North Bay’s Remembrance Day ceremony draws hundreds to cenotaph
As 'The Last Post' rang out at the Memorial Park cenotaph in North Bay on Thursday, there was silence from Harry Sloan. He said he wanted to quietly thank his family who fought for our freedom.
“My grandfather served in the Second World War. I’ve got a cousin who had three tours in Afghanistan,” said Sloan.
He was one of hundreds of people to attend the Remembrance Day ceremony at the cenotaph, the second year the ceremony has been held there. Under normal circumstances, it would be held inside Memorial Gardens.
“Coming out for one day in the year, even if it’s colder and wetter, is the least I can do to honour them,” said Jorge Dacosta
Every year, there are fewer and fewer Second World War veterans. But North Bay doesn’t forget them. For legion members and veterans, seeing the crowd and the poppies pinned to the coats brings a sense of gratitude knowing people have their back.
“I was in Germany from 1963-1968 -- we were sitting on the verge of war with the Russians,” said veteran Jim Thompson.
Thompson is a Royal Canadian Air Force veteran who served during the height of the Cold War in the 1960s. Thompson said he is grateful no bullets were fired at him during that time of political unrest.
“My mother was very pleased no one shot at me, as well,” he said. “We did some tours in Dusseldorf. The country was totally separated and the Berlin Wall was still up. It was a tense scenario.”
Hundreds of people attend the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Memorial Park cenotaph in North Bay on Thursday, the second year the ceremony has been held there. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)
North Bay has a large military legacy. There are those who went overseas and also those serving today with the 22 Wing/Canadian Forces Base surveying and protecting North American skies.
“The mission doesn’t stop -- it’s 365 days a year,” said 22 Wing Commander Col. Mark Lachapelle. "Right now we have our crews standing on guard. I couldn’t be more proud of them."
Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli and North Bay Mayor Al McDonald were present for the ceremony and laid wreaths. McDonald took time to thank the men and women from 22 Wing.
“We’re safe because of the men and women that protect us 24/7. I want to say our gratitude to those who served before us and those currently serving,” said McDonald.
While Remembrance Day is about remembering the sacrifices made, Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 23 said it’s also about ending conflicts between ourselves and those that have different opinions from our own. And at the same time thanking our current day heroes: our frontline workers.
“We need to stop the turmoil. We must remember we have many frontline workers here now: our military personnel, our police departments, fire departments, and our medical departments,” said branch president Eileen Viau.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.