EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the families of two Edmonton police officers who were fatally shot this week are each to receive $100,000 from the province’s Heroes’ Fund.

Smith made the announcement Saturday during her weekly provincewide radio program while addressing the deaths of Const. Brett Ryan and Const. Travis Jordan.

The officers were gunned down Thursday by a teen who later killed himself while they were responding to a non-violent domestic dispute at an apartment building.

Smith says the Heroes’ Fund was brought in back in 2020, and that the money will help the families with the “costs associated with having to deal with this horrible tragedy.”

The fund was established as part of the Ensuring Safety and Cutting Red Tape Act, 2020, and the government’s website says it is intended to recognize the sacrifices of first responders who die as a result of performing their duties.

Smith also encouraged people to donate to a GoFundMe for the families of the officers, which has been set up by the Edmonton Police Foundation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 18, 2023.

The Canadian Press