Memorial for Queen Elizabeth held in Fort St. John

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Residents of Fort St. John gathered at the cenotaph outside the Royal Canadian Legion on Monday morning to remember Queen Elizabeth II.

The long-reigning monarch passed away on September 8th, 2022. 

MLA Dan Davies opened the ceremony with a short biography of the queen and detailed her life both before and during her time at the helm of the commonwealth.

“Her coronation set TV records around the globe, and it appeared to usher in a new era for the monarchy and the British Commonwealth,” Davies described.

“The queen placed great emphasis on her job uniting the Commonwealth, a difficult job in the post-war period as decolonization led to differing problems,” he continued.

He also noted her long-time appreciation for Canada with more royal visits to the nation than any other country—including a stop in Fort St. John in 1971. 

The small crowd of locals, young families, and formally dressed cadets (who took part in the ceremony) stood for a moment of silence for the queen during the ceremony.

Fort St. John’s mayor, Lori Ackerman, also spoke in honour of the queen’s passing.

“It took my breath away,” she said. “This woman, who I had only seen once as a very starched and polished little girl standing on the side of the highway in Manitoba, waving, like everybody else.”

“Like many of you here, she’s the only one that we knew as our sovereign, and I suddenly had a feeling of deep remorse for an era that is now over,” Ackerman said.

Together, the local officials placed a wreath at the memorial under half-masted flags against the blue sky.

Residents in attendance filtered into a reception held in the legion.

Queen Elizabeth was the longest-reigning monarch to sit on the English throne at 70 years. She passed at the age of 96 this month and was laid to rest early Monday morning in Windsor.