Cpl. Michael Starker was on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan when he was killed in an ambush on May 6.Cpl. Michael Starker was on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan when he was killed in an ambush on May 6. (Starker family)

The family of the latest Canadian soldier to be killed in Afghanistan has decided to have a public funeral for him on Friday.

A memorial for Cpl. Michael Starker, a Calgary paramedic, will be held at the Roundup Centre in Stampede Park at 2 p.m. MT.

Starker, 36, was ambushed and killed on May 6 while on foot patrol in the Pashmul region, outside Kandahar City. He had been providing medical assistance to fellow soldiers in Afghanistan since December as a reservist with the Alberta-based 15 Field Ambulance, his second tour of duty there.

Mayor Dave Bronconnier previously said the city and emergency services would like to take part in the memorial if the family were to request it.

As an active member of Calgary's emergency services killed in the line of duty, Starker's family can choose a ceremony with full civic honours, including a public procession.

On Monday, Bronconnier led city council in observing a moment of silence.

"And as the community mourns together the grief and we share … later this week the passing of Michael, it would be appropriate, members of council and ladies and gentlemen that are here, that we offer our thoughts and prayers to the Starker family who continue to grieve this morning," he said.

"We offer a moment of silence to recognize a truly outstanding Canadian."

Starker was the 83rd Canadian soldier and fourth Calgarian killed in Afghanistan since the mission began in 2002.