Ground-breaking ceremony for N.B. naval memorial in Saint John
A ground-breaking ceremony five years in the making was held at a grassy patch along Harbour Passage on Remembrance Day, where a new memorial to mark New Brunswick's naval and maritime history will be built.
"It is a turning point as I said in my remarks," says Cheryl Robertson, president of the Royal United Services Institute, which is overseeing and leading the project. "It indicates that we're moving on to the next step of this joint journey with the HMCS Brunswicker."
The memorial will pay tribute to those men and women who served at sea – some of whom made the ultimate sacrifice – but it will also commemorate the contributions of those in the province who worked in the shipbuilding industry and as port workers.
"It starts when the Europeans first came here, and it continued through the Great World Wars, the Korean Conflicts … and the ongoing conflicts that we all know our Canadian forces are participating in today," says Paul Dempsey, chair of the New Brunswick Naval Memorial Committee. "This memorial is meant to recognize that complete timespan."
The main monument will include a replica of the bow of HMCS Saint John, and at the stern, the names of the Royal Canadian Navy ships lost during the Battle of the Atlantic will be inscribed.
At starboard, there will be a silhouette of a Cyclone helicopter, which will be in memory of the fatal crash of HMCS Fredericton's Cyclone helicopter in April 2020.
"Last, but not least, we are going to have cleats," says Cmdr. Thomas Watts, commanding officer of HMCS Brunswicker. "These are what you see on ships usually to tie up the ropes … these will be our main seating areas."
A fundraising campaign is now underway for the memorial, which is expected to cost in the order of $750,000.
Dempsey says they are now about halfway to that mark.
It's hoped that construction on the memorial will be finished in spring of next year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.