The veteran at the grocery store looked smart in his blue blazer adorned with medals and ribbons, but old and frail. I put some change in his poppy box and asked him about his service to our country. He straightened his shoulders and talked proudly of his time overseas, sadly about the friends he lost, and gratefully for being able to share his story as another Remembrance Day approached. I shook his hand and thanked him as I pinned the precious poppy to my coat. As I turned to leave, I looked around and was proud to see a line up of people waiting their turn to meet this veteran and get a poppy of their own.

Where will you be on Monday, November 11th at 11 am? If you are like a growing number of Canadians, you will probably be attending a Remembrance Day ceremony in honour of our veterans. A new poll that was commissioned by Historica Canada, the people behind the Heritage minute videos, shows for the fourth year in a row, the number of Canadians who say they’ll attend a Remembrance Day ceremony has gone up. Forty one per cent now say they will attend a ceremony; that’s up 2% from last year, and 14% over 2016.
The biggest ceremony in Sudbury will be at the Arena (details below). There won’t be any World War I veterans there of course, and the number of World War II veterans who are still alive and able to attend is diminishing. The men and women who served in 1945 are now in their 90’s and this survey shows 88% of respondents think it’s important to attend ceremonies now while there are still WW II veterans present.
Attend a ceremony near you and wear your poppy proudly and gratefully.

A Remembrance Day ceremony will take place at the Sudbury Community Arena on Monday, Nov. 11 at 10:30 a.m. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. and residents are asked to be seated by 10:15 a.m. for the arrival of the parade. GOVA Transit routes will follow the regular service schedule on Monday, November 11 and will provide free transportation to and from the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Sudbury Community Arena. Riders are asked to tell the driver they are attending the ceremony.

There will also be a ceremony at the cenotaph in Coniston on Edward Avenue from 10:45-11:30.

Rainbow Schools are hosting their own ceremonies which include stoires and poems written by students.

City of Greater Sudbury Remembrance Day Municipal schedule:

• Tom Davies Square will be closed.
• The Greater Sudbury Animal Shelter will be closed to the public.
• Citizen Service Centres and libraries will be closed.
• Greater Sudbury fitness facilities, pools and youth centres will be closed.
• Garbage, recycling and green cart collection services are unaffected.
• Greater Sudbury landfills, transfer site and the Recycling Centre are open.