Remembrance Day at the Kipnes Centre for Veterans
The annual Remembrance Day ceremony holds special meaning for residents, families and staff at The Kipnes Centre for Veterans. Since its opening in 2005 the Kipnes Centre has provided a space for veterans to share their unique stories and experiences. Every year staff, residents and family gather to pay tribute and honour the sacrifices made by Canada’s veterans.
Kipnes residents are active participants in the ceremony. Residents have created projects that will live beyond their time at the Centre, like the wood block Canada Day flag created by a group of residents led by Guy Lamoureux. Residents also participated in the Colour Party and wreath laying. Shirley Abrams, a resident of Kipnes, and her husband Ken, who both served as fighter control operators, laid a wreath during the ceremony to honour the service of their fellow veterans.
The wood-block Canada Day flag created by Guy Lamoreaux and Kipnes residents.
“The ceremony provides a great opportunity to reflect on the people you’ve met that are gone and the ones that are still here,” said Ken. “When you’ve lost someone along the way, the ceremonies are very impactful, so it’s nice to be around friends and fellow veterans here at Kipnes.”
Family and friends lost in conflicts across the world are top of mind for 90 year old veteran Claude Petit, a Metis veteran of the Korean War. Petit has a long family history in the military, including many uncles who served in the Second World War in France, Germany, and Holland.
Claude Petit carrying a flag to the Great Room as part of the Colour Party.
“My great grandfather was killed at Vimy Ridge," says Claude. “I always think of it, how my experience in the front lines was different compared to the second and first world war.”
In his former role as President of the National Aboriginal Veterans Association, Petit advocated for the national monument to Aboriginal veterans in Ottawa. At the time, he wrote that he hoped the monument “ends the pain for those veterans yet living and it pays fitting tribute to those who died in Canada’s service.”
At the Kipnes ceremony this year, Claude was part of the Colour Party. He carried a flag to the Kipnes Great Room where the ceremony is held. The town-square communal space showcases military artifact displays and is a gathering space for everything from singing to wood working.
Ken and his wife Shirley are grateful to live alongside other veterans like Claude in Kipnes and to participate in the Remembrance Day ceremony.
“In the past, we’d go to the legion and meet elders after the ceremony. It’s a little different at Kipnes because we’re the elders,” says Ken. “This is our second Remembrance Day ceremony since moving into Kipnes. It’s nice to share and hear other people’s stories.”
Shirly and Ken Abrams in Kipnes's Great Room.
This year’s ceremony included participants from the 395 Edmonton “Griffon” Air Cadet Squadron, who helped the residents throughout the ceremony, and the 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron who assisted the residents of the Colour Party.
Residents like Shirley and Claude, and family members like Ken, are why CapitalCare and Kipnes staff are honoured to host special events honouring the contributions of CapitalCare’s veteran residents. By centering residents as part of the ceremony CapitalCare provides person-centred care by fostering an environment of belonging with a sense of purpose.