Burlington Remembrance Day Events

Remembrance Day is but one day we collectively come together to remember, honour and pay tribute to our local veterans and their sacrifices.While it makes me proud as a Burlingtonian and your Mayor when I see my fellow citizens, of all ages, gather on Nov. 11, what is even more heartfelt is how you all honour those who have dedicated their lives to protecting us and our hard-fought freedoms every day.Burlington residents proved that earlier this year when we hosted our Juno 75 Burlington Remembers anniversary event on May 6 and a full-house packed the Burlington Performing Arts Centre to support and hear about our local veterans from their families.The full video of that night is still available online to watch at bit.ly/Juno75BurlingtonRemembers.This past summer, I had the privilege as your Mayor to head to Courseulles-sur-Mer, France, home of the Juno Beach Centre for the 75th anniversary of D-Day.As you know, the Centre wouldn’t have been built without Burlington residents, particularly local D-Day veteran Garth Webb. Being there on that beach further impressed upon me the sacrifices made by our own brave soldiers during the Second World War.We have a deep connection with Courseulles-sur-Mer and having learned of our city’s significant role in preserving the memory of Canada’s contributions to the war (and at the request of the host community), I asked Council in July to approve a recommendation to explore a twinning relationship with them. I’m proud that we did.D-Day was a seminal moment in the liberation of Europe and a turning point in the war. Thousands of young men and women volunteered to fight overseas, with many of them not returning home to their families. The world owes them an immeasurable debt that we can never repay.But what we can do is show them we have not forgotten their sacrifices all these years later and a fitting way to do so would be to attend one of the events taking place in our City on Nov. 11 — more details are at burlington.ca/remembranceday or below:

• Sunrise Remembrance Day Service, Spencer Smith Park — 9 a.m.
  • The 30-minute ceremony takes place at the Naval Ships Memorial Monument in Spencer Smith Park. For more information, contact the Burl-Oak Veterans at 905-632-3118.
• Remembrance Day Parade — 10:15 a.m.
  • The parade starts at Central Public School and goes along Brant to Elgin Street, Elgin to Locust Street, Locust to Ontario Street, Ontario to Brant, and returning to Central Public School after the Service.
• Remembrance Day Service — 11 a.m.
  • The approximately hour-long ceremony is held at the Cenotaph, on the north side of City Hall. For more information, contact the Royal Canadian Legion Burlington Branch 60 at 905-639-6400.

Another is to donate to the Royal Canadian Legion Burlington Branch’s poppy campaign that is already underway and wear a poppy.Lest we forget.— Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward--*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist