I Want To
October 7th, 2023 marks 30 years since the day Constable Joseph MacDonald was murdered in the line of duty, while serving his community. Yesterday, current and retired members of GSPS as well as Joe’s family gathered in the Cst. Joe MacDonald Memorial Park to honour his life and legacy. 
Joseph MacDonald began his career with the then Sudbury Regional Police in 1988. Joe was immediately engaged as a young officer in our community by being part of the Police Buddy Program, a program specifically targeted to strengthen relationships between police and our community’s youth. With five years of policing experience, it was evident that Cst. MacDonald had a tremendously bright future as his empathy and compassion fueled his natural leadership skills. He quickly became a very well-respected police officer.
October 7, 1993, is a day that none of us will ever forget. It is the day that Constable Joseph “Joey” MacDonald gave his life to protect this community. It was a sacrifice that will never be forgotten.
We remember his tremendous sense of humour, his larger-than-life personality, his strength, his courage, his compassion and his passion for athletics.Over the past 30 years, the Joe MacDonald Youth Football League has fostered thousands of positive youth interactions with an emphasis on teamwork, recreational activity and fitness, positivity and community. Many of our members have played in the Joe MacDonald League and now volunteer their time to the league as coaches. Joe’s spirit continues to thrive through the legacy of the Joe MacDonald Youth Football League.
In 2002, the Public Safety Officers Survivors Scholarship Fund was renamed in honour of Joe MacDonald. The Constable Joe MacDonald Memorial Scholarship assists the families of fallen officers with funds for tuition, textbooks and certain living expenses for post-secondary education. 
In 2006, through the Memorial for Fallen Police Officers Act, the bridge at Highway 17 and MR55 was renamed the Constable Joseph MacDonald Memorial Bridge.
Joe’s death was and always will be a tragedy. Through this tragedy, significant changes were made to improve officer safety. In 1994, the Sudbury Regional Police integrated a new radio system and officer firearms in Ontario were upgraded to semi-automatic.
Joe’s wife, Nancy, was a driving force for many of the changes to the firearms and ammunition, parole reform, the Victim’s Bill of Rights Act and the Faint Hope Clause.
Cst. Joseph MacDonald will always be a hero in life, not death.
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