Richmond street banners will honour 114 local veterans

Richmond will install street banners honouring 114 local veterans through a program launched by Royal Canadian Legion Branch 291 in partnership with the City of Richmond. Four banners will be unveiled at a free public event on Sept. 26 at the Colonel Sherman Armoury.

The event runs from 1 to 5 p.m. in the armoury’s drill hall. Speeches and a band performance begin at 1 p.m., and snacks and beverages will be available. RSVPs are recommended. The launch coincides with the Royal Canadian Legion’s 100th anniversary celebration.

For the next three years, the banners will hang from 57 light posts on No. 3 Road and Granville Avenue near Richmond City Hall from Oct. 1 to Dec. 1. Each banner includes a veteran’s photograph, name, years of service and branch.

Those being honoured include 12 Japanese-Canadian veterans, five to six Chinese-Canadian veterans, one Indigenous veteran, nine RCMP members and several Royal Canadian Air Force members from Sea Island.

Co-organizer Debbie Jiang said the banners will help the community remember and learn about people who served the country. She said many members of the Second World War generation gave up their youth and aspirations, and 66,000 did not return home.

Jiang said veterans considered for the banners had to have been born, lived, worked or died in Richmond. The program was inspired by Vancouver’s Victory Square veteran banner program in 2024 and Delta’s veteran banner program. After collecting about 20 submissions for Japanese-Canadian veterans, Jiang brought the concept to Legion Branch 291, partnered with fellow organizer Ron Fontaine and presented the proposal to the City of Richmond, which approved it.

City spokesperson Dammy Ogunseitan said the program gives local veterans’ service a face and a name. He said it is meaningful for families to see loved ones honoured in their own community and serves as a visible reminder, particularly for younger generations, that local people made real sacrifices for the freedoms residents enjoy.

Fontaine died suddenly on Aug. 18 before seeing the launch. Jiang said he had been excited about the event and would have been proud of it. One of the banners featured at the launch will honour his father, Louis Fontaine, and the Fontaine family.

The full list of 114 people being honoured is available through the source article. To RSVP for the public event, email [email protected].