Statement from OPP
Margaret Eve went by a few names – Margaret, Marg, Margie – but whichever was chosen, all were used with equal affection for a woman who was well respected and genuinely loved.
When she passed, she left behind a loving family, including her husband John, son Ryan, age seven, and Colleen, age three. She also left dozens of colleagues and a grieving community reeling from the tragedy of a life cut short.
In this, the 50th Anniversary of Women in Uniform in the OPP, we take a moment to check in with Margaret’s daughter, Colleen Eve, and her former Coach Officer, retired Sergeant Phil Bezaire.
Despite Colleen’s tender age when she lost her mom, she has persevered in pursuit of her goal to keep her mother’s memory alive and to honour the joy and courage that characterized her mother’s life.
For Phil Bezaire, Margaret’s presence is clearly still felt. He has stayed in touch these 24 years later with Colleen and has played a key role in honouring the vibrant woman that Margaret was.
Special thanks to Colleen and Phil for sharing their heartfelt memories with us as we honour Sergeant Margaret Eve.
With thanks to the Ontario Provincial Police Association (OPPA) for allowing us to share some additional background about Margaret below. For more information, their honour roll website can be found here: https://oppa.ca/about-oppa/honour-roll/
Margaret Eve was born in 1962, one of six children with two brothers and three sisters. She knew from a very early age that she wanted to become an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer. With the goal of achieving her dream, Margaret enrolled in a three-year Criminology and Law Enforcement program at Conestoga College in Kitchener, graduating in 1982.
She then served as an Auxiliary Constable in Sebringville until, on October 28, 1985, her dream was realized, and she became a Provincial Constable. Her first assignment was to the Sombra Detachment, but she also did two stints, in 1988 and 1989, at Grand Bend, a summer detachment, for a change of pace.
On August 15, 1994, she was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and transferred to the Chatham Communications Centre. While there, she was also given other assignments including playing an instrumental role in establishing the Western Region Traffic Team and investigating historic sexual assaults on Walpole Island First Nation Territory. On July 26, 1999, she was transferred to the Chatham-Kent Detachment as a Team Leader.
During her career, Margaret served as a coach officer and was a qualified Radar Instructor. She was also entrusted with some of the most stressful and personal tasks that officers can be involved in, that of serving as a Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Advisor. This meant that colleagues could confide in her and looked to her for comfort, and guidance. Margaret was also a Crisis Negotiator meaning that she had the skillset required to support, encourage, empathize and manage interacting with others during times of great stress, working towards a positive outcome under trying circumstances. Clearly, she was the kind of person who inspired trust.
According to colleagues, Margaret always had a positive attitude and could make the best out of any situation. When she passed, she received countless tributes and accolades from members of the community thanking her for her excellent investigations, but most of all, for her compassion in dealing with victims, as well as offenders.
Margaret was an incredible person and a true leader. She lived by two mottos, the first being, ‘lead by example,’ and she did. The second was, ‘do it right or not at all,’ and when she did something, it was done right. Much of Margaret’s success was because others quickly recognized that she was genuine and sincere.
She served as Treasurer on the Executive of Branch No. 1 of the OPPA for nine years. She was a strong advocate for members ensuring they were always treated fairly and with dignity and respect.
On the afternoon of June 7, 2000, on a stretch of Highway 401 in Chatham-Kent, Margaret, along with two other constables, were checking a vehicle that was suspected to have been involved in an armed robbery in Windsor. While talking with the occupants of the car, the driver of a transport truck drove directly into three police cruisers, the suspect vehicle, and all five people standing on the shoulder of the highway.
All were rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. Margaret was air lifted to the Trauma Unit at the London Health Sciences Centre. For two days, family and friends kept vigil, hoping and praying while Margaret fought for her life. Unfortunately, on June 9th, 2000, at 12:03 p.m., she lost that fight and died of a massive brain injury. As a result of her desire to give, even at the end of her life, six people, including a young infant, received the ultimate gift of life through the Organ Donor Program.
Margaret served the people of Ontario with dignity and honour. Her memory lives on.
