York Regional Police is proud to participate in Remembrance Day Services across York Region in honour of the great sacrifice and dedicated service of our veterans and is launching a new section of our website to honour our local war heroes.

This year, York Regional Police is introducing the Remembrance Project to honour veterans in York Region. We have asked them to tell us about their lives and sacrifices in the service, so that we may share these stories with the citizens of York Region

Chief Armand La Barge, senior officers and many members of York Regional Police will participate in different ceremonies across York Region between November 8 and November 11, 2009, in celebration and in memory of our veterans.

Chief La Barge will attend the annual parade in Richmond Hill on Sunday, November 8, 2009, beginning at 10:30 a.m., at the Old Town Hall on Wright Street and ending at the Cenotaph located at 10100 Yonge Street.  Later that same day, the Chief will attend services in Newmarket after the veterans parade, which begins at Duncan Street at 1:30 p.m. and ends at Veterans Park located at Church Street and D’Arcy Street.

“Canada is a nation of heroes,” said Chief La Barge.  “The freedom that we enjoy today as Canadians is directly attributable to the selfless sacrifice of our veterans during two world wars.  I urge everyone to visit our Remembrance Project at www.yrp.ca to read some true-life experiences from our war veterans and view their medals and old photos.  Their stories are exciting, harrowing, incredibly moving and most importantly, they represent our own history – history that is being lost with each year that goes by.”

“The Canadian government declared 2005 the Year of the Veteran, but at York Regional Police, every year is the Year of the Veteran,” said Chief La Barge.

Remembrance Day is celebrated in many countries across the world and is also known as Poppy Day, Veterans Day and Armistice Day.  It is observed on November 11 as it signifies the date that marked the end of World War I in 1918.

It is a day Canadians commemorate and honour the sacrifice of those who served in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, veterans of the Canadian Forces and serving Canadian Forces members, nursing and transport personnel, clergy who cared for veterans, civilians who served in support of the military and all Canadians who supported war efforts on the home front.

We honour and pray for the soldiers currently serving and protecting us throughout the world.

We shall not forget.

For information or to review our Remembrance Project please visit our website at www.yrp.ca and click on the poppy on the home page.