London, Ont. prepares for Remembrance Day with poppy campaign, parade

Ceremonies include a parade and an ongoing poppy campaign organized by the Royal Canadian Legion. The Legion has also added peacekeepers to its Poppy Stories initiative.

With Remembrance Day less than a week away, London, Ont., has been preparing with plans for a ceremony, parade and an ongoing poppy campaign.

The annual campaign, launched in late October by the Royal Canadian Legion, has been “off to a great start,” according to the legion’s communications manager Nujma Bond.

Poppy boxes are available in numerous locations across the city, along with “tap and donate” boxes, which allow people to make donations with their smartphones.

“Everywhere in London and cities across the country, people are extremely generous and they donate close to $20 million a year,” Bond said.

This year also marks the Royal Canadian Legion’s second Poppy Stories initiative, where people can use their smartphone to navigate poppystories.ca and scan their poppy to read the story of a fallen Canadian veteran.

“This year, we have added 50 stories to the mix,” Bond said. “These veterans are all fallen peacekeepers, and that’s because this year is the 75th anniversary of the first UN peacekeeping mission.”

“People have the chance to connect deeper with our veterans, find out about the people who have served Canada, and also get a sense of who they were, what they enjoyed, their families, their passions,” Bond continued.

In addition to the poppy campaign, London’s annual Remembrance Day ceremony and parade have been scheduled for Sat. Nov. 11.