Burnaby Remembrance Day events

Remembrance Day falls on a Saturday this year, and there are local events such as parades and ceremonies to mark the occasion across Burnaby. Here are some ways you can mark the day.

During city council’s meeting on Oct. 30, Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley proclaimed Oct. 27 to Nov. 11 as Poppy Weeks in Burnaby. During the same council meeting, Steve Jeske, from the Royal Canadian Legion Burnaby, Branch 83, distributed poppies to meeting attendees. Jeske started his presentation by saying that this time of year, the legion honours the sacrifices of Canadians in various conflicts, including the two World Wars.

“Besides the men and women in our armed forces, we’d like to honour those within our RCMP and first responders,” Jeske added, mentioning that the past few years have been particularly difficult for first responders.

After the presentation, Coun. Sav Dhaliwal read the mayor’s proclamation, “the lapel poppy is a visual pledge to honour Canada’s veterans and remember those who sacrificed for the freedoms we enjoy today,” the proclamation said. It added that the Royal Canadian Legion’s poppy campaigns serve the purpose of collecting funds to aid in maintaining commemorative structures and provide other services related to those who died in the line of duty.

Every year the Royal Canadian Legion branches in Burnaby organize parades on Remembrance Day. This year, Royal Canadian Legion Branch #148 in North Burnaby is organizing a parade and ceremony starting at McGill Library and continues to the cenotaph in Confederation Park. The parade will commence at 10am.

Royal Canadian Legion Branch #83 in South Burnaby will start its parade at Legion 83, 5289 Grimmer St. The parade will begin at 10:20am and will march to the cenotaph on Nelson and Imperial, where a ceremony will take place at 10:55.

Lubna El Elaimy, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Burnaby Beacon