Lest we forget: Community gathers to pay tribute on Remembrance Day

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C.— The Fort St. John community paid tribute to veterans, fallen soldiers and active service members at the annual Remembrance Day ceremonies in the city. 

Each year on November 11th – the anniversary of the end of the First World War – Fort St. John’s Royal Canadian Legion Branch 102 honours troops who made sacrifices in Canada and around the world. 

There was a marching parade featuring cadets, emergency services personnel and veterans, followed by ceremonies at the cenotaph and in the legion branch on 105th Avenue. 

A two-minute silence was held at 11 a.m., poppy wreaths were laid, the Last Post was performed and dignitaries addressed the crowd who came to pay their respects. 

“This morning, we pause to remember those who stood in defence of freedom,” said Peace River North MLA Jordan Kealy to those attending. “The young men and women from our farms, towns, oil fields, classrooms, who answered the call when Canada needed them most, they didn’t fight for politics or recognition.

“They fought for family, for community and for that simple but powerful idea that freedom is worth defending.” 

He said remembrance “isn’t just about looking back, it’s about looking forward, because freedom can be lost, not only in war, but through neglect or division.”

Lilia Hansen, mayor of Fort St. John, said: “Remembrance Day is a time for reflection, a time to recognize the freedoms we enjoy because of their [soldiers’] dedication.

“Fort St. John has a proud military history, from the residents who answered the call to serve in global conflicts to those who supported efforts on the home front, our community has always stood strong in times of need.”

The service was led by Gord Klassen, a City of Fort St. John councillor, and students from Margaret ‘Ma’ Murray Community School performed various songs, including the Canadian and royal national anthems. 

Speaking to Energeticcity.ca after the ceremony, former corporal Dan Brinton said remembrance is about honouring troops who went before him, including members of his family and those who served in world conflicts. 

“It’s significant in so far as we keep the name of the regiment in the open and cause people to remember that we existed and that we served,” he said. 

Brinton was in the military from 1981 to 1987, including for a peacekeeping tour in Cyprus.

Master Corporal Dean Cuthbert, known to his friends as Duke, joined the reserves in 1971 to start a 22-year military career which included time as a paratrooper. 

“It’s great adventures, great camaraderies and great memories,” he said.

When asked what remembrance means to him, Cuthbert said: “Remembering not just our time serving, but the ones that are not here. We have lost a lot of comrades.”

Supporting other veterans with their mental health when they return from service is important, he added: “It’s better than taking a bunch of pills these doctors try and give you. We sit down and have a ‘buddy check’ once a month.

“We get all the veterans together and talk, and it’s good soothing therapy.”

Cuthbert, whose mother was part of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation in Ontario, laid a wreath for the Indigenous services and program provider, the Fort St. John Friendship Society.

Cathy Lube, who grew up in Fort St. John, was a corporal supply tech, serving for a decade from 1988 to 1998. 

She said remembrance feels good because it is a time to reconnect with other veterans and those she served alongside, who she described as family.

“I miss my friends,” Lube told Energeticcity.ca. “I’ve been out longer than I was in and I miss my friends still.”

The Remembrance Day event is the product of months of work entirely by volunteers, said Shannon Smith, president of Fort St. John’s legion branch 102. 

“A heartfelt thank you for all the help and we do it for them [the veterans],” she said. 

Smith encouraged everyone to practice remembrance year-round: “It’s not just November 11th, it’s all year…[Because] they are the ones who sacrifice for us. We’re not sacrificing for them.”

Watch the Remembrance Day parade and ceremony 2025 in full, here.