From Sea to Sea: Remembrance Day Events Recognize Canada’s Veterans

Canadians from coast-to-coast will pause on Nov. 11 to pay tribute to the veterans who have fought for their country.

Services are planned across the nation but the National Remembrance Day Ceremony in Ottawa is undoubtedly the most-watched of all of the ceremonies.

The event begins with a veterans’ march at 10:30 a.m. to the National War Memorial. The ceremony starts at approximately 10:45 a.m. EST with the arrival of Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, Prime Minister Mark Carney, and the Silver Cross Mother, a woman whose child has died while serving in the military.

This year’s Silver Cross Mother is Nancy Payne, whose 32-year-old son Corp. Randy Payne was killed in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan in April 2006.

The event hosted by the Royal Canadian Legion will include a two-minute silence to pay tribute to all who have served, a 21-gun salute, the laying of wreaths, prayers, and a flypast by the Royal Canadian Air Force. The veterans’ march-off will conclude the ceremony at 11:30 a.m.

“At the end of the National Ceremony and throughout the day, people remove poppies from their coats and place them on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” the Legion said. “The tomb is covered in red poppies by the end of the day.”

The ceremony will stream live on the Royal Canadian Legion’s Facebook page.

The Canadian War Museum will mark Remembrance Day with an 11 a.m. livestream of the light shining through Memorial Hall to illuminate the headstone of Canada’s Unknown Soldier. The facility will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as it wraps up its Remembrance Week commemoration. Admission will be free on Nov. 11.

British Columbia

British Columbia’s official ceremony will be held at the BC Legislature Cenotaph in Victoria at 10:30 a.m. local time. It will begin with a parade, followed by a service and two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. It will conclude with a wreath-laying ceremony.

Alberta

A service of remembrance will be held at the Field of Crosses on Memorial Drive in Calgary just after 10 a.m. local time. The ceremony, which will be televised, will include music, prayers, and a wreath-laying ceremony.

An earlier ceremony with Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Salma Lakhani and Premier Danielle Smith was held at the Alberta legislature in Edmonton on Nov. 6.

Saskatchewan

The 94th Saskatoon Remembrance Day Service will begin at 10 a.m. local time at the SaskTel Centre, but the doors open at 8:45 a.m. An orchestra will perform from 9:30 to 10 a.m. The service which will include a traditional moment of silence and wreath-laying ceremony, which will be live streamed.

An earlier Remembrance Day ceremony, attended by Premier Scott Moe and members of the Legislative Assembly, was held at the Saskatchewan Legislative Building in Regina on Nov. 6.

Manitoba

The province’s largest service will be held in Winnipeg at the RBC Convention Centre with seating for 4,000 people. The ceremony is hosted by the Joint Veterans Association of Manitoba and the doors will open at 9:30 a.m. local time. There will also be a gun salute at the legislative building. The ceremony starts at 10:30 a.m. local time.

Ontario

The Ontario government will host its Ceremony of Remembrance beginning at 10:45 a.m. local time at the Ontario Veterans’ Memorial in Toronto’s Queen’s Park. A 21-gun salute is set for 11 a.m. and a flypast by the Royal Canadian Air Force will take place at 11:40 a.m.

Quebec

The main Remembrance Day service in Quebec is the ceremony at the Place du Canada in Montreal. The ceremony is set to commence at 10:30 a.m. local time, featuring a two-minute silence at 11 a.m., and will conclude with the final observances at 11:30 a.m.

New Brunswick

The Remembrance Day ceremony at the Fredericton Cenotaph will begin at 10:30 a.m. local time with a parade and veterans’ march. The service will include a 21-gun salute, a moment of silence, and a wreath-laying ceremony.

Nova Scotia

A Remembrance Day Service will be held at Grand Parade Square in Halifax from 11 a.m. to 12:30 local time. The service will be broadcast live from the Grand Parade cenotaph by the Royal Canadian Legion and will feature a traditional procession and ceremony.

PEI

The ceremony will be broadcast live from the cenotaph in downtown Charlottetown beginning at 10:30 a.m. local time. A major restoration of the cenotaph, also known as the Soldiers’ Monument, was completed to commemorate its 100th anniversary just in time for this year’s Remembrance Day service.

Newfoundland and Labrador

The weather could play a role in Remembrance Day services in Newfoundland and Labrador as a serious storm tracks eastward across the east and central regions of the province. The expected inclement weather has led to the cancellation of the Remembrance Day parade to the National War Memorial in St. John’s on Nov. 11, although the main ceremony is still set for 10:55 a.m. local time. Environment Canada has issued weather warnings for the area with wind gusts of up to 100 kilometres per hour and rainfall up to 60 millimetres predicted.

Anyone looking for more information about Remembrance Day services close to them can find nearby locations on the Royal Canadian Legion’s website.