Photo credit: CBC
Across the city, Torontonians gathered at several Remembrance Day ceremonies with bright red poppies pinned to their coats. Some said they had come to honour family members who had served in the Armed Forces, while others said they came to remember those who had died in times of conflict.
CBC News reports that Canadian soldiers fought in the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War and in Afghanistan. A total of 158 Armed Forces members died in Afghanistan during Canada’s military efforts.
Amidst a sea of miniature flags planted outside the Sunnybrook Veterans Centre, Ontario Premier Doug Ford added a handful to remember “the ultimate sacrifice that people gave for our democracy.”
“We should never, ever forget the sacrifices,” he said.
The deaths of four soldiers after a fire at Alberta’s CFB Wainwright in October is also fresh in people’s minds.
Erin McDonald said her thoughts are with the people impacted by that incident. She came out to City Hall’s ceremony Wednesday to say thank you to those in service of the country and to honour her own friends and family in the military.
This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Legion. On July 17, 1926, the Legion was officially incorporated by a special act of Parliament. Its mission is to support veterans, advocate for their rights and ensure the act of remembrance continues.
Crowds of people gathered around the Old City Hall Cenotaph at 60 Queen St. W. for the annual ceremony, which was live-streamed on the city’s YouTube channel and on the city’s Remembrance Day ceremonies webpage.
A single drum beat as veterans, RCMP, Toronto police and city officials marched in unison to start the ceremony. With their heads bowed, four members of the armed forces stood around the cenotaph wearing modern and historic military uniforms.
The crowded, yet eerily silent, downtown core echoed with the notes of the Last Post, the knell of the city’s tower, and the whir of four planes with the Royal Canadian Air Force flying past.
Emily Cathcart held a black-and-white photo of her grandfather, who was a Second World War veteran and one of six family members who served in the armed forces. Remembrance Day for her is a time to reflect on the freedom Canadians have thanks to the sacrifice many made during times of conflict.
Mayor Olivia Chow addressed the crowd, saying it was the “sacred duty” of Torontonians to remember those who “placed service above self to defend the freedoms we hold dear.”
She also honoured the Royal Canadian Legion’s anniversary and its work on standing up for veterans and their families.
Just blocks away, city residents, members of the military and provincial officials gathered to honour the “bravery, courage and sacrifice of past and present members of the Canadian Armed Forces,” a news release from the province said.
The ceremony, hosted by the province at the Ontario Veterans’ Memorial, began with a 21-gun salute and a flypast by the Royal Canadian Air Force.
This year’s event also marked the 20th anniversary of the provincial memorial.
Speaking to the crowd, Ford said he had never seen a crowd so big for a Remembrance Day.
“Every year on this day, we pause to remember the sacrifices made by our veterans to resist tyranny and to remember the values and freedoms we enjoy today,” he said.
“To every veteran, service person and military family in our province, thank you. Ontario is proud of you, lest we forget.”
To close out the ceremony, the crowd applauded as the Royal Canadian Air Force’s new CC-130J Hercules tactical airlifter flew overhead.
