Remembrance Day and Veterans’ Week at OPL
Lest we forget.
From November 5-11, 2023, Canadians are encouraged to honour and remember the sacrifice of the many who have fallen in the service of their country, and acknowledge the courage of those who still serve. Lest we forget.
How the community can remember:
- Wear a poppy. Poppies are worn as the symbol of remembrance, a reminder of the blood-red flower that still grows on the former battlefields of France and Belgium. Attend a free sewing program to make your own poppies on November 4.
- Observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. on November 11 wherever they are.
- Attend a commemorative ceremony (see the Town of Oakville’s calendar of events).
- Attend an OPL program to learn about the lesser-known stories of the war:
- Oakville's Flower: The History of HMCS Oakville - November 11
- Endgame: The Secret Force 136 with Author Catherine Little - November 11
- Explore the Oakville at War digital exhibit. This online exhibition is a digital rendition and extension of the original 1999 exhibition, Shadows of War: Not So Long Ago in the 20th Century, created by the Oakville Museum at Erchless Estate.
- Borrow a library book about Remembrance Day
November 8 - Indigenous Veterans Day
The First Nations, Inuit and Métis of Canada have a long and proud tradition of military service to our country. This is a memorial day observed in Canada in recognition of Indigenous contributions to military service, particularly in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. There are many Indigenous Veterans who have helped protect peace and freedom over the years. To honour them, the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument was unveiled in Ottawa in 2001. It has a large eagle on top, four men and women from different Indigenous groups in the middle and sculptures of a grizzly bear, a caribou, a wolf and a bison around the outside. These animals have special symbolism in many Indigenous cultures.
Try this activity to learn more about this deeply symbolic memorial.
Flags at all Town of Oakville facilities, including Oakville Public Library, will be flown at half-mast from sunrise to sunset on Remembrance Day, Saturday, November 11, 2023.