Roll Up of CAF/Veteran/Invictus News - 15 Nov 2024
RCN
A member of Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt will be representing the Island and the country’s navy at the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa next week. Master Sailor Jed Garcia, who works in information services at CFB Esquimalt, has been selected to be the Royal Canadian Navy Sentry at the ceremony on Nov. 11. Garcia, who was born in Manila, Philippines, moved to Canada with his family in 2004.
RESERVISTS
Military reservists prepare to serve by training at Alberta military base | CTV News
A pair of 105-mm howitzers bark constantly as they turn plywood tank targets into kindling kilometres away on the windswept landscape of one of Canada's largest military bases. It's a once-a-month weekend training session at Canadian Forces Base Suffield, 260 kilometres southeast of Calgary, for 158 members of 41 Canadian Brigade Group, composed of Army Reserve units in Alberta and the Northwest Territories. They range in age from 18 to 49 and include a high school teacher, the owner of a sewing company, a private investigator and a mountain guide. Many have hopes of being deployed to the NATO Multinational Battlegroup in Latvia and help fend off Russian threats.
VAC
VIDEO: Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor denies Conservative accusations of a 'prayer ban' after prayers continued at Remembrance Day ceremonies, and calls politicization of the day 'distasteful.'
VETERANS
Ontario investing $3M to help veterans find construction jobs (sarnianewstoday.ca)
Queens Park has announced support for a program that helps those who have served Canada find jobs. The Ontario government announced on Thursday that it is teaming up with Helmets to Hardhats Canada, investing $3-million over three years to help current and former members of the Canadian Armed Services train for jobs in construction.
Ontario helping veterans transition to skilled trades | Canadian HR Reporter
Ontario is making it easier for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members, their spouses and veterans to start careers in the skilled trades. The government has introduced Honouring Veterans Act, 2024 to reduce the impact of frequent moves on military spouses. The legislation proposes changes to accelerate credential recognition for veterans and military spouses who are regulated professionals from other provinces and relocating to Ontario.
A Snapshot of Canadian Veterans with Disabilities, 2022 (statcan.gc.ca)
Infographic: In 2022, almost half (46%) of Veterans in Canada had at least one disability. The most common types of disabilities were pain-related, physical and sensory disabilities. 27% of Veterans with a disability had at least one unmet need for assistive aids, devices or technologies.
App helps connect veterans suffering from PTSD with other veterans for support | CBC News
A recently launched mental health app allows Canadian military veterans dealing with mental-health struggles such as post-traumatic stress disorder to speak anonymously with someone who truly understands what they're going through: another veteran. … The app makes it easy for a veteran to connect with an anonymous peer-support person — not a chatbot or AI — 24 hours a day, with no email or login required. It is designed to be inclusive, while putting an emphasis on First Nations and LGBTQ+ veterans.
Veterans enrolling at chef school find a familiar mission in the kitchen | CBC News
Before heading to class, Dean Braknis makes sure his uniform is clean, pressed and up to standard. He's used to the routine, after decades serving on Royal Canadian Navy patrol boats, frigates and destroyers. … Braknis is one of eight veterans now studying at the Ottawa location of Le Cordon Bleu. It's part of a steady upward trend, according to the school's director of sales and marketing Abhishek Sharma. The first veteran student he remembers enrolled in 2019, but then word started spreading that Veterans Affairs Canada would cover the cost of tuition — which can run up to $30,000 — through an education and training benefit.
On Remembrance Day, Humber Polytechnic and four other post-secondary institutions are improving local access to programs for military-connected learners. This news follows the Ontario government announcement of the Honouring Veterans Act, 2024 which creates accessible career pathways in skilled trades and technology for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members, veterans, and their spouses. … Humber Polytechnic is an engaged partner in this mission, which builds upon the memorandum of understanding with the Alliance of Ontario military-connected post-secondary institutions including Fanshawe, Georgian, Lambton, and Loyalist colleges to streamline enrolment and credit transfers to military personnel and their families.
End Homelessness St. John's gets $218K from Ottawa to help struggling veterans | CBC News
Ottawa is granting a Newfoundland and Labrador non-profit a pot of money to prevent homelessness among the province's veterans. St. John's East MP Joanne Thompson told reporters Tuesday the federal government is giving $218,000 to End Homelessness St. John's, contributing to its efforts to support veterans who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Canada to provide $9M in funding for at risk veterans (citynews.ca)
The federal government announced more than $9 million for projects that support veterans experiencing or at imminent risk of homelessness in British Columbia and the Yukon. In a release Tuesday, a day after Remembrance Day, the Ministry of Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities explained that these projects are funded through the Veterans Homelessness Program.
During Remembrance Day on Monday, almost four dozen commissionaires working at Canadian Forces Base Borden will take a moment to pause, reflect and remember. … For years, the federal government’s contract with Commissionaires Great Lakes allowed the company to bill a holiday premium for commissionaires who worked at CFB Borden, located about 20 minutes west of Barrie, on Remembrance Day. That came to an end this year, when the company’s contract with the federal government was renegotiated and the pay for employees working on Remembrance Day was changed to align with Ontario’s Employment Standards Act (OESA).
Veterans find healing through axe-making retreat in B.C. - Merritt Herald
Veterans from across B.C. had a weekend getaway to forge axes, connections and camaraderie. On the weekend of Oct. 26 and 27, the Veterans Artist Collective hosted an axe forging weekend for veterans at the Honour Ranch, located near Ashcroft. From punching and drifting the axe’s eye to forging, grinding and tempering the blade, veterans had an opportunity to build resilience and their community through blacksmithing. William Steed, the blacksmith that runs the program in partnership with Chris Hennebery from the Veterans Artist Collective, said the idea for the program came three years ago.
Traumatized Canadian Army veterans connect with horses in therapy | CTV News
Canadian Army veterans are healing their psychological wounds with some help from equine friends. Since starting equine therapy last June, Christian has regularly visited Mirabel's Equi-Sens stable, about 33 kilometres north of Montreal, to see the horse that has helped him “to be at peace.” … Christian suffers from depression and has difficulty relating to others. Taking care of the horse offers him some relief, calming his anxiety and trauma after years of service in the Canadian Armed Forces. “By managing to relate to the horse, I'm less afraid of relating to humans,” he said.
Canadian soldier turns to peer support to help veterans (citynews.ca)
… The transition back to everyday life after serving on the frontline can be daunting with flashbacks, sounds, and smells that bring you back to the warzone. It’s something John Senior, a peer support worker with OSI-Can, knows firsthand. He served in the Canadian Armed Forces for over 20 years. … With these experiences and understanding of veterans, Senior now dedicates his time to helping service members recover from PTSD and trauma through peer support. He says peer support is an important bridge for veterans to cross if they need clinical therapy and help to overcome the fear and stigma they may have with approaching help.
Canadian veterans say mental health struggles can be overcome - Lethbridge | Globalnews.ca
Survivors of mental health crises related to military service say help is available and it’s crucial to seek it. … “Will it have an impact on my career if I self-identify as having depression or anxiety? The answer is maybe, but it’s better to get help because, often, if it’s caught early, we can get you the help you need and it won’t have an impact, overall, on your career,” said Meghan Joiner, a major in the Canadian Armed Forces Directorate of Mental Health.
Amazon supporting Canadian veterans through ERG, employee programs | Benefits Canada.com
Amazon Canada is supporting Canadian veterans through a dedicated employee resource group as well as paid leave and various veteran-specific programs. The Warriors at Amazon group includes thousands of employees and offers professional development and advocacy support for veterans and military spouses across the company’s workforce. The group is also leading the company’s Remembrance Day celebrations in Canada, including Royal Canadian Legion poppy drives at Amazon offices and operations facilities; organizing a letter-writing campaign for Canadian veterans; and employee participation in community Remembrance Day events like the City of Toronto’s official ceremony.
What do you do after dedicating 38 years of your life to the Royal Canadian Air Force? For Michel Latouche it was aerospace consulting. “I got hired by a company, worked for them for two years and went, ‘No, I’d like to do this, but give back to veterans,'” he said. So, he and his wife Gail started the Manitoba-based Veterans Elite drone Training Services (VEdTS) in March 2023. He said they’ve already provided drone training to over 200 veterans across Canada.
A Canadian Forces veteran who served in Afghanistan says Canada should be a “world leader” on alternative therapies for treating veterans’ post-traumatic stress disorder and other post-combat trauma, including the use of psychedelics. Retired MCpl. Gordon Hurley says psychedelic treatments such as ketamine and psilocybin, or “magic mushrooms,” can give veterans “a breath of relief” from their trauma or addictions, pointing to his own experience, and is calling for further study and coverage for physician-assisted therapies.
Veteran finds solace, inspiration in art after traumatic experience - Barrie News (barrietoday.com)
… In 2019, Barbara Brown, founder of The Steel Spirit, connected with [Veteran James Lightle] and Jamie Lee to host a pop-up Steel Spirit art gallery at their Round Hill Studio. The Steel Spirit is a platform for artists from the services to display their artwork and their personal stories. Sixteen artists from the area were involved in the gallery. Recently, James was a presenter for an online webinar for The Steel Spirit and shared more about his moving story and evolution as an artist.
New exhibit unveils stories of Canadian veterans’ lives after service - National | Globalnews.ca
A new online exhibit at the Canadian War Museum is opening a window into veterans’ postwar lives. “In Their Own Voices” is an online collection which showcases 200 interviews with veterans and their families, sharing their innermost thoughts and life experiences after military service that many veterans kept to themselves and never had the opportunity to share publicly.
Should veterans get free parking in Burnaby like they do in other cities? - Burnaby Now
Remembrance Day is coming, but veterans in Burnaby will have to pay for parking in city-owned spaces and lots like everyone else as they attend services. That's something local resident Michael Schultz would like to see change. He wrote a letter to mayor and council last month calling on them to adopt a bylaw that would allow vehicles and motorcycles with veteran plates to park for free in the city. … Schultz said the bylaw would put the city in line with neighbouring municipalities that already have free parking for veterans, including Vancouver, Coquitlam, Port Moody, Surrey and New Westminster.
Brothers reflect on serving Canadians in the sea and air
Duane and Allan Gall remain proud of the decades they spent serving Canadians through the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force, respectively, even though both are now retired. The brothers, who were born in Estevan and went to the Estevan Comprehensive School, reflected on their respective careers during interviews with the Mercury and SaskToday.
Few remaining Second World War veterans want to be seen and heard | Calgary Herald
As another Remembrance Day approaches, Postmedia is shining a spotlight on Canada’s Second World War veterans. It’s a generation of ex-warriors now in or approaching their 100th year and whose ranks have thinned to a very few. In one of the last opportunities to share their stories, two Alberta veterans, one who served as an infantryman, the other as a sailor, recall their sense of loss and the horrors of war.
Veteran Bernie Dudka was a military policeman guarding the Canadian embassy in Moscow in the late 1980s, which was a dangerous assignment since the country was collapsing as the Cold War was ending.
… [Michelle Hamelin] was one of among 100 other Canadian veterans who travelled to Cyprus as part of commemorations that culminated Monday to mark the 60th anniversary of the U.N. peacekeeping force, known as UNFICYP, the longest such Canadian mission. … More than 100 active-duty Canadian Armed forces personnel, dispatched to Cyprus to assist in possible evacuations of Canadians from nearby Lebanon, joined Hamelin, Griffis and other veterans for a Remembrance Day ceremony at the Canadian U.N. Peacekeeper Memorial inside the buffer zone near the Ledra Palace hotel.
TRUE PATRIOT LOVE
Veterans deserve our support year-round | National Post
Today, Nov. 11, is a day for reflection and respect. To remember and offer tribute to the service and sacrifice shown by all those who have paid the ultimate price while serving in Canada’s Armed Forces — from the trenches of Beaumont-Hamel and the beaches of Normandy to the mountains and deserts of Afghanistan, and other conflicts throughout the nation’s history.
Remembering our veterans all year round – CP24
VIDEO: November 11th marks Remembrance Day, a day where many of us are thinking of ways we can remember those who put their lives on the line for our country. Ft. Nick and Veteran Shelley Lamothe.
Canada’s aging veterans often need help they aren’t getting (thestar.com)
… There are other threats to veterans’ health. One in four lives alone, the report said. For those with few social contacts, emotions can worsen during events that commemorate war, said veterans advocacy group True Patriot Love Foundation. “Social isolation, often intensified by service-related mental health challenges, poses a serious threat to the well-being of many Veterans,” said Nick Booth, the foundation’s CEO. “This risk is especially heightened during the Remembrance period, particularly for those who have lost friends and colleagues.”
INVICTUS GAMES
Invictus Games organizers lay out plans for Whistler - Pique Newsmagazine
If you need convincing of the life-altering influence the Invictus Games can have, take it from a Nigerian service member who visited Whistler earlier this year for his first taste of snowsports and, well, snow. Peacemaker Azuegbulam was one of the athletes in town for last winter’s participating nations’ training camp, a prelude to the 2025 Invictus Games, which will be held in Whistler and Vancouver from Feb. 8 to 16, welcoming hundreds of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans competing in 11 sports.
Brazil and Lithuania Join the Invictus Community of Nations Ahead of Vancouver Whistler 2025
The Invictus Games Foundation proudly welcomes Brazil and Lithuania as the newest members of its ever-growing community of nations. These countries, now part of a movement that celebrates the power of sport for the recovery of international wounded, injured, and sick service personnel and veterans, are set to participate in the highly anticipated Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 presented by ATCO and Boeing. These Games will mark a significant chapter in the Invictus Games story as the first Winter hybrid Games bringing together participants from around the world, united in their shared journey to recovery through sports post injury or illness. Also joining Brazil and Lithuania in this year’s line-up is the newly formed team, Afghan Unconquered announced on the 6th November.
CIMVHR
Opinion: Veterans with complex health issues need more help | Ottawa Citizen
Canada’s veterans are rapidly aging, and we need a new strategy to better support them. A new report, Addressing the Coming of Age and its Related Complexities Among Canada’s Veterans, explains that approximately two-thirds of the country’s veterans are at least 55 years old. Moreover, many of these veterans have complex physical and mental health conditions that increase their risk of experiencing accelerated aging, frailty and requiring long-term care (LTC) prematurely.
Read the report here: Addressing the Coming of Age and Its Related Complexities Among Canada’s Veterans (cimvhr.ca)
RESEARCH
The Canadian Special Operations Forces Command conducts explosives operations and training which exposes members to explosive charges at close proximity. This 5-year longitudinal trial was conducted in follow-up to our initial trial which examined military breachers with MRI and EEG pre and post blast exposure.
CANADA COMPANY
Canadian Company supports military members, their families and veterans | CTV News
At the height of the Afghanistan War, Blake Goldring founded Canada Company with a goal of increasing awareness and knowledge of the impact and value of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). The organization acts as a bridge between military communities and the Canadian public, serving military members, their families, and veterans through many programs and education initiatives.
INDIGENOUS VETERANS | INDIGENOUS VETERANS DAY
Indigenous veterans to be honoured Friday in Iqaluit (nunatsiaq.com)
Sgt. Thomas (Tommy) Prince was among the most decorated Indigenous war veterans in Canadian history. His cousin, Chris Ledger, plans to lay the wreath at the cenotaph in Iqaluit on Friday, to mark the 30th annual Indigenous Veterans Day. Prince served in Canada’s 1st Special Service Force during the Second World War, a joint Canada-U.S. specialized reconnaissance and raiding unit.
Legacy of Indigenous soldiers now being preserved in northwestern Alberta | CBC News
A researcher in Grande Prairie, Alta., has undertaken a project to ensure past Indigenous soldiers and veterans are recognized for their sacrifices in both world wars.
Renee Charbonneau, who runs the Veterans Memorial Gardens in Grande Prairie, has been working for seven years to collect the stories of Indigenous soldiers from northwestern Alberta who were killed in action overseas. Elders in the region and Indigenous genealogists have helped her.
Métis Crossing marks Indigenous Veterans Day in the shadow of ongoing inequities | CBC News
… The Métis Nation of Alberta is now assisting veterans and their families seeking reparations after being denied access to the benefits and support programs provided to their non-Indigenous peers. "I believe that Veterans Affairs is moving in that direction. It is a slow process," said Lisa Wolfe, secretary of veterans' affairs for the Métis Nation of Alberta.
Belgium honours Indigenous First World War veterans | CBC News
[Jeff] Purdy is part of a Canadian delegation touring Flanders Fields as part of a week of commemorative events for Remembrance Day, on Monday, and Canada's Indigenous Veterans Day on Friday. This year, for the first time, Belgium is holding a national ceremony on Friday, to honour the approximately 4,000 Indigenous soldiers who fought in the First World War.
RDP hosts guest speaker for Indigenous Veterans Day | rdnewsnow.com
November 8 marks National Indigenous Veterans Day, which Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) recognized with a presentation from Brian St. Germain, who’s father served in the Canadian military during WWII. About 50 people enjoyed soup and bannock while Brian told the story of his father, Corporal Alphonse Joseph St. Germain (1920-2002), and his time serving Canada on the front lines. He also shared background on Indigenous contributions to the military as a whole.
Maskwacis marks Indigenous Veterans Day - Ponoka News
On Nov. 8, Indigenous Veterans Day, the Four Nations of Maskwacis paid tribute veterans of Maskwacis who have served their nation and country, past and present. The Maskwacis Cree Veterans Memorial Day service was held at the Maskwacis cenotaph in Samson Cree Nation.
Saanich ceremony memorializes 3 brothers on National Indigenous Veterans Day (cheknews.ca)
… On Friday, Nov. 8, a ceremony at the BC Legislature honoured First Nations, Métis and Inuit soldiers, and on the Saanich Peninsula, family and friends gathered to honour the Underwood brothers. “I don’t think a lot of people are aware that Indigenous war veterans didn’t have to sign up. They didn’t have to go to war,” Mavis Underwood told CHEK. “If they went to war, in fact they sometimes lost their Indian status, and they lost their place in their homelands.” Mavis’ father and two uncles, the Underwood brothers, were among thousands of Indigenous soldiers who volunteered their service. On Friday, a monument inscribed with their names was unveiled in Saanich.
'Really important' Indigenous Veterans Day marked in Rama - Village Report
It was a sombre day in Rama First Nation Friday as the community gathered to celebrate National Indigenous Veterans Day. Among those on hand to take part in today's ceremony was John McNeil, the officer commanding the support company for the 3rd Canadian Ranger Patrol Group. McNeil joined the Canadian Armed Forces in November 1991 to continue a family tradition that was started by grandfathers from both sides of his family.
Indigenous veterans honoured in ceremony | CTV News
… Winston Wuttunee spent 15 years of his life serving in the Canadian military, where he was deployed to Cyprus as a peacekeeper. He served our country, despite the treatment he sometimes received while growing up. "When I walked in the rink, the guy that ran the rink said, 'look at that Indian. He thinks he can get everywhere for nothing!' It just hurt to hear that," recalled Wuttunee. But despite that hurt, Wuttunee served in the military anyway. He isn't alone. Thousands of Indigenous people have served in the Canadian military, from the First World War to the present day.
Alberta celebrates Indigenous veterans | CTV News
Canada honoured its First Nations, Inuit and Métis service members on Indigenous Veterans Day. Currently, more than 5,000 Indigenous people are in the Canadian Armed Forces as active or reserve members, 735 of whom are Albertan, according to Alberta MLA Glenn van Dijken. "For years, Indigenous soldiers have had to leave their families, often having to learn a new language, and be put in incredibly dangerous situations," said at a ceremony at the legislature on Friday.
REMEMBRANCE DAY ACROSS CANADA
National Newswatch | 'I get goosebumps': Canadians across the country…
Canadians gathered Monday in cities and towns across the country to honour the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who gave their lives in service of the country's values and principles. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov. Gen. Mary Simon paid their respects in a Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. They were joined by this year's Silver Cross Mother, Maureen Anderson of New Brunswick, whose two sons served in Afghanistan.
Veterans purged from military for sexual orientation lay wreath at Montreal ceremony (citynews.ca)
Private Martine Roy was only 20 years old in 1984 when she was arrested, interrogated and dismissed from the Canadian Armed Forces for being what was then termed a “sexual deviant.” Today, after fighting for the right to be recognized as a veteran, she laid a wreath at Montreal’s Remembrance Day ceremony on behalf of victims of the wave of persecution that has become known as the LGBT Purge.
The rain held off, the crowds did not, for Remembrance Day in downtown Barrie this morning. Hundreds gathered in Memorial Square on Monday to mark the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, and honour the veterans who served Canada. “It’s the only place to be today,” said John Flavelle of Barrie. “If it was up to me, they (veterans) would all live for free when they came home.”
Funding constraints in the military and a large police operation in the community are the reasons given by local officials to explain the absence of military members and RCMP from Monday’s Remembrance Day ceremonies in Lac La Biche.
VIDEO: France honours Canadian military veterans - SaskToday.ca
Hundreds of people came together at the Estevan Comprehensive School's gymnasium on Nov. 11 for Estevan's annual Remembrance Day service. … Capt. Craig Bird, a local military historian, gave a video presentation on a trip that he and his wife Tina took to France in June for ceremonies that marked the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in France…. They ventured to Bretteville, where a ceremony took place to commemorate the liberation of the town. Bird noted the town centre has a central area called the Place du Canadiens, where the town's cenotaph is located. Plaques commemorate the war dead and a statue is dedicated to the Regina Rifles Regiment.
Second World War veteran Percival Smith was a teenager when he entered the British Merchant Navy, but after years at sea he emerged as a man who returned to a family he "couldn't even recognize" after the war. Smith, 101, was among thousands who gathered in downtown Vancouver for the 100th anniversary Remembrance Day ceremony at the Victory Square Cenotaph.
Free hot drinks for vets and forces members on Remembrance Day - SaskToday.ca
Tim Hortons restaurant owners across Canada will offer free hot beverages to veterans and Canadian Armed Forces members on Nov. 11 in recognition of Remembrance Day.
Thousands honour the sacrifces of Veterans at Victoria Cenotaph (cheknews.ca)
Thousands with poppies on their chest gathered at the Victoria Cenotaph to pay their respect to fallen Canadian soldiers and to honour those who continue to serve. Veterans, soldiers, politicians, and family gathered around the cenotaph on the legislative grounds as the sounds of the Last Post filled the air.
Toronto Remembrance Day memorial honours local vets (thestar.com)
Lynett, now 103, shared stories of her brother, John Richard Griffin, who was killed in action during a Royal Canadian Air Force mission over England in 1942 at the age of 24. The last time she would see her brother was when she, her family and their friends waved goodbye to him as he pulled out of Toronto’s Union Station. His name is one of more than 1,300 soldiers commemorated in this year’s “They Walked These Streets, We Will Remember Them” project, which spans 11 neighbourhoods across Toronto’s west end, including Bloor West, Junction, High Park, Swansea, and Humbercrest. It runs until Nov. 11, and a year-round map of all soldiers in the project can be accessed on the memorial’s website.
War historian Tim Cook on why Remembrance Day resonates with Canadians | Ottawa Citizen
… Not every Canadian cares about this — not every Canadian even knows about it. But at the museum we often get letters from people that say, ‘I just found out that I had a great-grandfather or a great-uncle who served in the war. How can I find out more?’ A key element of this desire to know more is that this history is in our families. It’s in our blood. It goes back generations.
Gardener's Notebook: Wear a poppy - SaskToday.ca
… “Papaver Rhoeas” is the plant immortalized in John McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields”. This hearty annual is lovely to look at, with bright red petals streaked with black at their throats. In Europe, this poppy is considered more of a weed than a thing of beauty because of its invasive growing habit, with seeds that can lie dormant until the right growing conditions come along, such as tilling or disturbing the soil. Such were the conditions the spring of 1915 around Ypres; despite the horrific ravages of war on the landscape, the warm weather caused the poppy seeds lying in the battle-mangled soil to germinate.
Remembrance Day will be unique experience in serene park setting - Barrie News (barrietoday.com)
Surrounded by trees and buffered from the elements, the cenotaph at Springwater Provincial Park is absolutely silent on this Friday morning. Workers have just wrapped up preparing the site for Monday’s Remembrance Day ceremony, having installed displays of knitted and crocheted poppies and filled urns with evergreen limbs and bouquets of poppies. Scott Thomas, the park’s superintendent, was overseeing the activities, much like he has every year for the past 10 years or so since the ceremony returned to the park, following a decades-long hiatus.
Township hosts Remembrance Day ceremony early so all can attend - Barrie News (barrietoday.com)
… About 200 folks braved overcast skies and intermittent rain as wreaths were laid, honours were paid and heroes remembered. The notes of The Last Post seem to echo forever across the silent fields. For many, it would be the only opportunity they would get to take in a Remembrance Day ceremony, with many Ontario residents forgoing the annual ceremony tomorrow because it’s not a statutory holiday in the province.
Thousands gather at Lindsay Thurber for Remembrance Day ceremony | rdnewsnow.com
Well over 2,000 people attended the annual Lindsay Thurber High School Remembrance Day ceremony on Wednesday, honouring those who sacrificed their lives fighting to protect Canada.
D-Day veteran shares brutal reality of war with local students - Bradford News (bradfordtoday.ca)
Local elementary school students learned about the importance of Remembrance Day today from a 100-year-old D-Day veteran. George Ferguson was born in Scotland and moved to Canada with his family when he was four years old. He first tried to join the service when he was 17, but was turned away. "We were at war," he said. "I wanted to join, but they told me to go home and ask my mother. They said I wasn't old enough."
Niagara-on-the-Lake cenotaph ready for Remembrance Day (niagarathisweek.com)
Niagara-on-the-Lake’s iconic landmark cenotaph and clock tower is a little brighter than usual. While the refurbishing of the 103-year-old structure has been widely approved by heritage proponents, some are critical of the white-coloured mortar used to fix the brick. … Niagara-on-the-Lake and the Royal Canadian Legion raised $150,000 to cover the cost of the project. The bid by the company to do the work was $133,000 plus HST.
NATIONAL SILVER CROSS MOTHER
Silver Cross Mother lost both her sons to PTSD after serving in Afghanistan - Pique Newsmagazine
Maureen Anderson remembers when her two sons – Ron and Ryan – were about to ship off to Afghanistan in 2007. The military men had been to global hot spots before and both were embarking on their second tour in Afghanistan. This time, they were leaving together. … Her boys – both sergeants in the Royal Canadian Regiment – returned from Afghanistan changed men. They didn’t talk much about the war. They both suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Ron retired from the Canadian Forces after 21 years of service and seven tours overseas. He died in 2014, at 39. Ryan, who retired after 19 years and three tours overseas, died in 2017. He was 38.
COMMEMORATION, HISTORY & REMEMBRANCE
We Are the Dead: Ottawa Citizen tribute to war heroes ends this Remembrance Day (msn.com)
The Ottawa Citizen’s annual journalistic tribute to Canada’s war dead will conclude this year with its 14th profile of a randomly selected soldier on Remembrance Day. The project, known as We Are The Dead, began in 2011, the brainchild of former Citizen reporter Glen McGregor. A data journalism specialist, McGregor had obtained a copy of a Veterans Affairs Canada database, which listed all 119,531 of the servicemen and women who had died in uniform. He wrote code for a Twitter account (now X), and had it issue a name from the database randomly once every hour. For the past 13 years, the online memorial has published 24 names a day, one at 11 minutes past each hour. The internet bot is expected to complete its publication of the full list of war dead early next year, which makes this the final year of the We Are The Dead series.
The volunteers who help tell the story of Canada's war dead | Ottawa Citizen
The project? The Ottawa Citizen’s annual We Are the Dead story, where reporters and editors at the paper set to work telling the story of one name from a list of Canada’s war dead, published every hour for the past 13 years from the paper’s @WeAreTheDead automated account on the social-media platform X. Holmes, a history buff and amateur genealogist, is one of the many readers who help with the research.
A new app is helping to rescue veterans' stories from fading memories | CBC News
… more than 330,000 slain soldiers from around the world whose biographies and war records make up a remarkable archive describing what wars of the past looked like to those who fought them.
That archive, consisting in part of information culled from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and Veterans Affairs Canada, is accessible through a one-of-a-kind app developed by Calgary-based tech company Memory Anchor. Veteran Ryan Mullens said his company created the app to help preserve the stories of those who fought and died as the number of living veterans of those conflicts continues to dwindle.
U of T technology solves First World War soldier's flower mystery | CTV News
Harold Wrong plucked a flower from the fields of Somme, France on June 30, 1916 and tucked it into a letter he mailed home to Toronto. “All well with me” he wrote to his brother. The next day, Wrong was dead. He was last seen going over the top of a trench with a wounded arm and killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. … In the 1960s, the letters Harold mailed home to his family during the war were given to the U of T library and, for decades, no one could figure out what kind of flower Wrong had placed inside the envelope.
A special memorial for Oceanside members of the armed forces who died fighting in conflicts overseas is now on display in Qualicum Beach. The 2024 Field of Crosses (FOC) is on display inside the grassy park at the Memorial Ave. and Village Ave. intersection, with 67 crosses representing those lost. Chair of the Field of Crosses Committee with Rotary Club of Qualicum Beach (RCQB) Carol Eamer said each cross contains the name and age of a soldier lost, except for one to represent the unknown soldiers. “The 66 people lost their lives while they were fighting overseas, they did not return to Canada. They do not have graves in Canada. They were buried in Belgium, France, Germany, England, and therefore we’re setting up a cemetery to represent the lives of these 66 people who left from this area and did not return after the war.”
Red tape is being cleared to allow for the replacement and restoration of nearly two dozen Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorial headstones. City Councillors unanimously moved through three readings of bylaw changes on Monday, Nov. 4 which, among other housekeeping items, would allow for headstones honouring local servicemen and women to be replaced in an upright fashion.
Banner project continues to grow in the southeast - SaskToday.ca
The South East Military Museum's efforts to remember the veterans of southeast Saskatchewan through commemorative banners continue to have lots of interest. More than 180 banners are hanging in 13 communities, with Ogema being the newest community to come on board. Forty-six banners have been added throughout the region this year, including four in Estevan.
How Bradford is walking the walk in an effort to honour veterans - Bradford News (bradfordtoday.ca)
… As part of the regular meeting on Nov. 5, council directed staff to install Remembrance Day murals at two crosswalks, including at the intersection of Holland Street East and Bingham Street as soon as possible, and the intersection of Brian Collier Way and the path connecting the library to the leisure centre to be unveiled on Canadian Armed Forces Day on June 8, 2025.
Silent sentinels: Elmvale war heroes honoured with downtown banners - Barrie News (barrietoday.com)
The 32 faces keep watch over Elmvale’s main street 24 hours a day, constant reminders of the wars that were waged and the sacrifices that were made. … “About five years ago, we were driving around and kept seeing these banners in a number of towns honouring military veterans who fought in the world wars and Korea,” said Jay Schell, owner of Steelers Restaurant and Pub on the village’s main street. “We thought it was a very important gesture and it should be happening here in Elmvale.”
Veterans who fought in muddy trenches and enemy-filled skies honoured with banners - SaskToday.ca
Fighting in rat-infested trenches was no fun for soldiers during the First World War while facing deadly anti-air flack was likely just as miserable for airmen in the Second World War. Sidney T. Hampson, James Burleigh Hill and Sir Arthur Charles Edward Ramshaw are three men who faced such horrors of war and are now commemorated on banners in downtown Moose Jaw.
Uxbridge selects 21 veterans’ names for future street signs (durhamregion.com)
With help from the Uxbridge Royal Canadian Legion, the names of 21 veterans have been chosen for future street signs in Uxbridge. With help from the small team at the legion, and given the slow growth in Uxbridge, this group of individuals is expected to last generations, said Coun. Bruce Garrod. The motion was passed at the Nov. 4 council meeting.
Bomb Girl Louise Johnson attends special event in Ajax (durhamregion.com)
Louise Johnson was just a young woman when she took a train in the early 1940’s from Saskatoon to what is now Ajax to help with the war effort. She became a bomb girl at the top-secret DIL (Defence Industries Ltd.) munitions plant diligently filling bomb shell casings with the bomb explosive cordite to send to soldiers in battle overseas. Johnson was a special guest at the Ajax Legion on Nov. 6 when historian and author Barbara Dickson gave a compelling presentation and some insight into this mostly lost part of Canadian history. “It’s an inspiration just to be around you Louise,” she said to Johnson, now 103. Dickson wrote “Bomb Girls: Trading Aprons For Ammo.”
Regina author's book tells story of own parents separated by war | CTV News
Regina author Valerie Crowther is celebrating the release of her book ‘War Letters: Linking Lives in the Second World War.’ The memoir tells the story of her parents, John and Margaret, as they both served in the Second World War and the letters sent between them and their families. “It’s been a long time in the making,” Crowther told CTV News. “They’re centered around when they were apart and writing to each other to say in touch.”
Johnny Fauquier: The life of Canada's greatest bomber pilot | Ottawa Citizen
Johnny Fauquier, the most decorated Canadian airman of the Second World War, was born into spectacular wealth in Rockcliffe. The son of a railway builder, Fauquier grew up in a mansion named “Ardvar” — it now serves as the residence of Sweden’s ambassador to Canada — with a commanding view of the Ottawa River. He attended Ashbury College, captained the cricket team, and later launched a career as a stockbroker in Montreal. … He would change careers, work as a bush pilot, then enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force at the age of 30. During the Second World War, Fauquier would fly three tours of duty — at least 93 combat missions — and survive encounters with flak, night fighters and an empty gas tank.
How Canada's military uniforms were shaped by weather over the years - The Weather Network
VIDEO: Harsh weather during conflicts over the past century has pushed the Canadian military to constantly update the materials and designs of their soldiers' uniforms. The Weather Network's Connor O'Donovan takes a closer look.
A look back at Red Deer’s importance in WWII | rdnewsnow.com
With Remembrance Day around the corner, some may be interested to know that Red Deer and Penhold once served as an important part in Canada’s efforts in the Second World War. As Canada joined the war in the fight against the Axis powers, some major changes came to Red Deer and area. The A-20 army camp, which was located in the area where Lindsay Thurber High School now stands, was a basic training camp for the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps that would have up to 500 recruits from across Alberta at one time.
… [W]ith the help of the Innisfil Historical Society's Donna Wice, InnisfilToday has compiled four stories about a few of the town's bravest heroes. "There are so many veterans to remember and honour," she said. "So many who never returned to their homes and families. So many who survived and then set about carrying on with their lives … just ordinary Innisfil people called on to do extraordinary duties."
Lt. Lancelot Bertrand’s journey took him from the Caribbean to Saskatchewan and then to France to fight in the First World War with what is now the B.C. Regiment. For his bravery at Vimy Ridge, he was awarded the Military Cross, the only Black Canadian officer to be so honoured during the war. A few months later, on Aug. 15, 1917, he was killed by a bullet to the back in a battle near Lens, France, and buried in an unmarked mass grave, three months shy of his 25th birthday. A 2011 discovery of buried Canadian soldiers near Lens, France, has led to hope that Bertrand’s relatives can be found, his remains identified through DNA testing, and the soldier finally given a proper burial.
How The Porcupine took a WW2 bomb squadron under its wing - Village Report
Four years after the Second World War started, a local teacher serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) penned a plea to local councils to adopt an orphan bomber squadron. … The story starts in November 1943 with flight Lt. Don Simpson of the newly created 433 Squadron. Simpson had been a Grade 8 teacher at South Porcupine Public School and asked The Porcupine District — the townships of Tisdale and Whitney, and the Town of Timmins — to take the section under their wing.
THEN AND NOW: Barrie-Base Borden history long and intertwined - Barrie News (barrietoday.com)
… Barrie is one of the unique communities that has a military base, practically next door. Most of us are quite used to seeing men and women in uniform around town and having families from the base as members of local organizations, as neighbours and as friends. Barrie and Base Borden’s history is long and intertwined.
… We find the search guide, organized by country and battalion, and quickly find Lorne V Frood, my grandfather’s youngest brother who enlisted in September 1914, in the Eastern Ontario Regiment, 2nd Battalion. He was an early adopter, swept up in an adventure where the boys would be home for Christmas.
COLUMN: Canadian nurses were highly skilled, regarded in WW2 - Bradford News (bradfordtoday.ca)
… During the war, Canada’s nursing service was expanded to all three branches of the military: the Canadian Army, the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force. … They were respectfully addressed as “sister” or “ma’am” because they were all commissioned officers. By war’s end 4,480 Nursing Sisters had enlisted: 3,656 with the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, 481 with the Royal Canadian Air Force Medical Branch, and 343 with the Royal Canadian Naval Medical Service.
HEROES AMONG US
The new generation of Canadians grieving war dead | National Post
… The first time Sarah Keller spoke to National Post, last spring, was to register a complaint. The paper had published a piece in the series Heroes Among Us that told the story of the battle at the White School in the context of two high level awards, Stars of Military Valour, that were given to two surviving soldiers. The mention of Bryce was not dismissive or obviously disrespectful, but it was perfunctory, clipped, newsy, stripped of its human meaning. It was a factoid about some soldier, a minor detail. And it was terribly upsetting for Sarah Keller to read. … there was an almost indescribable and overwhelming wave of grief and disappointment in reading… of Bryce only as a soldier who was “lying dead just outside the building” rather than as the brave man who voluntarily took a bound with the last functional C6 in the platoon, across open ground and under heavy enemy fire, in an attempt to rescue a fellow soldier and provide additional assistance to his team.”