It was a sombre Saturday afternoon in the city’s downtown as family, friends, and fellow officers gathered at St. Luke’s Anglican Cathedral to pay their respects to Sault Ste. Marie Police Cst. Orrette Robinson.
The 36-year-old was killed in an off-duty motorcycle collision on Sept. 5 while returning home after an overtime shift on dynamic patrol.
At around 12:55 p.m. today, a small procession from Arthur Funeral Home transported Orrette’s casket to St. Luke’s Anglican Cathedral for the 1 p.m. service that was attended by hundreds.
Officers with the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service acted as honour guard during the funeral.
Emergency service members and other officials from a number of local and area detachments were in attendance to show their support for Robinson’s family and the Sault Police.
Members of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police will escort Cst. Orrette Robinson’s body to the city limits on Sunday Sept. 17.
The escort will begin around 8:30 a.m. at Arthur Funeral Home on Wellington Street East and proceed to Carmen’s Way. From there, the escort will go to Second Line East, then Black Road, and finally onto Trunk Road where it will conclude at the city limits.
Sault Police say anyone who wishes to pay their final respects to Orrette are encouraged to observe the procession along its way from Wellington Street East to the city limits.
“The Sault Police want to thank the people of Sault Ste. Marie and Prince Township for their kind words, heartwarming stories and empathy during this difficult time,” they stated in a release.
Robinson was hired by Sault Police as a special constable in 2020, responsible for tasks such as court security and prisoner transfers. He was hired as a full constable in August 2021. Prior to immigrating to Canada, Robinson served nine years as an officer with the Jamaica Constabulary Force.
He attended Ontario Police College, where he was valedictorian of his class — the first time a member of Sault Ste. Marie Police Service had the honour of that role.
An education trust fund has been set up for Robinson's daughters Zariah and Isla through a crowdfunding effort. That GoFundMe page has raised more than $16,500 as of Saturday, far exceeding the original goal of $8,000.
Robinson will be buried in his native Jamaica at a later date.
– with files from Kenneth Armstrong