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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.