SIU probes death of senior at Remembrance Day ceremony

Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating the death of an 87-year-old woman in Clayton, Ont.

The Special Investigations Unit says the woman was attending a Remembrance Day ceremony at a community centre on Sunday when she went into medical distress.

They say an Ontario Provincial Police officer, who was also attending the ceremony, began CPR on the woman and administered naloxone to her. Naloxone is used to temporarily reverse overdoses from opioids such as heroin, fentanyl, and oxycodone.

The woman was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Two investigators have been assigned to this case. The SIU announced the probe shortly before the province announced police officers who unsuccessfully administer naloxone to someone overdosing on opioids will no longer face an investigation by the province’s police watchdog.

The Ontario government amended a regulation under the Police Services Act so that the SIU does not need to be notified when an officer administers naloxone or other first aid to a person who doesn’t survive, as long as there was no other action that could have caused the person’s death.

The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.