Freedom Of The City Parade Today In Barrie

Hundreds of soldiers to take part

A huge parade is planned for Barrie today – the Freedom of the City parade. As many as a thousand troops will march from the Queen’s Park Armouries on Parkside Drive to City Hall and back. Part of this is to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Base Borden which Base Commander, Brigadier-General Carl Doyon, says has trained many soldiers over the last century…

Featured in today’s parade will be two urns of soil brought back from Vimy France, representing the DNA of Canadians soldiers – many who trained at Borden –  who died in the Battle of Vimy Ridge during the First World War…

The parade begins at 10 o’clock this morning. There will be a short ceremony around 11 o’clock at City Hall and then a March back to the Armouries.

photo of urns courtesy: OPP Sgt Kerry Schmidt