A very special memorial was installed at Ukrainian Pioneer Park on Friday, remembering the thousands of European immigrants imprisoned in internment camps when the First World War broke out.
Memorial plaques were unveiled as part of Project Cto, ‘Cto’ is the Ukrainian word for ‘one hundred’.
Canada invoked the War Measures Act in 1914, providing a number of emergency measures for the country during wartime.
When the First World War broke out, European immigrants were deemed enemies of the state and imprisoned in 24 internment camps across the country.
Five camps were in Alberta, with two of those located in Banff National Park.
Inmates at the camps were put into forced labour; expanding the Banff Springs Golf Course, repairing park infrastructure, and building the Transcanada Highway between Banff and Lake Louise.
In 2008, the federal government gave $10M to the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund. That fund is used for education projects and installations like the Project Cto plaques.
