No Stone Left Alone returns to honouring veterans in Calgary and across Canada
Hundreds of students were at Burnsland Cemetery in southeast Calgary Monday to place poppies on each of the 4,550 headstones marking fallen Canadian soldiers.
“It really does go through my mind that we owe every single soldier who has ever fought for this country an unimaginable amount of debt,” said Grade 9 student Matthew Novicky.
“They've been sent off to these faraway places, to Europe, to Afghanistan, to Asia, to fight for our way of life and also fight for the freedoms and rights of others.”
The event is part of the No Stone Left Alone initiative which was launched in Edmonton in 2011 by Maureen Bianchini-Purvis in recognition of the sacrifice of Canadian men and women who lost their lives in the service of peace, at home and abroad.
Calgary schools have been participating in No Stone Left Alone since 2013.
As the students lay their poppies, Lt. Richard McKenty reflected on what it means to have youth attending at a veterans field of honour.
“It's super important that the students of today our students know of the sacrifices the Fallen have given for Canada,” said Mckenty.
“I think it has that personal experience where the children and students will take a look at those people who sacrificed their lives for our country.”
Annabelle Abbey spent the morning walking from headstone to headstone, pausing to read the names, and reflect on the magnitude of sacrifice so many young Canadians made for her country.
“It definitely breaks my heart to see 21-year-olds or 30-year-olds passing away at such young ages, having so much life left to live and thinking that they could live so much longer. But they risked their lives for us and I'm thankful for that,” said Abbey, who has family members that fought for Canada.
“Being able to acknowledge what these people did for us, and that they risked their lives for our freedom today is a super powerful thing. I definitely know that a lot of people here are feeling overwhelmed with compassion and good feelings for the people that are here, but the ones who have had relatives (in the military), just understand it to a different level."
After a hiatus in 2020 due to COVID-19, No Stone Left Alone has returned to 83 locations in Canada this year, as well as two locations in Europe, one in the Netherlands and the other in Poland.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Ford to recall some pickup trucks in Canada over tail light failure
Ford is set to recall some pickup trucks in Canada due to potential tail light failure.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
How to overcome 'savings guilt' when you're living paycheque to paycheque
As the higher cost of living continues to squeeze household budgets, many Canadians find they have even less left over at the end of every month to squirrel away for the future.