Nearly two-thirds of the costs related to the large public funeral for a slain Ottawa police officer were covered by significant discounts or in-kind donations.
According to an Ottawa Police Services Board report, the Lansdowne Park funeral tribute to Const. Ireneusz (Eric) Czapnik is estimated to have cost nearly $274,000. However, around $175,000 of that cost was covered by local organizations and vendors.
Czapnik, 51, was murdered on Dec. 29 after a person approached him as he sat in a squad car in front of the emergency department of the Ottawa Hospital Civic campus.
“The tragic and senseless death of Const. Ireneusz Czapnik had a profound effect on his family, his Ottawa Police Service family, and on the entire city of Ottawa,” Chief Vern White wrote in the report. “His death brought out the very best in our community through condolences, offers of assistance and a common sense of purpose to contribute in some fashion to a funeral tribute that would honour his memory and his family.”
The Jan. 7 funeral was attended by more than 8,000 people, including 5,000 law enforcement personnel representing 87 agencies from across the continent.
