At least three people were killed by Canadian police in February 2026. In January, Canadian police killed at least five people. One person was also killed by private security serving in a hospital in January.
In 2025, at least 94 people were killed in Canadian police actions. In 2024, at least 100 people were killed. There were at least 97 police-involved deaths in Canada in 2023, while in 2022 there were at least 117 police-involved deaths.
Two people were shot and killed in February. One person was killed in an intoxication arrest.
The details below are based on police reports, reports from oversight agencies, media reports, and in some cases information from families. As always, because there are no formal, systemic mechanisms for documenting and reporting police killings publicly in Canada, all numbers presented for police-involved deaths represent an undercount.
As well as the known cases, there are instances of police-involved deaths that have no formal public reporting. For example, the Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) lists two death investigations for which they provide no reporting: February 2, involving the New Westminster Police Department and February 23 involving the Surrey Police Service.
February 21. Paisley, Ontario. Shooting.
Police shot and killed a 48-year-old man in Paisley, Ontario (about 165 kilometres north of London), on February 21. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) reports that police were searching for someone allegedly involved in multiple motor vehicle thefts and residential break-and-enters in several jurisdictions. That afternoon, they located a person they believed to be the man driving a stolen vehicle. A tire deflation device was deployed, resulting in the vehicle going off the road. The driver fled on foot and was located in the area of Sideroad 13 and Bruce-Saugeen Townline. Outside of a residence, an officer fired his weapon striking the man. He was transported to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
The SIU has assigned four investigators and three forensic investigators to examine the killing.
February 21. Edmonton Police. Intoxication Arrest.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating the death of a man during an arrest by Edmonton Police Service (EPS) officers in a seniors’ residence on February 21. ASIRT reports that shortly after 8 AM, a resident phoned 911 to report that an injured man had entered the residence near downtown Edmonton and was asking for help. EPS officers arrived at the locked building, and a resident let them in. Once inside, officers located a man who was reportedly injured and called Emergency Medical Services (EMS). In a statement, EPS said officers believed the man was intoxicated and tried to arrest him, with assistance from several civilians who were there. Once restrained, the victim experienced a medical emergency. EMS transported him to hospital, where he died.
February 28. Peel Police. Mississauga. Shooting.
Peel Regional Police officers shot and killed a 44-year-old man in Mississauga in the early morning of February 28. The SIU reports that police were deployed after a woman contacted police to report a domestic incident and said her husband had left their home with a firearm in the area of Perran Drive and Paula Court at around 12:30 AM. Police located the man and confronted him after “a short foot pursuit” near Fifth Line and Dundas Street. Police claim there was “an exchange of gunfire,” with four officers firing at the man, who was struck multiple times. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The SIU has assigned five investigators and three forensic investigators to examine the killing.
Jeff Shantz is a long-time anti-authoritarian organizer, researcher, and writer who lives and works on Kwantlen, Katzie, and Semiahmoo territories (Surrey, British Columbia).
Please subscribe to The Media Co-op's newsletter!
