A local Remembrance Day ceremony will look a little different this year.
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 88 parade commander Andrea Villeneuve said the event at the Timmins cenotaph, located in Hollinger Park, will be very minimal.
Usually, there’s a large parade that marches from the Algonquin Armory to the cenotaph and hundreds of people pay their respects at the ceremony.
“We’re not inviting the groups that normally parade with us, there will be no parade. We will be gathering at the cenotaph, a small contingency, as well as a firing party from the Algonquin Regiment. We will follow protocol as well and we are advising the public not to attend, but it will be livestreamed on Facebook,” she said.
For the laying of the wreaths, most will be placed before the ceremony. She said only the top ones such as the Silver Cross, Legion and government offices will be laid during the ceremony.
Aside from watching the local livestream, Villeneuve said people wanting to mark the occasion can stop by the cenotaph after the ceremony.
“We do know that a lot of the public like to put their poppies on the wreaths, they’re welcome to do so, but please be careful with the social distancing and ensure you keep the spacing while other people are laying them as well,” she said.
The Legion's poppy flag is already flying at Timmins city hall.
Mayor George Pirie has also proclaimed Oct. 30 to Nov. 11 as Poppy Weeks in the city.
Poppies will be available starting next Friday (Oct. 30) at a numer of businesses and locations across the city.
“It’s been an especially tough year for everybody,," said Villeneuve. "However, we still need to remember all those who have served and all those that are still serving for us even in this difficult time. It’s going to be a little more difficult probably to purchase poppies this year because we’re probably not going to have too many handlers, but they will be available everywhere."
