There will be no parade and an invite-only service this year for Remembrance Day in Truro due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The Truro branch of the Royal Canadian Legion is hosting a small service for invited guests, including veterans and legion members, starting at 10:45 a.m. on Nov. 11. But area residents will still be able to mark the occasion – the service will be live-streamed on the Town of Truro website for the public to view and the legion is looking into preparing a Facebook live stream as well.
Dignitaries, including government officials and veterans, will be laying 14 wreaths inside the auditorium. A special wreath will be laid by the father of Sub-Lt. Matthew Pyke in memory of his son, who died in the April 29 Cyclone military helicopter crash off the coast of Greece.
Those who wish to contribute their wreaths can lay them before the service, from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Truro Cenotaph, where the ceremony is normally held, while adhering to COVID-19 distancing protocols. In previous years, there have been as many as 100 to 150 wreaths laid.
The auditorium at 42 Brunswick St. fits approximately 95 people within distancing requirements. Grant O’Laney, the legion poppy chairman and past-president, said that the decision to limit the ceremony was in the best interest of their membership, the majority of whom are over 65 and in the at-risk category for COVID-19.
“We didn't want not to do a ceremony outside of the cenotaph,” said O’Laney. “We just cannot control 3,000 people in a crowd. With COVID-19, there’s no way we could have done it. We feel bad about not doing it, but we had to have some kind of a ceremony, especially for our vets.”
The public is invited to remember in their own way this year while following public health guidelines.
The legion teamed up with the Town of Truro and the Cobequid Educational Centre to film a 20- to 25-minute program at the cenotaph, which will be sent to local schools and senior homes for their own remembrance services in lieu of visits from legion members.
The poppy campaign, which collects donations for veterans and their families, is also reduced with volunteers manning four locations compared to last year’s eight. Poppies will be sold by volunteers at Canadian Tire, Giant Tiger, the Truro Mall, and Walmart. Traditional poppy boxes will also be located in businesses throughout Truro and Bible Hill.
