Friday, November 11 is Remembrance Day, a day to honor those who gave their lives for our country, so here are a few events taking place in Vancouver that can allow you to do that, as well as what's open and closed.
(A surprising fact that British Columbians may take for granted: Remembrance Day is not a statutory holiday in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Manitoba.)
Remembrance Day: Events
City of Vancouver Remembrance Day Ceremony
The City is holding an official ceremony at Victory Square (200 West Hastings Street), with the ceremony beginning at 10:30 a.m. and lasting approximately an hour. (It will be livestreamed on Facebook.) Victory Square, of course, is home to Vancouver's war memorial, a 30-ft tall engraved, triangular cenotaph that's the center of the City's Remembrance Day ceremony every year.
The University of British Columbia is also hosting a ceremony, as they've done every year since the War Memorial Gym was opened in 1951. The ceremony begins at 10:45 a.m., and will include both UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan, as well as short readings, remarks from special guests, and musical performances by the UBC School of Music.
Japanese Canadian War Memorial Ceremony
Veterans Affairs Canada, the Japanese Canadian War Memorial Committee, the National Association of Japanese Canadians, the Nikkei Place Foundation, and the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre are hosting a Remembrance Day ceremony of their own, at the Japanese Canadian War Memorial in Stanley Park (near the Aquarium). The ceremony begins at 10:40 a.m. , and will also be livestreamed on YouTube.
Remembrance Day at Mountain View Cemetery
Over 12,000 veterans lie in Mountain View Cemetery (5455 Fraser Street), and the cemetery -- along with Little Chamber Music -- are hosting an event they hope will serve as a moment of individual and collective reflection. The ceremony begins at 11:00 a.m., where several hundred names of those who lie in the cemetery will be read aloud, against the background of music conducted by Little Chamber Music.
And here's what's open and what's closed in Vancouver on Remembrance Day.
Remembrance Day: What’s Closed In Vancouver
- City Hall
- ICBC
- Schools
- Public libraries
- Canada Post offices
- Federal and provincial courts
- Passport Canada offices
- Crown corporations
- Banks
- Community centres (some, not all)
Remembrance Day: What’s Open In Vancouver
- Public transit
- Recreation centres
- Grocery stores
- Pharmacies
- Medical facilities
- Malls
- BC Liquor and Cannabis Stores
- Art galleries
- Science World
- Vancouver Aquarium
- Granville Island
