Starting on the last Friday of October, you can expect to start seeing poppies around Timmins.

City Hall raised a flag last week to celebrate Poppy Weeks; the two week period when people wear poppies to show their remembrance for the fallen soldiers from past wars, leading up to Remembrance Day on November 11th, which marked the end of World War I.

Andrea Villeneuve, First VP and Sergeant in Arms for the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 88 in Timmins, says this is always an extremely important occasion to mark and remember.

“I think it’s so important that we continue to remember what our veterans have done for us, in the past and today,” she said.

This year is a particularly important year for Remembrance Day, as it is the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice; the day the Armistice was signed, ending the First World War.

“Every year,” said Villeneuve, “we take the time to make sure that the public, the schools, is aware of what the soldiers, sailors, air men, men and women, have done for us throughout all these years.”

Poppies will be on sale starting this Friday, Oct. 26th. You can buy poppies and wreaths by contacting the Royal Canadian Legion Branch here in Timmins, or from cadets who will be selling poppies throughout the city for the coming weeks. A variety of local businesses will also be selling poppies at their stores.

To mark this year’s special Remembrance Day and the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice, there are plans throughout the city for something special on November 11th.

“We’ve sent notifications to the churches to ring the bells to sunset on November 11th to commemorate the 100th Anniversary. They recommend […], if they are able, to ring them for 100 times to commemorate, because this is significant. Because the ringing of the bells was always the way of communicating with soldiers and everyone else. And when Armistice happened on November 11th, bells were rung throughout Europe. And […] I think this would be a great way to commemorate the 100th anniversary.”

To learn more about the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 88, go here. 

Filed under: Local News