City of Vaughan holds Remembrance Day ceremony at city hall to honour those who served in armed forces

Yorkregion.com
Nov. 6, 2023
Brian Capitao

A debt of gratitude is owed to those who served in the World Wars.

On Wednesday, Nov. 1, the City of Vaughan held a ceremony at the city hall atrium honouring military veterans and their families.

“I know we all look forward to it because it is so important for us at this time of the year to pause and to reflect upon the incredible sacrifice that so many people, from Vaughan and from York County and from across this country, paid in the great wars and in every other war since,” said Vaughan mayor Steven Del Duca.

This year, a proclamation was passed by council to declare November as Remembrance Month.

The City of Vaughan is also expanding their Vaughan Remembers exhibit to honour not just the people who served but their families as well, according to Isabel Leung, deputy city clerk.

The exhibit is called “Families in Arms,” in reference to the deliberate expansion of the phrase “brothers in arms.”

“The use of the title seeks to commemorate not only the service and sacrifice of soldiers, but also recognize the many contributions of often unnamed family members, friends and communities from Vaughan and York County,” said Leung.

A sentiment that was reflected back in the ceremony.

“Today, we seek to remember all the brave individuals who have served in addition to the thousands of unnamed family and friends that were left behind to guard the home front and support the war effort,” said Leung.

For people like Andrew Zvanitajs, fire chief for Vaughan Fire and Rescue Services, the day is especially meaningful.

“As the son of a veteran, it means a lot to me,” Zvanitajs told Yorkregion.com.

“My father was an RCAF pilot and he served in Canada for 33 years. He was a helicopter pilot and definitely maybe guided my decision to wear a uniform and be a public servant. I was also in the air reserves myself,” added Zvanitajs.

The theme of family sacrifice was consistent among attendees.

“My parents came here from  I'm Armenian by origin, but came here from Syria when I was four months old. And the stories I hear about what the difficulties they went through back in their country, where they were living before Canada,” said Captain Ara Yeremian, former deputy commanding officer of 283 Woodbridge Legion Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron.

The sacrifices his parents made for a better life in Canada inspired him to become an air cadet, and then inspired him to pass it to the next generation.

“What we have now today in Canada and the successes that we are able to achieve, the freedoms, the ability to become Canadian, yet hold on to your heritage at the same time and the people that fought for that, it's just remarkable, which is part of the reason why my parents encouraged me to become a cadet when I was young and then in turn to become an officer in the armed forces to give back and work with cadets again and pass those skills on,” said Yeremian.

For some, it’s all that can be done, but it doesn’t quite measure up.

“That heroism, those sacrifices, we have a responsibility to remember and to honour and to understand that what our veterans have done and still do for us is truly the highest calling. And that is a debt of gratitude that we will never be able to adequately pay,” said Del Duca.