Thousands line Victoria’s harbour for Remembrance Day

Thousands of people watched from sidewalks and the legislature lawn as Victoria held its Remembrance Day ceremony at the cenotaph in front of the B.C. legislature on Wednesday, with a 21-gun salute echoing across the Inner Harbour.

Some children climbed trees for a better view as Rev. Andrew Gates, the Royal Canadian Legion padre, delivered the prayer and benediction beside the cenotaph, The Canadian Press reported. “May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and the exploitation of people, so that you will work for justice, for equity and peace,” he said.

Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson sat among the front-row dignitaries, and Victoria MP Will Greaves also attended, according to Canadian Press photos from the ceremony.

Ryan Wolfenden, 18, laid a wreath on behalf of all army cadets in B.C. and said he plans to join the Canadian Armed Forces. “It really means a lot,” he said of representing the cadets.

Army Cpl. Arianna Golding, 22, who joined the forces in part to repay the country that welcomed her when she arrived from Jamaica seven years ago, said she knew people who were near last month’s deadly fire at CFB Wainwright in Alberta. Two of the four soldiers killed were from B.C. “It’s not just in battle (where) you can get hurt. You can get hurt on a base,” she said.

Dozens of other ceremonies were held across the province, from Dawson Creek to Fernie and Haida Gwaii, and hundreds gathered at Victory Square in Vancouver. Before the ceremony, we published a guide to Victoria’s Remembrance Day closures and free parking. More on the Wainwright fire is in our earlier coverage, and Doerkson’s first weeks as premier-designate are in this report.

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