When it comes to remembering the sacrifices of those brave souls who have and continue to serve in Canada’s military, Bradford is planning to take more steps — literally.
As part of the regular meeting on Nov. 5, council directed staff to install Remembrance Day murals at two crosswalks, including at the intersection of Holland Street East and Bingham Street as soon as possible, and the intersection of Brian Collier Way and the path connecting the library to the leisure centre to be unveiled on Canadian Armed Forces Day on June 8, 2025.
That came after council agreed to suspend the need for notice and approved a motion from Ward 6 Coun. Nickolas Harper, who asked the town to recognize that remembering veterans and their sacrifices should not be limited to just one day or week.
“We as a country will forever be thankful to those brave men and women who sacrificed their lives in wars and conflicts throughout Canada’s great history,” he said.
As a veteran himself who twice served tours in Afghanistan, Harper said this time of year isn’t easy for him as “there’s a certain sacrifice to your body and your mind that weighs with you.”
He emphasized the importance of soldiers dedicating themselves to a life of service in order to defend people around the world against crises and terror, and asked everyone to consider the “hard question” of whether they would be willing to “step up” and volunteer themselves.
“When you’re fighting that evil out there, in turn, they’re trying to kill you,” he said. “There are those that didn’t make it home. We don’t all know who they are, but when we talk about our society and our way of life, we owe all of them that service of debt.”
Councillors were supportive of the motion, with Mayor James Leduc noting the walkway between the library and leisure centre is a “beautiful” spot in particular and frequently where the town hosts flag raisings for National Peacekeepers’ Day.
“I love the location of Brian Collier Way,” he said. “It’s a fitting, respectful place to have it.”
Ward 5 Coun. Peter Ferragine said he was “happy” to see the motion come forward and has seen multiple other municipalities implementing something similar, which he called “an amazing idea.”
Noting the two rainbow crosswalks downtown celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, Ward 2 Coun. Jonathan Scott called it “fitting” to have other crosswalks honour military members as the right to celebrate the former “wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the sacrifices of the veterans.”
As a way of improving pedestrian safety while also making the crosswalk at Brian Collier Way even more prominent, Ward 4 Coun. Joseph Giordano recommended referencing the requirements in the town’s new traffic mitigation strategy in the hopes that the crosswalk could be raised as well.
Designs have yet to be finalized and funding for the murals has not yet been determined, but is expected to come up as part of 2025 budget deliberations next week.
This latest effort to recognize and honour current and past military members follows the unveiling of a new mural at the local legion in September as well as the town’s five-day celebration in June of the Royal Canadian Air Force's 100th anniversary, which culminated in a parade and air show.
And did you know there are more than 50 streets in Bradford named after local veterans who served throughout history?
Here are just four examples to keep in mind as Remembrance Day approaches:
Brian Collier Way
Running between the library and the BWG Leisure Centre, Brian Collier Way was named in honour of Pte. Brian James Collier who was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) while on foot patrol in Panjwa’i District close to Kandahar City in Afghanistan.
Collier was born on July 6, 1986 in Toronto to James Edward and Carol L. Collier who raised him and his siblings in Bradford.
According to the Canadian Military Engineers Association, Collier worked for a while after graduating from Bradford District High School before enlisting in Ottawa on Dec. 7, 2007.
Collier was a member of 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, based in Edmonton, Alta., and was posted to 1 Combat Engineer Regiment in November 2008 after completing his basic combat engineering training at the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering and was on his first deployment to Afghanistan.
After Collier’s body was returned to Canada at Canadian Forces Base Trenton it was transported along Highway 401 — including the portion between Glen Miller Road in Trenton and Keele Street in Toronto known as the Highway of Heroes — to Bradford where his funeral was held at the Holy Martyrs of Japan Catholic Church.
Collier is buried in the Holy Martyrs Cemetery in Bradford.
Vipond Way
Part of the newer subdivision to the north of Line 8, Vipond Way was named in honour of Lt. Milton Cameron Vipond, who gave his life in peacekeeping service on March 18, 1955, in Busan, South Korea, following the Korean War of 1950-53.
Vipond was born on April 24, 1924 in Kenora, Ont., to Joseph Howard Cameron and Laura Margaret (Eastman) Vipond, and enlisted for service in the Second World War alongside his brother Dalton, who served as a pilot officer and was killed in action in 1942.
Vipond was part of the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve and received the 1939-1945 Star, the War Medal 1939-45, and Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp for his role in the conflict.
After the war, Vipond earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Bishop’s College and entered his first year of study for a degree in medicine, before his military career continued with the Reserve Force in Cornwall, Ont., and he served with the 27th Canadian Infantry Brigade in Germany.
On Nov. 17, 1951, Vipond married Helen Brown, R.N. (the only daughter of deputy-reeve Thomas Brown of West Gwillimbury) at Trinity Anglican Church, in Bradford.
The couple lived in Grand Bend where Vipond was stationed, before he was called away to serve for a year in Korea and was unable to see the birth of his daughter, Helen Lorraine, on Sept. 20, 1954.
His family was preparing for his homecoming in April when they received the news of his death.
Vipond is buried in the United Nations Cemetery in Busan, Korea, and was posthumously awarded the Korean Medal and the United Nations Defence Medal.
A stained glass window depicting ‘The Dove of Peace’ was placed in the Trinity Anglican Church in memory of Vipond.
Slack Street
Located just off of Langford Boulevard south of Holland Street West, Slack Street is named in honour of Flight Sgt. Kenneth Earl Clifford Slack who died on May 9, 1945, during the Second World War while trying to save a drowning German soldier as he was being held in Germany as a prisoner of war.
Slack was born on Aug. 4, 1923, in Schomberg to William Slack of Tecumseth and Lottie “Ida” Whiteside of Cookstown who had met in Newton Robinson.
Slack enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in August 1941 and by the time he was 20, Slack completed training as a leading aircraftsman before becoming an air gunner in Germany.
He was known as a bit of a rebel who broke officer rules quite a few times in his service, but he was also noted for his good character.
After his promotion to Flight Sergeant, Slack left for the U.K. in April, 1944 and was taken as a prisoner of war in November.
Slack was awarded the 1939-45 Star, the France and Germany Star, the Defence Medal, the War Medal, and the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp. He is recognized in Surrey, England on the Runnymede Memorial, but his body was not found.
Archer Avenue
Located off Northgate Drive, south of Fletcher Street, Archer Avenue is named in honour of Sgt. Matthew Humphrey Archer, who was killed on Aug. 17, 1917, during the First World War in Lens, France due to a direct hit from a shell.
Archer was born on Dec. 24, 1896, in Bradford to Thomas and Jennie May Archer who bought part of the McKay farmstead in Bradford and stayed in the area for decades.
Archer was living in Toronto when he enlisted in the 201st Battalion, a unit of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, on May 8, 1916.
After the unit was disbanded Archer was transferred to the 170th Battalion and then to the 75th Battalion under the 4th Canadian Division.
Soldier transfers were common in order to put men where they were most needed, and in Archer’s case, his battalion was needed at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917.
In April 1917, Archer received a Military Medal for his bravery during this battle because he continued to fire his Lewis gun for 48 hours to provide cover for the injured soldiers in his company.
He is buried in the nearby Pas-de-Calais Cemetery.
The Royal Canadian Legion branch 521 will be holding its annual Remembrance parade on Sunday, Nov. 10, starting at 12:30 p.m. at Collings Avenue and Holland Street West and continuing east along Holland Street to Bingham Street and Back Street towards the Orville Hand branch (115 Back St.), where a ceremony will follow at about 1. The branch will also host a ceremony-only event on Monday, Nov. 11 beginning at 10:45 a.m.
