Sudbury Remembrance Day service planned for Memorial Park

A Remembrance Day ceremony is being planned for Memorial Park in downtown Sudbury — the same park that is currently the site of a large encampment of unhoused people. 

Jennifer Huard said organizers mean "no disrespect to those who are living in Memorial Park." But Huard, who is the president of the Royal Canadian Legion branch 564 in Lockerby, said the organizing committee is committed to the location. She also said the encampment will need to be dismantled ahead of time. 

But in a follow-up interview, Huard said the city informed her the tents would be able to remain in the park, but some would need to be moved to make space for the ceremony.

"The city has assured me that they're going to clean up the entire area around the cenotaph, so there won't be any debris of any kind," she said. "And they're going to provide security enforcement. And, you know, I think we can have a safe and meaningful Remembrance Day service there." 

The service is being organized by branch 564 along with branch 76 in Minnow Lake. For the last few decades, the ceremony has been held inside the Sudbury Arena each year, something Huard said began at the request of aging Second World War veterans. 

"But there aren't that many World War II veterans remaining, and there's a whole new generation of veterans and they've been asking us for quite a few years now to return the service outside," Huard said. 

Huard said the organizers have received a special event permit, and met with representatives from the city, Public Health Sudbury and Districts and Greater Sudbury Police to discuss the event. She said the city told organizers a few weeks ago that the encampment will be dismantled, and "everything would be cleaned up." 

The City of Greater Sudbury declined CBC's request for an interview. In a statement, the city said "a general clean-up and clearing of the area near the ceremony site" is a priority leading up to Remembrance Day, but said that "does not mean forcible removal of people or their belongings." 

There are currently tents set up just a few metres away from the cenotaph where the service is set to take place. 

The city recently hired a Toronto-based consultant to look at how best to deal with homeless encampments, and support those living there.

In his report, Iain De Jong said voluntary closure of an encampment is preferred over enforcement. City council will continue to discuss the report Tuesday night.   

Huard said the Remembrance Day service organizers did not consider other locations for the event. 

"This is the location. This is the veterans memorial park where the veterans' memorial wall is situated, the veterans' memorial cenotaph," Huard said. "This park belongs to the veterans."