TORONTO: The Ontario government on Wednesday unveiled a Memorial to Honour Canadian Heroes of the War in Afghanistan.
The permanent tribute delivers on the government’s commitment to commemorate the valour and sacrifice of the veterans, active members of the Canadian Armed Forces and their families.
Premier Doug Ford was joined on the grounds of Queen’s Park by the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Brigadier-General Conrad Mialkowski, Ontario Regional Chief RoseAnne Archibald, Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, and MajorGeneral David Fraser (retired) to unveil the new monument.
Ford said: “God bless all our veterans, our active service members, and their families.”
A consultation led by General Rick Hillier (retired) provided input on the design of the memorial. The memorial’s design complements and connects to the Ontario Veterans’ Memorial, which was completed in 2006.
The new memorial is located on the northwest side of the front lawn at Queen’s Park in Toronto. The memorial includes a stone from an Inukshuk that was erected by Canadian soldiers at Kandahar Airfield — almost 11,000 kilometres away.
From 2001 to 2014, over 40,000 men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces served in Afghanistan. Tragically, 158 Canadian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan and over 2,000 wounded.