Honour veterans and those Canada lost in service at a Remembrance Day ceremony on November 11, 2021. Due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, some services are offered only online—but they all honour the achievements and sacrifices of those who served our country in times of war and peace. Lest we forget.
1) Remembrance Day Service at City Hall | 10:40 am
Location: Cenotaph Plaza, City Hall Plaza
This year, due to the health risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no indoor public Remembrance Day ceremony inside City Hall; however, a short ceremony will take place outside at the Cenotaph on the City Hall Plaza. Guests in attendance are asked to adhere to all public health restrictions currently in place, including maintaining physical distance from those from other households.
2) Ceremony at the Edmonton Jewish Cemetery | 10 am
Location: Edmonton Jewish Cemetery, outside at the cenotaph | 7622-101 Ave. | 780-487-0585 ext. 204
The Jewish Federation of Edmonton’s annual Remembrance Day ceremony will be held at The Edmonton Jewish Cemetery. All are welcome to pay respects for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in Canada’s past conflicts.
3) Beverly Memorial Cenotaph Remembrance Day Service (online) | 10:20 am
Beverly Memorial Cenotaph (4018-118 Ave.) is Alberta’s (and possibly Canada’s) oldest cenotaph. It will be broadcasted on Facebook Live and their YouTube channel. The ceremony will also include a fly-by from the Royal Canadian Air Force.
4) Remembrance Day with the Alberta Aviation Museum (online) | 8:30 am–12:30 pm
The museum will still be taking steps to acknowledge the soldiers and airmen who have made the ultimate sacrifice in an online format. Tune in on the museum’s Facebook page where they will be hosting access to a series of Remembrance Day services, as well as stories from Blatchford Field. Itinerary for digital events runs 8:30 am–12:30 pm. The museum will be open to the public on Remembrance Day from 10 am–5 pm with admission BY DONATION.
5) Cenotaph Service in Leduc | 10:45 am
Location: Leduc Civic Centre | 1 Alexandra Park, Leduc.
Public are welcome to attend and are asked to do their best to follow pandemic protocols, including physically distancing. A Virtual Remembrance Day Service will be broadcasted at 10:30 am.
WAR MEMORIALS IN EDMONTON
You can also pay a visit to one of the war memorials located throughout Edmonton commemorating the lives lost in wars fought all over the world.
1) Aboriginal Veterans’ Monument | Legislature Building Grounds
Placed in 2004, this plaque honours the Indigenous veterans of Alberta who have served in Canada’s military.
2) Albertans in the Canadian Naval Service | Legislature Building Grounds
Placed in 1985, this plaque honours all Albertans who served in the Canadian Navy.
3) Aviation Heritage Memorial | 11410 Kingsway Ave.
This monument located outside of the Alberta Aviation Museum honours the Royal Canadian Air Force’s connection to Edmonton.
4) Canadian Merchant Navy | Legislature Building Grounds
Unveiled in 1996, this plaque commemorates the Canadian Merchant Navy and was placed on the 52nd anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic.
5) Edmonton Cenotaph | City Hall
Unveiled August 13, 1936, the cenotaph stands 23 feet high, weighs more than 100 tonnes, and was constructed from B.C. marble, concrete, and steel. The memorial represents the tombs of approximately 3,000 veterans from the Edmonton area who died in WWI.
6) Field of Honour & Cross of Sacrifice | Beechmount Cemetery (12420-104 St.)
The military burials lie along the southwest section of Beechmount Cemetery. Key features include the Field of Honour (specifically for the Second World War, with the number of war victims with reserved graves totalling 1768) and the Cross of Sacrifice (unveiled in 1957). Overlooking the Field of Honour, the towering Cross of Sacrifice deliberatly excludes specific dates, to ensure that it would apply for all future victims of war as well. The inscription reads “Their Names Liveth Forevermore.”
7) Korean War Memorial | Legislature Building Grounds
This cairn is in memory of the Albertans killed in action in the Korean War (1950–53).
8) Military Field of Honour | Edmonton Cemetery (11820-107 Ave.)
Within the Edmonton Cemetery is the Military Field of Honour, established in 1922. Marker stones are laid out with no distinctions between rank or file of the veterans. There are 80 Commonwealth war graves from the First World War and 51 from World War II.
9) War Memorial Pipe Organ | U of A Convocation Hall
Erected in 1925 by Casavant Frères, a Canadian pipe organ company, the organ is in memory of the 80 University of Alberta comrades who lost their lives during WWI. There are also tablets near the entrance of the hall with the names of the students, staff, and alumni who did not return from the First and Second World Wars.
