier that day about the good news before he went out for patrol.
A man and a woman were arrested shortly afterwards and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting.
Born in Toronto and raised in Barrie, Pierzchala previously served as a special constable at Queen’s Park and served three years with the Grey & Simcoe Foresters, a militia infantry regiment, with companies in Barrie and Owen Sound, all with the end goal of becoming a police constable one day.
With members of the Pierzchala family in attendance, a crowd gathered in Bateaux Park in Barrie, Ontario, on 14 September, for the official re-naming of the park to Grzegorz “Greg” Pierzchala Park. A memorial marker was also unveiled in honour of Greg Pierzchala, along with a new permanent fitness training circuit modeled after the components of the Ontario Police College Fitness Test (OPC). The fitness circuit includes a push-up station, sit-up and curl-up benches, reach test box, and a 20-meter shuttle run, all of which police recruits must successfully pass not only to get hired by a police service, but to pass the recruit training at OPC.
Pierzchala often used the park to train in preparation for the tests.
Dignitaries in attendance included Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall, members of city council, Ontario Provincial Police officers, including OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique, OPP Association VP David Sabatini and Director Rob Jamieson, and officers from the Barrie Police Service.






Sources: Loss of a young officer who had great potential – Thousands gather to honour fallen OPP Constable – Canadian Military History (militarybruce.com), OPP Provincial Constable Grzegorz “Greg” Pierzchala Honoured with Park in Barrie Named in Greg’s Memory – OPPA, Barrie park renamed in memory of slain OPP officer Greg Pierzchala | Barrie 360, Barrie park renamed to honour slain officer (simcoe.com).