‘He served with courage’: Brampton to honour killed OPP officer with park renaming, mayor says

The city plans to honour OPP Provincial Const. Tarun Bali with the renaming of a park dedicated to Brampton officer, killed in the line of duty last week.

“Constable Bali was a young officer who dedicated his life to protecting others,” Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown says of the 29-year-old who was struck last Tuesday by a vehicle in the northern Ontario town of Hearst, about 520 kilometres east of Thunder Bay.

“He served with courage, professionalism, and integrity as a member of the OPP, and in the line of duty he made the ultimate sacrifice while working to keep the public safe,” Brown said.

Bali was a two-and-a-half-year member of the OPP Dufferin Detachment and a graduate of Fleming College’s Customs / Border Services program. He was born in Naya Nangal, a town in India about 358 kilometres north of New Delhi, but was raised in Brampton after his family emigrated from India.

Brown says he will introduce a motion at Brampton City Council to identify a suitable park and take “the necessary steps to rename it in his memory.”

“He embodied what it means to serve others, and he will be remembered not only for his sacrifice, but for his commitment to protecting the lives of others. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing him.

A funeral service for Bali will take place Thursday morning at the Mississauga Sports and Entertainment Centre. Police say it won’t be open to the public, but Bali’s family, as well as other police officers, military members and other dignitaries are expected to attend.

The OPP says there will be a designated location for the public to view the procession and the funeral service via livestream.

An 18-year-old man faces charges, including first-degree murder, in Bali’s death. OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique says the suspect fleeing from police was behind the wheel of the vehicle that struck and killed Bali on Tuesday afternoon. Officers sought to capture the suspect safely after escaping from a hospital where he was being assessed under the Mental Health Act.

Bali was the first of two Ontario police officers killed last week. Toronto Police Service Const. Marc Pinizzotto, who was born in Mississauga, was shot and killed on Thursday, and that city also plans to name a park in his honour.