The public is being asked not to attend Wednesday’s Remembrance Day ceremonies in person, but there are several ways for people to pay their respects.
There will be live coverage from the cenotaph at the legislature on CHEK TV starting at 10:30 a.m.
Three Royal Canadian Navy ships and a Cyclone helicopter will conduct a sail past of Greater Victoria shoreline starting at 10:45 a.m. near Sidney. The ships will pass the following locations at the approximate times:
- Island View Beach Park — 11:15 a.m.
- Cordova Beach — 11:35 a.m.
- Oak Bay/Baynes — 12:15 p.m.
- Clover Point — 12:55 p.m.
- Ogden Point — 1:10 p.m.
- Esquimalt Lagoon — 1:20 p.m.
The sail past can be viewed online at facebook.com/MARPAC.FMARP. If you wish to watch in-person, please respect physical-distancing guidelines.
A spokeswoman for CFB Esquimalt said the base commander will be in attendance at the Esquimalt ceremony and a limited number of base personnel will be supporting other local ceremonies.
Oak Bay is streaming its ceremony online at lumeraevents.com/oakbayremembers, while Saanich’s will be at facebook.com/Saanich.BC.
“Although residents can’t attend our ceremony in person this year, I encourage residents to to join us online in remembrance of those who gave their lives for our future,” said Saanich Mayor Fred Hayes. He added residents might also consider walking along Memorial Avenue on Shelbourne to view interpretive signage from the municipality’s Street of Unfinished Dreams project.
Sidney’s ceremony will be online at facebook.com/marywinspear, and a fly-past will take place about 11 a.m. Two Memory Boards have been installed at the cenotaph in front of Sidney Town Hall and people are encouraged to share their thoughts on the importance of Remembrance Day.
The Royal Canadian Air Force also plans to conduct flybys in three other Island locations. A turboprop Buffalo aircraft will fly over Campbell River, and military helicopters will conduct flybys over Courtenay and Cumberland.
The RCAF says all its aircraft will pass at minimum altitudes over each community, although weather and flying conditions will affect each of the flights. More information can be found here.
Central Saanich will livestream its service starting at 10:55 a.m., with Lt. Cmdr. (retired) Gerald Pash leading the virtual event with Mayor Ryan Windsor. The district is also asking residents for submissions on what Remembrance Day means to them. There are links at centralsaanich.ca.
Langford’s ceremony is not open to the public, but will be streamed on Facebook. For more information, go to rcl91.ca.
Sooke’s event will also be online. See the Sooke Legion Facebook page at facebook.com/SookeLegion for more details.
