North

Here's what's happening on Remembrance Day in the North

The COVID-19 pandemic is shifting how we mark Remembrance Day this year in the North, with many ceremonies going virtual.

Most ceremonies will be virtual this year. Here's how to watch and take part

The COVID-19 pandemic is shifting how we mark Remembrance Day this year in the North, with many ceremonies going virtual. (Steve Silva/CBC)

This Remembrance Day marks 75 years since the end of the Second World War.

And this year the COVID-19 pandemic is shifting how Canadians mark the day, with most ceremonies going virtual.

Canadians across the country are being asked by the Royal Canadian Legion, for the first time, to pay respects to veterans online rather than in person at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.

The pandemic has also changed how the day will be marked in the North. Here are some of the events planned in Yukon, the N.W.T. and Nunavut.

Yukon events

There will be ceremonies in Whitehorse and Dawson City. The Whitehorse ceremony will be streamed on the local Legion's Facebook page and it starts at 10:45 a.m. local time. It will last about half an hour. The ceremony will also be broadcast on Northwestel.

Attendance at the Legion in Whitehorse will be limited to invited guests until 2:30 p.m. After that, it will be open to members and guests, but limited to 50 people at a time. The Canada Games Centre — usually the site of the Remembrance Day ceremony in Whitehorse — will be closed.

In Dawson City, the ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m. local time at the Robert Service School Gym, with a reception at the Dawson City Museum, though the general public is discouraged from attending this year.  

In Whitehorse and Dawson City, wreaths will be placed at the cenotaphs after the ceremonies.

In Watson Lake, a small ceremony will be held outside the town office just before 11 a.m. People are asked to stay two metres apart and stay with their family bubbles.

N.W.T. events

Due to COVID-19 gathering restrictions, attendance at the Remembrance Day service in Yellowknife will be by invitation only this year. The local Legion is inviting people to attend its virtual ceremony at 10:45 am.

A ceremony will be held at the Inuvik Legion with a maximum of 50 guests, by invitation only. The ceremony will also be streamed online at the local legion's Facebook page.

The Fort Smith Legion branch is hosting a virtual Remembrance Day service available on the Town of Fort Smith YouTube channel. The in-person ceremony is by invite only. Wreathes will be left out for the public to view and pay their respects throughout the day.

Nunavut events

In Iqaluit, COVID-19 restriction means there will be no Remembrance Day service in the Cadet Hall. Instead there will be a march from the RCMP detachment to the four corners and then to the cenotaph. It starts at 10:45 a.m. ET. There will also be a short service at the cenotaph.

Due to capacity restrictions the branch will not be able to host its usual Remembrance Day dinner. 

The Inuksuk High School music program prepared a Remembrance Day Ceremony which was turned into a video and can be viewed on Iqaluit Public Service Announcements Facebook page at 11 a.m. 

The community of Cambridge Bay says in its newsletter that it is unable to hold its Remembrance Day event due to the pandemic. All the municipality's programming will also be closed for the day.

Watch CBC coverage

CBC will broadcast a Remembrance Day special on CBC TV, CBC News Network and online.

Watch CBC's special here:

The special airs on CBC News Network and runs live from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. On CBC TV, you can watch the special at 10 a.m. local time.

CBC will also repeat the broadcast on CBC News Network between 6 and 8 p.m. ET.

Matt Galloway and Nil Köksal will host special coverage on CBC Radio One or the CBC Listen app at 10:55 a.m. local time.

There will also be special programming on CBC Radio in the North — Joanne Stassen will host Calling Home, a pan-northern special from noon to 1 p.m. local time, and George Maratos hosts The North Remembers, between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. local time.