A modified version of the annual Remembrance Day ceremony in Vancouver was held Wednesday morning at Victory Square.
Several wreaths were laid at the cenotaph as part of the commemoration. Unlike previous years, the square was closed to the public and there were no parade or viewing screens for watching the ceremony on site.
The public was asked to stay home and commemorate Remembrance Day privately as the number of COVID-19 cases keeps rising across the Lower Mainland and the rest of B.C.
People are being told not to gather at the cenotaph to place their poppy, even after the ceremony ends.
“The best way we can pay tribute this year is by attending virtual ceremonies and keeping each other safe,” B.C. Premier John Horgan tweeted ahead of the service.
The annual service at Victory Square is organized by the Vancouver Remembrance Day Committee, a volunteer group established by the city in 1946. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
Students from Shaughnessy Elementary School created a display of red poppies on the grounds of Vancouver City Hall last week, according to the city.
Students also placed red feathers to recognize Indigenous veterans.
