The annual Remembrance Day ceremony to commemorate men and women who sacrificed their lives to protect Canada will take place at the Richmond Cenotaph outside city hall on No. 3 Road on Nov. 11.
The ceremonies will commence at 10:20 a.m. with the parade of marching units featuring Canadian veterans, members of the Royal Canadian Legion and army, navy and air force veterans, Richmond’s permanent Canadian Forces Unit 39 Service Battalion, cadet organizations and public safety agency representatives, to the cenotaph.
Formal ceremony and singing of the national anthem will begin at 10:40 a.m. on the east side of the City Hall Cenotaph. Two minutes of silence along with wreath laying will follow the official ceremony at 11 a.m.
The names of two Japanese Canadian soldiers, Pte. Hikotaro Koyanagi and Pte. Kazuo Harada, who fought in the First World War, were added to the Cenotaph earlier this year. The names were added after a Richmond resident brought forward the idea after researching the history of both soldiers and discovering that they were from Richmond.
The Remembrance Day service will end at 11:30 a.m. and will be followed by a Remembrance Day reception inside City Hall that's open to the public. Attendees will get a chance to warm up and connect with other community members with a hot drink and a sweet treat at the reception.
Granville Avenue from Minoru Boulevard to Buswell Street and No. 3 Road from Park Road to Bennett Road will be closed around City Hall from 8 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., to help facilitate the ceremony.
Parking will be available at Richmond Secondary School, the Minoru Park Parkade and surrounding areas in Minoru Park. Parking in some areas in Minoru Park might be limited due to a lacrosse tournament taking place on the same day. People attending the ceremony are encouraged to take public transit if possible.
For those unable to attend in-person, the ceremonies will be live streamed and can be accessed by clicking the “Watch Ceremony” button at richmond.ca/remember. The ceremony will also be live-streamed in city council chambers.
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