A private funeral for slain Ontario Provincial Police officer Const. Greg Pierzchala will be held on Wednesday in Barrie.
The funeral at Barrie’s Sadlon Arena starts at 11 a.m. ET. The visitation, mass, and internment will be private, but the public can watch the service via livestream, which begins at 10:30 a.m., on the OPP’s main social media accounts.
Barrie residents as well as those visiting the city should expect a number of road closures and traffic delays on Wednesday due to Pierzchala’s funeral.
They include:
-Bayview Drive from Big Bay Point Road to Churchill Drive and Harvie Road/Big Bay Point Road from Veterans to Bayview drives, from 5 to approximately 10 a.m.
-Bayview Drive from Churchill to Mapleview drives, from 8 a.m. to approximately 4 p.m.
-Churchill Drive will be closed at Welham Road and Fairview Road will be closed at Little Avenue with local traffic access only.
-The Dog Off-Leash Recreation Area at 555 Bayview Dr. will also be closed during the service. Pet owners are advised to visit the nearby off-leash area at Sunnidale Park.
People should note that the visitation and internment for Pierzchala are not open to the public.
People in Haldimand County where Pierzchala worked for the local OPP detachment are invited to attend an in-person broadcast at the Caledonia Lions Community Centre. That site will be open to the public starting at 10:30 a.m.
OPP spokesperson Bill Dickson said the police service estimates thousands — mostly officers and first responders — will attend the funeral.
“We do expect thousands and thousands of police officers from not only Ontario, but from elsewhere to gather to say goodbye to an officer, but to also help celebrate the life of a young police officer,” Dickson said.
The funeral plans were announced Monday as police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Pierzchala’s death. Randall McKenzie, 25, and Brandi Stewart-Sperry, 30, have been charged with first-degree murder.
