Mayor Alex Nuttall unveiled a logo and website Wednesday showing how the city will honour its many connections to the Canadian Military.
Inside Barrie City Hall Rotunda and out of the pouring rain, Nuttall went through the list of events — from marking D-Day on June 6, the Barrie Airshow later that month, and a century of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) to Remembrance Day on Nov. 11 and VE (Victory in Europe) Day in May.
“Over the next year or 13 months, we are going to do everything we can to say thank you,” Nuttall said. “If you think about those who served in World War II, and if they had to sign up at the age of 18 … at the 80th anniversary (of D-Day), put it at a minimum age of 98.”
“Our soldiers, sailors and aviators are not only members of the base, they’re members of the community,” said Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Borden Honorary Colonel Jennifer Armstrong, who was joined by Honorary Colonel Wayne Hay.
“It’s the start of a time of commemoration, a time of recognition, a time of gratitude to those who’ve served and sacrificed,” Nuttall said. “To those who still serve and to honour those who will serve in the future.”
Barrie’s new logo says ‘Honouring Our Canadian Armed Forces, Remembrance-Respect-Gratitude’
Nuttall said the relationship between the Canadian Military or the Armed Forces, Canadian Peacekeepers and Barrie residents is one that’s built into the fabric of the city.
On Thursday June 6, 2024, the City of Barrie together with veterans, the hometown Grey and Simcoe Foresters, CFB Borden and the Royal Canadian Legion will mark D-Day’s 80th Anniversary with a parade and ceremony on that morning at the cenotaph in Memorial Square. That evening the Foresters will conduct a special Sunset Ceremony.
Also this year is the Freedom of the City March on June 15.
This tradition dates back almost 400 years in British Military history, a ceremonial act allowing an armed force to walk freely in a community as a display of its trust and respect.
“It’s a tradition we have had with the city several times in the past, but the last time was 2016,” Armstrong said. “It’s been a few years, I think we are overdue.”
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