Correction: This story has been corrected from an earlier version to clarify that the funeral service is being held on Manitoulin Island but that Cornwall will be hosting a service virtually at the Cornwall Civic Complex. Links have also been included to watch the service from home.
CORNWALL – A private funeral service for an Ontario Provincial Police officer killed in the line of duty on Manitoulin Island last week will be held in Cornwall.
Cornwall’s service for local and regional officers will be among many across Ontario and the country that are being held virtually due to COVID-19.
O.P.P. Const. Marc Hovingh, 52, died on Thursday, Nov. 19 after being shot while responding to a property complaint near Gore Bay on the northern shore of the island. The SIU says Hovingh and a civilian died in hospital after trading gunfire on the property.
An O.P.P. official confirmed to Cornwall Newswatch Thursday that the Cornwall Civic Complex on Water Street will host the local service Saturday afternoon, which will be livestreamed.
The O.P.P. is working with the City of Cornwall and the Eastern Ontario Health Unit to make sure coronavirus protocols are followed, the official said.
According to Ontario’s COVID-19 Response Framework, funerals can been held indoors at 30 per cent of the building’s capacity. The civic complex has a 5,800 seating capacity, which means the facility could, in theory, have up to 1,740 people within its walls for the service.
The O.P.P. official added that the service will be capped at 100 people.
Hovingh was a 28-year member of the force and leaves behind a wife and four children.
The funeral takes place at Manitoulin Secondary School at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 28. You can also stream the service by clicking here and on the O.P.P. Facebook page here.