Hundreds gather throughout GTA to mark century since Vimy Ridge battle
Veterans, city officials gathered in both Toronto and Brampton on Sunday
Hundreds of people gathered in both Toronto and Brampton on Sunday, paying homage to all the Canadians who lost their lives in the Battle of Vimy Ridge a century ago.
- Students, veterans at Vimy Ridge school commemorate 100th anniversary of battle
- 100 years later: Leaders pay homage to fallen soldiers at Vimy Ridge
At Fork York this afternoon, Toronto Mayor John Tory spoke of how young soldiers "marched straight into machine gun fire" during the three-day battle in northern France, which killed 3,600 Canadian soldiers and injured 7,000 more.
"Those bombs raining down just in front of them gave them the crucial seconds of disarray they needed to gain favourable positions," Tory said in his remarks.
"Trench by trench, line by line, inch by inch — they gained the ground."
"When war broke out in 1914, thousands of young Canadians chose to enlist. They wanted to do their part," echoed Premier Kathleen Wynne.
Tory and Wynne appeared alongside Elizabeth Dowdeswell, the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario. The Queen's York Rangers also participated in a military remembrance parade and commemorative service.
And in Brampton this morning, another Vimy memorial parade featured veterans and military vehicles.
There was also a fly-past of First World War planes, and Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario Elizabeth Dowdeswell and Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey were both in attendance.
Jeffrey said five young men from the city lost their lives in the war.
"They were 17, 18 years old," she said. "I can't imagine when my sons were that age, them choosing to go to war, and to leave, and to never to return."
