Every year on November 11, Canadians remember the 1.5 million people who have served their country over the last century as soldiers or peacekeepers-especially the estimated 116,000 who have died as a result. As Canada’s capital, Ottawa plays a central role in Remembrance Day ceremonies, in addition to being home to a number of memorials and museums that are accessible year-round. All through Veterans’ Week-the week leading up to Remembrance Day-there are special events keyed to helping us honour those who have served their country.
New this year is a 1914-1918 Vigil currently running where they project the names of 68,000 Canadians who died in World War I onto the National War Memorial. You can see a live webcam at www.1914-1918.ca with the names beginning at 5:15pm and going until dawn.
Here are some suggestions of places to visit and things to see in Ottawa this Remembrance Day. All information is on the www.ottawatourism.ca website.
Remembrance Day Ceremonies in Ottawa this November
Veterans Week (November 5-11) runs from November 5 to 11 and is organized by Veterans Affairs Canada. For details and updates on events, please go to: www.vac-acc.gc.ca.
National Remembrance Day Ceremony (November 11). Every year, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, a ceremony at the National War Memorial-where Elgin Street meets Wellington Street downtown-commemorates Canadians’ sacrifices in war. The moving ceremony, which is organized by the Royal Canadian Legion, brings together the Prime Minister, the Governor General and veterans. For details, please go to: www.legion.ca.
Beechwood Cemetery (November 11). Beechwood Cemetery, accessible via Beechwood Avenue, is a National Historic Site as well as the National Military Cemetery of the Canadian Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Memorial Cemetery. A Remembrance Day ceremony will be held here, starting just before 11 a.m. For details, please visit: www.beechwoodcemetery.com.
Memorials Honouring Remembrance Day in Ottawa
National War Memorial (All Year). The National War Memorial, one of Ottawa’s most recognizable monuments, honours Canadians who have served and fallen in wars and conflicts. It is located at Confederation Square, a stone’s throw from the Parliament Buildings. Dedicated in 1939 by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother, it was originally erected to commemorate Canada’s sacrifices during the First World War. The National War Memorial is the focus of nation-wide Remembrance Day ceremonies on November 11, but it can be visited at any time. In 2000, the remains of an unknown soldier who died in France during the First World War were buried in a special tomb in front of the memorial.
1914-1918 Vigil (November 5 – New Event in 2008). Thanks to actor R.H. Thomson and lighting designer Martin Conboy, there’s a dramatic new memorial on now in downtown Ottawa. The 1914-1918 Vigil commemorates the 68,000 Canadians who lost their lives in World War I by projecting their names onto the National War Memorial in downtown Ottawa. It will run for seven nights, starting at 5:00pm each evening. The first name appears at 5:15pm. Each night’s vigil will be 13 hours long, ending at sunrise the following day. The vigil will then recommence at 5:00 p.m. and run another 13 hours. The last name will appear as dawn breaks on November 11. This vigil is also taking place in other Canadian cities and in London, England. Find out more at www.1914-1918.ca.
Peacekeeping Monument (All Year). The Peacekeeping Monument honours the more than 110,000 Canadians who have served around the world in a peacekeeping role since 1948. It is the only monument of its kind in the world. Officially dedicated in 1992, the monument is located dowotown on Sussex Drive at the corner of St. Patrick Street, facing the National Gallery of Canada. It can be visited at any time of the year.
Memorial Chamber (See below for hours of operation). The Memorial Chamber can be found on the second level of the Peace Tower in the Parliament Buildings. It contains the Books of Remembrance – books that list the names of the Canadians who have given their lives for their country since Confederation. Every morning at 11 o’clock, the pages of the books are turned, so that each page in each book is visible once a year. Information describing the date on which any particular name will appear is available at the Memorial Chamber. NOTE: Parliament is a working building and not always accessible to visitors. Free same-day admission tickets are available at the Visitor Welcome Centre located just inside the public entrance to the Centre Block. Security measures apply to anyone visiting the Parliament Buildings. For information: www.parl.gc.ca.
Nursing Sisters’ Memorial (See below for hours of operation). The Nursing Sisters’ Memorial, located in the Hall of Honour in the Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings, was completed in 1926. It is a sculpted panel showing the history of nursing in Canada up to the First World War. Military nursing in Canada dates back to the Northwest Rebellion of 1885, when nursing sisters took to the field with Canadian troops. Since then, nursing sisters have been a part of every military force sent out by Canada from the Boer War to the Korean War. NOTE: Parliament is a working building and not always accessible to visitors. Free same-day admission tickets are available at the Visitor Welcome Centre located just inside the public entrance to the Centre Block. Security measures apply to anyone visiting the Parliament Buildings. For information: www.parl.gc.ca.
Commonwealth Air Forces Ottawa Memorial (All Year). This memorial, unveiled by the Queen in 1959, is located along Sussex Drive in front of the building that used to be Ottawa’s City Hall, but which now houses offices for Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. The memorial is in the form of a huge bronze globe and commemorates 809 men and women of the Commonwealth air forces who gave their lives during the Second World War and have no known grave.
Never Again War: Monument to Peace and Remembrance (All Year). This monument of concrete, steel and granite stands near the Salaberry Armoury at the corner of St-Joseph and Alexandre-Taché boulevards in Gatineau. It was created in 1992 by artist Denis Massie.
National Aboriginal Veterans Monument (All Year). This monument pays tribute to the extensive and voluntary contribution of Aboriginal men and women to Canada’s armed forces over the years and reflects traditional beliefs about honour, duty and harmony with the environment. The monument is located in Confederation Park, on Elgin Street near Laurier Avenue, across from Ottawa City Hall.
The Valiants Memorial (All Year) honours 14 exceptional men and women whose contribution to the military has made an impact on Canada’s history. Nine busts and five statues stand near a large bronze wall that reads, “Nulla dies umquam memori vos eximet aevo” (“No day will ever erase you from the memory of time”). Located in Confederation Square next to the National War Memorial. For information, please visit: www.canadascapital.gc.ca.
More information on Memorials in Ottawa this Remembrance Day:
More information on national memorials in Ottawa can be found here: www.vac-acc.gc.ca.
More information on memorials in Ottawa can be found at:www.canadascapital.gc.ca.
Other Remembrance Day Sites, Landmarks & Events in Ottawa
Beechwood Cemetery. Beechwood Cemetery, accessible via Beechwood Avenue in Ottawa’s east end, is a National Historic Site as well as the National Military Cemetery of the Canadian Forces and the RCMP Memorial Cemetery. The National Military Cemetery is maintained by The Beechwood Cemetery Foundation in partnership with the Department of National Defence. Beechwood is the last resting place for veterans and leaders from the Northwest Rebellion, the world wars, recent United Nations campaigns, and other conflicts and humanitarian missions. For details, please see www.beechwoodcemetery.com.
Canadian War Museum. The Canadian War Museum has quickly become one of the city’s top attractions since it opened in May 2005. Located on LeBreton Flats (near the Ottawa River, just west of downtown), the museum is a must-see attraction that showcases Canada’s military past. In addition to its permanent collection, the museum also presents a number of special exhibitions such as Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race (which ends its run on November 11) and Trench Life: A Survival Guide.
Canada Aviation Museum. In most years, the Canada Aviation Museum is also a place to visit to learn more about aerial combat and the sacrifices made by air force personnel and other support staff in the last hundred years. However, until mid-November 2008, the museum is undergoing a major retrofit to prepare for the celebration of the centenary of flight in Canada. The first flight over Canadian soil took place on February 23, 1909 and 100 years later, the museum will launch a new permanent exhibit called Canadian Wings: A Remarkable Century of Flight. Visitors will discover the history, the experiments and the people involved in Canadian aviation, starting with that all-important first flight. For more information, please visit: www.aviation.technomuses.ca.
Performance: The Lemmon Sister (November 8). The jazz/swing trio of The Lemmon Sisters, backed by a seven-piece band, sings tunes from the Second World War era in three-part harmony at the National Arts Centre. The show is on November 8; tickets are $30.
The Fairmont Château Laurier, an Ottawa landmark for nearly a century, was home to many of Canada’s top industrialists and government officials during the Second World War, and it also provided lodging for movie stars and high-profile personalities. Ottawa photographer Yousuf Karsh, who for years lived at the Château, took his iconic photograph of British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill here in Ottawa outside the House of Commons on December 30, 1941. A number of Karsh photos are on display in and around the hotel’s reading lounge off the lobby. Go to: www.fairmont.com for more information.
The building now housing Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Institute at 453 Laurier Avenue East was used as a residence for the Women’s Royal Canadian Navy Service (WRENS) during the Second World War. The Embassy of Poland at 443 Daly Avenue is located in a house that was used for an officers’ training course for the WRENS. And two Ottawa landmarks-Lansdowne Park and Confederation Square, the site of today’s National War Memorial, were mustering stations for soldiers going to war.
For more on visiting or traveling to Ottawa, Canada’s Capital Region, please visit Ottawa Tourism at www.ottawatourism.ca.