Legion cancels Remembrance Day parade and public ceremony

By: Michelle Poirier

The annual Sutton Legion Branch 356 Remembrance Day parade is cancelled this year. However, the Legion is still urging residents to remember veterans and active-duty soldiers on November 11 at 11 a.m.

“We do ask that you remember. Take the time to speak to your children about what this day is all about. It is a time to remember that freedom is not free,” the press release posted to Sutton Legion Branch 356’s Facebook page said.

Not only is the parade cancelled due to COVID-19, but the Legion is also limiting the service at the cenotaphs in Keswick and Sutton to 25 people each to ensure the health and safety of their members and the community. The services start at 10:30 a.m., and the Legion asks that the public do not attend.

“Wreaths for the services will be placed before the services. There will be no public speaking, just a brief ceremony where the National Anthem, Last Post and Reveille will be played along with the Royal Anthem,” the release said.

With the cancellations, residents have made their own plans to remember the veterans this Remembrance Day safely.

“We have gotten resources from Veteran Affairs; we are reading and learning. My kids and I are writing postcards to those in service. We plan to decorate our home and windows with poppies, visit the cenotaph the day before and then do our own moment of silence and remembering at home,” Heather Hodgins, resident of Sutton, said on Facebook.

Others are sharing stories of family members who have fought for our country.
“My Grandson and I will be talking about my Dad and Granddad, both sides of his family, and remembering why we have our freedom,” Cheryl Woodyatt, resident of Sutton, said on Facebook.

“I’ll be spending it at my brother’s gravesite. He was killed in Afghanistan in 2010 while serving our beloved country,” Jennine M. Collier, sister of Sapper Brian Collier, said on Facebook.

One resident, Heather St. Amant-Salvati, is passing down stories of her grandfather, a World War II veteran, to her daughter.

“We start remembering on November 1. We have our remembrance masks and post pictures on our grandparents’ social media that fought in the war. On November 11, we will remember our fallen ones by talking about memories and displaying a sign in our window,” she said.

Ms. St. Amant-Salvati’s grandfather, Henry St. Amant, enlisted at the age of 21 and served in Canada, the U.K., France, Belgium, Holland and Italy, where he was wounded, but recovered enough to work odd jobs and became a truck driver moving artillery and other soldiers.

He was discharged after the war, and he returned to his work at the coal dockyard in Britt, Ontario, and later became a truck driver for Gulf Oil. He passed away in 2013 at the age of 95.

This year, poppies will still be available for a donation, but you will not see many Legion members out.

“There is no tagging this year, we will have two taggers in Wal-Mart two days this week, and that’s the extent of it, the rest is just poppy boxes in the stores,” Pat Gooderham, Poppy Chairman for the Sutton Branch 356, said.

If you would like to donate to the Poppy Fund, you can send a cheque made out to Sutton Legion Branch 356 to 21 East Street, Box 521, Sutton West On., L0E 1R0. Please include “For Poppy Fund” in the note section.

If you are looking for ways to commemorate the day, there are a few things you can do with your family around Georgina.

On November 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Georgina Military Museum will be accessible to Georgina residents to pay their respects. Sid Giddings, President of the museum, said that COVID-19 precautions would be in place, and only one family will be allowed in a building at a time.

Laurie Carriere, a resident of Sutton, has started an initiative and encourages everyone to place a poppy picture and light in their windows to honour the veterans.

“Let’s light up Georgina and Canada in honour of our veterans and show how bright our love for them is. Please buy a poppy and donate money in support of the Royal Canadian Legion Veterans,” she said in a Facebook post.

The Georgina Public Library is running Postcards for Peace, a program to commemorate Remembrance Day. Postcards and envelopes are available at all three branches for you to write to a veteran or active-duty soldier to share your thanks. The postcards are available until November 18 and can be returned through the book return to be mailed to Veterans Affairs Canada.

At 11 a.m. on November 11 on Rogers TV, you can watch the annual coverage of the York Regional Police Remembrance Ceremony from 3 District in Keswick, which was recorded on November 6. Rogers TV will be replaying the coverage at 2 p.m. and will air other Remembrance Day programming throughout the day.