Decorated Canadian veteran warns of Russian dangers in High Arctic

EDMONTON – An Alberta soldier says he’s reflecting this Remembrance Day on the number of local troops being shipped overseas.

Lt.-Col. Bryn Wright, commanding officer of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, was one of hundreds who bowed their heads Monday for a solemn ceremony that comes as conflicts escalate in Europe and the Middle East.

Wright, who enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces in 2008 and deployed to Afghanistan in 2011, said this year was particularly important to him because many from Edmonton’s military community are deployed overseas, including more than 40 people from Wright’s regiment alone.

“This city, the people here, always step up to the plate when things are bad, whether it be back at the Boer War, World War I, World War 2, all the way through to now,” he told those gathered at Edmonton City Hall.

An 11-piece pipe band sent chills through the air as their tune “Highland Cathedral” echoed through city hall. As the band played on, cadets stood at ease in a straight and narrow line.

Randy Boissonnault, the local member of Parliament, said 2.3 million Canadians fought in the country’s most significant conflicts. Roughly 118,000 were killed in action.

“We stand here in this moment as a direct result of their sacrifices,” he told those gathered at Edmonton City Hall.

Boissonnault, comparing democracy to a flower garden, said Canadians must be like its gardeners as thousands of Canadian troops are deployed overseas. He noted many are training Ukrainian soldiers to defend themselves against Russia.

“We all must tend to democracy,” he said.

Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said Alberta’s capital city has a deep military history spanning more than 100 years, with the Loyal Edmonton Regiment tracing its history back to 1908.

Outside the building, the traditional folk song “Scotland the Brave” could be heard as hundreds more Edmontonians stood in the teeth-chattering cold to look up at the city’s cenotaph, guarded by four armed soldiers.

At the stroke of 11, they fell silent as a bugle sounded “The Last Post.” Veterans and their families joined other dignitaries to lay wreaths at the foot of the cenotaph.

Wright said he was pleased with Monday’s turnout.

“You can see by the numbers that today is not just about speeches,” he said. “It’s about reflection on where we came from and what our history is and remembering those who served and fell and those who continue to serve.

“It is very heartwarming for the members of the regiment to know that the city supports us.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, in a statement, said Remembrance Day honours those who died and those soldiers who fight personal battles when they come home.

“We honour the veterans who carry these invisible wounds of service and we stand with the families who supported them through every challenge,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

FERGUS, Ont. – Severe weather researchers say a tornado carved out a “long, narrow path of damage” in a community near Guelph, Ont., on Sunday.

The Northern Tornadoes Project at Western University says it sent a team to investigate in Fergus, Ont., and confirmed a tornado touched down there.

The organization says it has assigned a preliminary rating of EF0, which represents winds between 90 and 130 kilometres per hour.

David Sills, the project’s executive director, says most tornadoes in Canada occur between June and August, and it’s “far less common” to see them in the shoulder seasons.

However, he says, there have been November tornadoes in southern Ontario — and other parts of Canada — in the past.

The Northern Tornadoes Project confirmed tornadoes had occurred in New Brunswick and British Columbia earlier this month.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Family members of a man who was fatally shot by Hamilton police over the weekend say they want answers and accountability from authorities as the province’s police watchdog investigates the incident.

The Special Investigations Unit says Hamilton police officers went to an apartment building on Saturday after reports of a man “acting in a threatening manner.”

The watchdog says that after an interaction with a person of interest, two officers fired their guns and the man was hit.

The 43-year-old was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead on Sunday.

His family has issued a statement identifying him as Erixon Kabera, a father of three who they say dedicated his life to his family and community.

The family says they are disturbed by the SIU’s initial claim that there was an “exchange of gunfire,” since the watchdog later issued an updated statement that said it does not appear the man had discharged a firearm.

“Erixon was not known to possess a gun, nor did he have a history of condoning or engaging in any type of violence,” the family’s statement said.

“More than 24 hours after that disconcerting initial report, the SIU released an update clearly indicating there was no gunfire exchange, and that it was indeed two responding officers who shot Erixon and inflicted fatal wounds on his body,” it read.

“We find that reversal of crucial facts, a full day after telling the entire world otherwise and painting an image of violence for our very own, to be deeply outrageous and unnerving.”

The family alleged that Kabera was shot inside his own apartment, where he had been spending the day resting.

“As we grieve this senseless loss, we respectfully ask for transparency and accountability from the authorities,” they said. “We want to know details of the altercation so that we can understand the truth of what happened in Erixon’s final moments.”

When asked for comment on the family’s statement, the SIU said that its investigators “collected a replica firearm from the scene.”

The SIU had previously said a police officer was also taken to hospital for minor injuries and has since been released.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.