Ordinarily, the annual Remembrance Day ceremony in Niverville, held at the Heritage Centre, draws hundreds of people from the surrounding towns. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that event has been cancelled.

“On Remembrance Day, we take a moment to honour those who served to protect our freedom here at home and around the world,” reads a statement from the Niverville Remembrance Day Committee. “In some ways, this Remembrance Day is different, as we are asked to avoid gatherings and ceremonies and we won’t be able to mark the occasion in ways we have in the past.”

In the statement, the committee encourages people to see this year’s unusual circumstances as an opportunity to further empathize with and reflect on the sacrifices made by Canadians in times of war.

“However, this Remembrance Day is significant, as we are asked to make our own small sacrifices to protect our families, friends, and neighbours,” they add. “On November 11, while we must stay apart physically, let’s collectively take two minutes of silence to remember all those who have made sacrifices for us, both in the past and present day, so we can live safely and freely.”

Remembrance Day is held every year on November 11. The date commemorates the armistice agreement that officially brought World War I to an end, Monday, November 11, 1918, at 11:0 a.m. In other words, the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.