Saskatoon honours, remembers those who died while serving and protecting Canada

SASKATOON -

Saskatoon residents braced the wintery conditions to participate in a Remembrance Day ceremony downtown, honouring and paying their respects to Canadians who made the ultimate sacrifice. 

The usual indoor Remembrance Day service at SaskTel Centre did not go ahead this year, but the Canadian Progress Club organized a small service in Saskatoon’s Civic Square near the cenotaph where residents laid wreathes and poppies.

"I still wanted to get a wreath on behalf of our club and do something on a very reflective day," said Brent Marjerison, who helped organize the ceremony.

A group of roughly 100 veterans and members of the public took part.

People saluting at the cenotaph in Saskatoon.

Marjerison addressed the crowd, speaking about his father who was in the Royal Canadian Navy and was on a frigate.

"They were there to protect the convoys back and forth across the North Atlantic, so he had many missions across the North Atlantic and ended up in London, England periodically," Marjerison said.

"My dad was in London, England on leave during the bombing of Britain. So, he told me some stories about being down below in the subways when the German airforce was bombing the city."

Marjerison said it means a lot to see so many people come out to reflect and pay tribute on this important day.

"There's more and more people attending these services, so I think people are really understanding the value and the importance of veterans past, but also present as well. It's not just the Great War, the Second World War, the Korean War, but it's Afghanistan, Iraq, all our veterans. We’re recognizing them as well because it’s all of our troops, men and women, that are fighting for our country."

poppies in sasaktoon

Ret. Lt. Col. Tony Engelberts with the North Saskatchewan Regiment also attended the service near the cenotaph. For him, this day hits close to home.

"I worked with a family of a soldier that was killed in Afghanistan. The one question that I was asked by the family was 'will he be forgotten? Will people remember him?' And hearing that coming from the family of somebody who lost their life serving, that’s really what Remembrance Day boils down to," he told CTV News.

"People that made that sacrifice and are no longer with us, we owe it to them to remember them, remember their legacy and remember one another."

Engelberts said this day is also about honouring people who did make it back but are dealing with the long-term effects.

"A lot of people I’ve served with overseas and things like that, there are some ongoing legacy, there’s some ongoing issues with pretty much everybody who’s worn a uniform … this is a day to remember the people that made the ultimate sacrifice but there’s still a lot of people that made huge sacrifices that are still living with that."

Engelberts said the service is also an opportunity to reconnect with people he has met over the years in the military.

"The people have always been the most important aspect for me in my time in the military. I’ve gotten a lot of good friends over the years, a lot of acquaintances … It’s always good to connect with people who have the shared experiences."

Around 11 a.m., the Saskatchewan Aviation Museum flew a Harvard Second World War training plane over the city, at the request of all the local legions. The plane flew over places where ceremonies were happening, including Saskatoon Civic Square, and over the Royal Canadian Legions.

Sask. Aviation Museum flew above Saskatoon on Remembrance Day.

A special ceremony held at the HMCS Unicorn was pre-recorded and broadcast Thursday in lieu of in-person gatherings.

There are approximately 1,000 veterans remaining from the Second World War and the Korean War in Saskatchewan. Meanwhile, 14,600 Saskatchewan residents are Canadian Armed Forces veterans.

Robert Milburn was with the Naval Reserve for 34 years and worked with the Saskatoon Police Service for 28 years.

"(This day) remembers everybody that went away and didn’t come back and the ones who came back. My dad was World War Two, my grandfather was World War One. They both served throughout their wars and came back, and they brought back a little baggage with them."

People also paid tribute through a walk-through Remembrance Day display set up at SaskTel Centre.

"We were trying to come up with an idea where families can still come to the arena, stay out of the elements and have some time with their families, explain to their kids what Remembrance Day is all about," said Brian Swidrovich with the Remembrance Day Memorial Walk.

Displays were set up around the concourse, paying tribute to those who have served or are currently serving.

The walk-through ran from 12 to 5 p.m. and was free of charge. People had to wear masks while inside.