Barrie council holds moment of silence in honour of slain OPP Const. Marc Hovingh

It was a small, solemn token of gratitude for an officer’s ultimate sacrifice.

Barrie council members paid tribute to OPP Const. Marc Hovingh with a moment of silence at the start of their meeting Nov. 23. Hovingh, who grew up in the city, died in the line of duty following a shootout on a property in Gore Bay on Manitoulin Island last week.

“I’d like to express our deepest condolences to the friends, family and colleagues of the fallen officer,” Mayor Jeff Lehman said. “He was a very active member within his community and his church.”

Hovingh attended Timothy Christian School, but his family moved away from Barrie before he finished high school, Lehman said.

Earlier in the day, , including members of the city’s police and fire departments, lined bridges over Hwy. 400 to honour Hovingh, whose body had been brought to Toronto for an autopsy and was being taken back to Manitoulin Island in a hearse accompanied by two police cruisers.

Hovingh, a 28-year veteran of the OPP, is survived by his wife and four children.