ST. PAUL - A much smaller and private Remembrance Day ceremony took place outside the St. Paul Rec. Centre, near the cenotaph in St. Paul on Nov. 11.
Despite the -17C temperatures, and with many people in attendance wearing face masks, Legion members and other community members took time to remember, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Normally, the Rec. Centre is filled to capacity with people taking time to honour fallen men and women, and all others who have served the country. This year, those plans were scaled back. No public ceremony was held, but residents are encouraged to take time today to stop by the cenotaph to lay their poppy at the outdoor cenotaph.
Premier Jason Kenney issued a statement to Albertans on Remembrance Day.
“Remembrance Day started as a way to remember and honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the First World War. More than 60,000 Canadians were killed in the four-year conflict, and more than 172,000 were injured," said Kenney.
“Our country’s pivotal role in that victory gave Canada a new standing among nations. It inspired a continuing fight for freedom in the Second World War, the Korean War, and in war and peacekeeping missions around the world," he added.
“Just as the Great War was ending, a deadly influenza struck the war-weary world. Just over a century later, we find ourselves facing the COVID-19 crisis, an echo of that early pandemic. We recognize, throughout history, that suffering and loss are universally part of human life. But so too are compassion, hope, faith and perseverance."
