Mike Athey
PONTIAC Oct. 28, 2020
Remembrance Day ceremonies will be held virtually this year as COVID-19 precautions will prevent people from gathering in large crowds.
Public ceremonies scheduled in Bryson, Shawville, Portage du Fort and Ladysmith are cancelled but those wanting to purchase wreaths can . . .
still do so.
Ron Woodstock of Royal Canadian Legion, Pontiac Branch 162 said the wreaths would be delivered to the sites.
“They’ll be there for the eleventh hour of the eleventh day,” Woodstock said.
He did not recommend people gather at a cenotaph. Instead they could listen to the ceremony broadcast from the National War Memorial in Ottawa via their car radios or watch it on their phones.
The Royal Canadian Legion is also hosting the ceremony on their Facebook page.
“We don’t want to be the reason someone gets the virus,” Woodstock said.
Poppies can be purchased this year at Giant Tiger, Valu-mart and the Metro in Fort Coulonge. The trays will be out on counters and tables, but no one will be manning them this year.
“We will be leaving the trays there and people can take a poppy and donate,” he said.
There will also be poppy trays available in Chapeau and Sheenboro.
The municipality of Shawville was also looking into the possibility of holding a small ceremony of their own. Council was set to discusss the issue last on Oct. 27. The decision wasn’t available at press time.
