The annual Remembrance Ceremony at the Oak Bay Cenotaph and War Memorial along Beach Drive in Uplands Park is an institution attended by thousands.
However, this year it is closed to the public and will be broadcast online.
Oak Bay Fire Chief Darren Hughes said the committee has done its best to keep to the traditional program.
The live-stream will air at 10:55 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11. It will be broadcast online at lumeraevents.com/oakbayremembers.
“We know this is something near and dear to many people and it pains us to have to limit attendance there but that’s what’s happening,” Hughes said.
This year, we will come together virtually to pay our respects to those who have served and those who continue to serve today. Our Remembrance Day ceremony at the Cenotaph will be livestreamed and will begin at 10:55 am For more information, please visit: https://t.co/d49CeadiIg pic.twitter.com/jnFkyqQczm
— District of Oak Bay (@DistrictOakBay) November 3, 2020
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The area will be closed to the public during that time with only about 20 to 30 people permitted for the ceremony.
“The wreath-laying is all being done in advance, and we have organized a much smaller group,” Hughes said. “There will be no military or service groups on-site, and we will have numbers well below 50 to abide by the [provincial health officer] orders.”
Hughes recommends residents pay their respects at the cenotaph in the days or hours before or after the ceremony. Beach Drive and the cenotaph area will be closed by 10 a.m. and the participants are expected to be leaving around 12:30 p.m.
Viewers will experience a program that is as traditional as the committee could make it with speakers, a bagpipe player, and a bugler.
“We hope that the web-savvy residents can aid others in accessing the webcast,” Hughes said.
Friends of Uplands Park steward Margaret Lidkea is leading a Saturday work party to remove weeds around the cenotaph on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 1 to 3 p.m.
READ ALSO: Learn the history of Oak Bay’s picturesque memorial cenotaph
Volunteers must pre-register with Lidkea at mlidkea@shaw.ca and respect socially distanced protocols.