Backgrounder
November 8, 2024
Remembrance Day ceremony at Old City Hall Cenotaph
- Silent Sentries, who are drawn from the 48th Highlanders of Canada, will stand vigil at the four corners of the cenotaph with heads bowed and rifles reversed (known as reverse arms). They wear historic uniforms from different periods and present day.
- Weather permitting, the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association will conduct a flypast with a missing man formation over Old City Hall at 11:05 a.m., East York Civic Centre at 11:08 a.m. and York Cemetery at 11:25 a.m. The Harvards were used to train members of the Royal Canadian Air Force and other air forces for air combat in the Second World War.
- This year marks several significant anniversaries including the 80th anniversary of D-Day, 75 years since the founding of NATO, ten years since the end of the Canadian Peacekeeping Mission in Afghanistan and the centennial of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
- The “Act of Remembrance” will be read by John Dufort, District Commander, Royal Canadian Legion, District D.
- The Commitment to Remember will be read by Stephen Mensah, Executive Director, Toronto Youth Cabinet, to represent the commitment to remember in the next generation.
- The final wreath will be laid by Valerie McGrady, mother of Corporal Matthew McCully who was born in Toronto and was killed in Afghanistan, accompanied by two of Matthew’s friends, who also served in Afghanistan, Sergeant (Retired) Daryl Janssen and Corporal Kirk Janssen, 2nd battalion, Irish Regiment of Canada.
- In Flanders Fields by John McCrae will be sung by the acclaimed Elmer Iseler Singers, conducted by Lydia Adams and accompanied by the 7th Regiment Band. The arrangement was created by Lydia Adams with music by the Central Band of the Canadian Armed Forces.
- The City will fly two significant flags on Monday, November 11: a Canadian flag that flew at Vimy Ridge in 2020 will be raised at Coronation Park and a City of Toronto flag that flew at Juno Beach in 2019 on Vimy Day – both of which will be raised at Toronto City Hall.
- On Monday, November 11, the City of Toronto will half-mast flags at Civic Centres and other locations to commemorate those who fell in service to Canada.
- An illuminated poppy is displayed in the Toronto Sign in Nathan Phillips Square from Tuesday, November 5 until Monday, November 11, in remembrance of and in support of the Royal Canadian Legion’s annual poppy campaign.
- For those unable to attend in person, the City will livestream the Old City Hall ceremony on the City’s official YouTube channel starting at 10:50 a.m. at https://www.youtube.com/user/thecityoftoronto or on the City’s webpage at Toronto.ca/LestWeForget. The livestream will feature closed captioning and be available to anyone with an internet or mobile connection.
- Streets near Old City Hall will be closed or have traffic restrictions from 10 a.m. to noon on Monday, November 11, with no parking. TTC streetcars and buses will be diverted. The closures are as follows:
Bay St. from Albert St. to Richmond St. W.
Local access only to Albert St. from Bay St. southbound
Queen St. W. from Bay St. to east of York St.
Note: Queen St. W. from Yonge St. to Bay St. and James St. are currently closed for Metrolinx Ontario Line construction. York St. will be closed southbound from Queen St. W. for construction.
Remembrance Day ceremonies at other locations:
In addition to Old City Hall, the City will also host in-person Remembrance Day ceremonies on Monday, November 11 at 10:45 a.m., at the following locations:
- East York Civic Centre Memorial Gardens, 850 Coxwell Ave.
- Etobicoke Civic Centre Cenotaph, 399 The West Mall
- Fort York National Historic Site – Garrison Common,100 Garrison Rd. – begins at 10:30 a.m.
- Cenotaph in York Cemetery, 160 Beecroft Rd.
- Scarborough War Memorial, 2190 Kingston Rd.
- York Civic Centre Cenotaph, 2700 Eglinton Ave. W.
Toronto is home to more than three million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation and climate action, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit the City’s website or follow us on X, Instagram or Facebook.
