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No crowds or parades as B.C. observes subdued Remembrance Day during pandemic

No crowds or parades as B.C. observes subdued Remembrance Day during pandemic | iNFOnews.ca
People wearing face masks to curb the spread of COVID-19 are framed by a flame burning at the cenotaph, before a Remembrance Day ceremony, in North Vancouver, B.C., on Wednesday, November 11, 2020. The ceremony, which normally draws thousands of people, was scaled back this year with people being asked to stay home due to COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

VICTORIA – Scaled-back Remembrance Day ceremonies were held across British Columbia to keep people safe during the pandemic while honouring the sacrifices of those who fought for Canada.

Soldiers, veterans and front-line workers were saluted at the small and sombre gathering under grey skies at Vancouver's Victory Square cenotaph.

A black banner with the words "We Remember" fluttered from a nearby building as a few passersby watched from behind an orange construction fence.

At the B.C. legislature in Victoria, a fence circled the cenotaph where Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin placed a wreath.

Legion Padre Rev. Canon Andrew Gates delivered a brief sermon, saying the current fight for health and peace is a stark reminder that past pandemics and wars have cost millions of lives.

Vancouver ceremony organizer Cam Cathcart says the pandemic is an insidious virus that has thrust the world into a new war that is attacking young and old at home and abroad.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2020.

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Marshall Jones

News is best when it's local, relevant, timely and interesting. That's our focus every day.

We are on the ground in Penticton, Vernon, Kelowna and Kamloops to bring you the stories that matter most.

Marshall may call West Kelowna home, but after 16 years in local news and 14 in the Okanagan, he knows better than to tell readers in other communities what is "news' to them. He relies on resident reporters to reflect their own community priorities and needs. As the newsroom leader, his job is making those reporters better, ensuring accuracy, fairness and meeting the highest standards of journalism.

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