Mourners join ‘walk for justice’ after public memorial for Regis Korchinski-Paquet,
Family mourns woman who fell 24 storeys as marchers demand justice
Family, friends and community members gathered Saturday to remember an Afro-Indigenous woman who fell to her death from a balcony while police were in her Toronto apartment, starting what organizers say will be an annual tradition to call for police accountability. The public memorial and march for justice for Regis Korchinski-Paquet came nearly two months after her death, which sparked anti-racism protests and a broader conversation about how police respond to mental health calls.
“She was my whole life. Not one day goes by where I don’t think about her,” said her father, Peter Korchinski. “And like I said before, we’re never going to stop fighting for you. I will die fighting.”
Family members arrived at the memorial along with a horse-drawn carriage carrying a white casket. Korchinski-Paquet’s younger brother, Reece Korchinski-Beals, said his sister will be missed by everyone who knew her.
Sister Renee KorchinskiBeals also spoke at the memorial: “We have to give her a proper send-off … We love you, Regis.”
Police said they were called to the High Park apartment on May 27 in response to a possible assault, but Korchinski-Paquet’s mother Claudette has said she wanted police to take her daughter to a mental health facility.
The 29-year-old KorchinskiPaquet — a gymnast, dancer and singer — died after falling 24 storeys. The province’s police watchdog has revealed little about its investigation, but said last week that the probe is nearly finished.
Investigators were awaiting further evidence, including the results of a second autopsy initiated by the family’s legal team, according to the Special Investigations Unit. Results from that post-mortem are expected some time in August. NDP MPP Jill Andrew said the SIU should be reformed and money from the Toronto Police Service’s budget should be reallocated to community services. She also spoke directly to Korchinski-Paquet’s parents.
“You called for help and you didn’t get it,” she said. “We will continue to fight hard to ensure that Regis’s legacy lives on.”
Ravyn Wngz, an activist with Black Lives Matter Toronto, said the community is still in “mourning, grief and rage” and that Korchinski-Paquet would still be alive if she had received the support she needed.
In a statement released the day of Korchinski-Paquet’s death, the SIU said officers were inside the apartment unit when “they observed a woman on the balcony” and “a short time later, the woman fell from the balcony to the ground below.”
Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders has said he legally cannot comment while an investigation is underway but noted that “misinformation” can fill the information void when police cannot speak on a case. He told reporters that 911 calls were received from three separate callers, at least two of whom mentioned knives, and the incident was treated as a “priority one” call, meaning officers were dispatched within seconds.
The Regis Korchinski-Paquet Walk For Justice led into High Park, where more than100 people gathered again, chanting “Regis, you matter here” and “Black lives, they matter here.”