‘We have to remember what it is for’: Winnipeggers gather to honour war veterans

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This article was published 11/11/2025 (305 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As Raymond Katchanoski stood in silence alongside his wife, Theresa, at the Remembrance Day ceremony outside Winnipeg’s Minto Armoury on Tuesday, a single tear slipped down his cheek and fell to the pavement, a silent tribute to loss and memory.

Katchanoski’s father served in the Second World War and received the Distinguished Service Cross, first created in 1901, for his “performance of meritorious or distinguished services” before the enemy.

“He was wounded twice, and over time, about 15 years after he came home, he passed away from trauma,” Katchanoski said, as more tears began to well in his eyes.

“You see what’s going on these days in Europe, especially in Ukraine, and it’s hard to take. We have to remember what it is for. Was it all in vain? It can cause a few moments (of emotion). You wonder what’s going to go on next.”

A cool, stiff westerly wind swept down St. Matthews Avenue as several hundred people gathered under an overcast sky outside the Armoury, braving the elements to honour Canada’s veterans and active service members. The ceremony was moved outdoors this year owing to ongoing repairs on the building’s main floor.

“We are here to pay tribute to the brave men and women who have defended our freedom, our values and our way of life,” said Hon. Col. Kelvin Shepherd with the 38 Signal Regiment, Canadian Armed Forces. “We remember the fallen, those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Many were very young when they paid the ultimate price for our country while serving at sea, on land and in the air.

“We also remember those who have returned with injuries, both visible and invisible. We remember the peacekeepers who have served around the world in conflict, far from our own land. And we remember all those who served for their dedication, their courage and the sacrifices they made for us.”

Nearly 20 services were held across Winnipeg and the province on Tuesday, marking a pair of milestones in 2025 — the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the 110th anniversary of In Flanders Fields, the iconic wartime poem written by Canadian Lt.-Col. John McCrae.

During the Second World War, approximately 1,159,000 Canadians served. A total of 44,090 lives were lost.

As of this year, Veterans Affairs Canada estimates there are 3,691 surviving Canadian veterans of the Second World War.

“My dad served in the air force, so I have a memory,” Shepherd said. “He was also the secretary of the legion in the town I grew up in, so I met a bunch of the vets when I was young. For me, I have that physical link with the past. But for other generations that didn’t have the direct link, it’s not as vivid, not as strong. So that’s one thing we can do about Remembrance Day, is make that link to the past with those people before those who served in those conflicts are no longer with us.”

Shepherd said it’s important to remember how terrible the world wars were.

“When we look out in the world today, the war in Ukraine, other conflicts around the world, we don’t want to ever let those grow to the point where you end up with another war like World War II,” he said. “It would be unforgivable to let that happen.”

He also said it’s important to remember other countries know war much more intimately than Canada. There are Canadian troops stationed in Latvia, for example, as part of Operation Reassurance, an ongoing mission to deter Russian aggression in the region.

“(Latvia) was on the front lines of the world wars, the Cold War, and only relatively recently gained its independence and freedom as a country (in 1991),” he said. “For them, our soldiers serving there are real.

“So we certainly don’t want to glorify war, because there is nothing good about it, but we do want to honour those who volunteered and served in them, and remember that many of them came back and it was tough, scared by what they had seen.”

In a statement, Premier Wab Kinew said Tuesday was a time to pause and honour the bravery and sacrifice of Canada’s veterans, the fallen, and those who continue to serve. He also expressed gratitude to members of the Canadian Armed Forces and their families, who “serve alongside them in spirit.”

“Because of you, we live in a country where we can speak freely, worship freely and raise our children in peace,” the statement reads.

“The freedoms we enjoy didn’t just happen automatically; they were built and defended by people who believed in something bigger than themselves. People who understood that democracy is not a given, but a shared responsibility. Our rights and freedoms are only as strong as our willingness to uphold them. Each generation must protect them, nurture them and keep them alive.

“The Canadians who fought for us believed in a country that belongs to everyone, no matter who you are or where you come from. They gave us not just safety, but purpose. And it’s on us to carry that work forward — to strengthen our democracy, to choose unity over division and to keep building a Canada that lives up to their example.”

With files from The Canadian Press

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca