Sudbury artist unveils veteran monument in St. Thomas

This Remembrance Day, the work of a Sudbury artist will be in the spotlight in southern Ontario.

People will be turning their attention to the work of Tyler Fauvelle. He specializes in creating bronze statues that pay tribute to Canada's military history.

His past works include a statue of Francis Pegahmagabow, the most highly-decorated Indigenous soldier of the Great War. He's also done a sculpture of Charles Henry Byce, the most highly-decorated Indigenous hero of the Second World War.

Now, a monument commemorating members of the Canadian Armed Forces who served in Afghanistan is featured at the Veterans Memorial Gardens in St. Thomas, Ont. It was commissioned by the St. Thomas War Memorial Site Committee.

Fauvelle says the piece is about connection.

"It's a young soldier sitting … thinking about home, his comrades, sacrifices he's made both with mind and body," he said.

"So what was important for this piece was that piece connected the other pieces [in the park], and reminded people that war has the same costs, that no matter what conflict you're in or where you are, war never really changes. The young still fight and they fight for the same cause of civilization."

He says he is always honoured when commissioned to sculpt artwork connected to war and remembrance.

"Languages change and landscapes change all around us, but you know these monuments will continue to tell stories about who we are and who we are now to future generations so that they can understand where they come from," he said.

"I think that's what the most powerful message is in the work and it's something that whenever I do a piece, I'm always conscious of a thousand years who is going to see this and what are they going to think."