This is a bittersweet day for me, and I’m sure, for hundreds of thousands of others.
It’s Remembrance Day, a day we honour the service and sacrifice of military veterans who served, and in too many cases, gave their lives for our country.
For the last 16 years, we have broadcast our show live on location at the Gore Park cenotaph in downtown Hamilton, and for years before that, my friend and colleague Roy Green did the same thing to honour our veterans and hear their stories.
We braved the cold and the inclement weather during those broadcasts, as did thousands of others each year, but it was worth every minute of it to show Canadian veterans how much we appreciate their service and their sacrifice.
Those shows were, and always will be, some of the most emotional and gratifying broadcasts of my career.
But, this year is different.
The pandemic has forced us to change our everyday behaviours and our sacred traditions.
But that cannot and will not deter us from honouring our Canadian heroes.
We can’t assemble at the many cenotaphs and memorials this Remembrance Day.
COVID-19 has altered the way we can pay tribute to veterans, but pay tribute we will, in our hearts and minds, this Remembrance Day and forever more.
We will never forget them!