St Norbert Remembrance Day logo link to our home page

The Cenotaph, erected in the St. Norbert Cemetery, was an over-grown, long forgotten homage to the thirteen men who fought and died in World War I and who were connected to the St. Norbert area.

In 2008, Art Bloomfield, long-time St. Norbert resident, took a closer look at the overgrown monument while walking his young grandson to preschool. Soon after, he and his family made it their personal mission to ensure that the cenotaph and those thirteen men whose names are etched in stone were forgotten no more.

Celebrate and honour these men at the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month.

Lest We Forget image

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because our community cares

We would like to thank all our sponsors, supporters and volunteers for their kindness and generosity. Please click on the tabs below to check them all out. And please be sure to thank them next time you see them and/or visit their places of business.

  • Community Sponsors
  • Community Supporters
  • Volunteers
  • Organizing Committee
  • Wreath Layers

2023 Community Sponsors

Holding events such as Remembrance Day each year wouldn't be possible without the generous donations by our government leaders and corporate citizens.

BSI Insurance logo
link to the BSI Insurance website BSI Insurance,
St. Norbert Branch
bsimb.com
photo of Markus Chambers link to Markus Chambers' website
Markus Chambers, City of Winnipeg
Councillor, St Norbert-Seine River
MarkusChambers.ca
photo of Terry Duguid link to Terry Duguid's website
Terry Duguid, Member of Parliament
for Winnipeg South
TerryDuguid.LibParl.ca
photo of Janice Lukes link to Janice Lukes' website
Janice Lukes
City of Winnipeg Councillor
Waverley West Ward
JaniceLukes.ca

Fraternal Oder of Eagles logo link to the Eagles Club website
The Fraternal Order of Eagles
3870 Pembina Hwy
eagles3870.com

link to the East India Company website
Sachit Mehra
East India Company
eastindiaco.com
Fort Richmond Jewellers logo link to the Fort Richmond Jewellers website
Daniel Flather, Owner,
Fort Richmond Jewellers
FortRichmondJewellers.com
The Medicine Shoppe logo link to The Medicine Shoppe South Winnipeg website
John Thompson,
Owner, The Medicine Shoppe
MedicineShoppeSouthPeg.ca
Pony Corral logo
Peter Ginakes
Owner, Pony Corral Restaurant & Bar
PonyCorral.ca

Red River Co-op logo link to the St. Norbert Co-op website
Red River Co-op
St. Norbert
RedRiverCo-op.crs

St. Norbert Biz logo link to the St. Norbert Biz website
St. Norbert BIZ
since 2011
stnorbertbiz.com

Windsor Plywood logo link to Windsor Plywood's website
Dave Johnston,
Windsor Plywood
WindsorPlywood.com

Sponsor request image

2023 Community Supporters

Community involvement makes all the difference in the world.

To Mr. Bernie Lemoine who quietly cares for the St. Norbert Cenotaph year round, you have the thanks of the community at large, the families of the fallen and most importantly, the 13 men whose names are etched in stone.

We'd like to send a special thank you to the following:

In addition, we'd like to thank...

2023 Volunteer Acknowledgements

Mr. Jim Busby has been instrumental in providing details of the lives and deaths of those men whose names are inscribed on the cenotaph.

Mr. Brian Cyr has provided some great additional information about some of the soldiers listed on the cenotaph. He was able to provide records about the cenotaph itself that we had previously been unable to locate.

Each year, a number of volunteers make our annual Remembrance Day Service so much more special, just by the nature of their involvement.

  • Emcee, Charmaine Bloomfield
  • Emcee Assistant and Land Acknowledgement, Jonathan Biljardt
  • Piper, Mark O'Rourke playing The Lament
  • Joan McKenzie, singing O Canada
  • Bob Roehle of PAL(55+), who read The Act of Remembrance
  • Tribute to Francophone Veterans, retired Superintendent, Seine River School Division, Simon LaPlante
  • Tribute on behalf of Métis Veterans, MLA for Seine River, Billie Cross
  • Greg Reid of St. Norbert, who for many years, has provided the power which makes our events possible
  • And of course, music director, Michelle Archibald and her students from College St. Norbert Collegiate (including the Concert Choir and the Brass Ensemble), as well as students from Ecole St. Norbert Immersion and Parc La Salle School
    • who shared details about the lives of our fallen soldiers
    • who sounded their trumpets
      • Fall In
      • The Last Post
      • The Reveille
    • who treated us to their musical and spoken voices
    • who laid the wreaths and placed poppies on the banner around the cenotaph
    • and who recited
      • Au champ d'honneur
      • In Flanders Fields
      • The Commitment to Remember
  • Julie Biljardt and Stacy Gorman - Marshalling
  • Jaylin Sinclair - Canadian Flag
  • Cara Caron - Métis Flag
  • Art Bloomfield, Ian Cummins, Stacy Gosman and Bill Younger - Wreath organization
  • Richard Biljardt, Bill Younger, Annalies Biljardt and Jonathan Biljardt - Wreath removal
  • and last, but not least, Wendy Bloomfield - who manages this whole event

We'd also like to thank all the volunteers, past and present, who've helped put this event on since its inception. Whether that is a behind the scenes effort, event day participation, or anything to make these events happens, your time and energies fuel the success of the commemoration each and every year.

Our sincerest thanks to each of you!

2023 Organizing Committee

This annual event exists because of the behind the scenes work of a group of dedicated volunteers. The 2022 St. Norbert Remembrance Day Committee is comprised of the following community members:

  • Art and Wendy Bloomfield - The St. Norbert Remembrance Day service would not exist without the tireless efforts of Art, Wendy and their family. From discovering (or rediscovering) the overgrown cenotaph and cleaning it up... to liaising with the community to garner support... to managing the volunteers to ensure that all the tasks are accomplished... and to leading the community to remember the fallen soldiers with pride and affection... and so much more. With little exception, they pretty much do it all.
  • Charmaine Bloomfield - Charmaine will once again emcee our 2023 In-Person Remembrance Day Ceremony. Charmaine has volunteered since the beginning and has always been a driving force for making things better year after year. 
  • Stacy Gorman - Stacy is helping in so many areas including preparing the wreaths for laying on Remembrance Day as well as marshalling our wreath layers
  • Bill Younger - Bill will be helping prepare the wreaths for Remembrance Day and take them down days afterwards
  • Ian Cummins - Ian will be helping organize the wreaths for our Wreath Layers for Remembrance Day
  • Jonathan Biljardt - Jonathan is our assistant emcee. He will also be presenting our Land Acknowledgement and helping get the wreaths ready for Remembrance Day
  • Julie Biljardt Julie will be helping marshall our Wreath Layers as well as taking down all the wreaths a few days after Remembrance Day
  • Deb Degryse Clark - Deb created and manages our website and social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and YouTube) to advertise and promote our St. Norbert Remembrance Day Ceremony.

2023 Wreath Layers

Thank you to all who laid wreaths at the foot of the Cenotaph.

  • On behalf of the Government of Canada, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South, Terry Duguid
  • On behalf of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Sargent Paul Manaigre
  • On behalf of the Royal Canadian Navy, HCMS Chippewa, Lieutenant Patrick Buat and Martin Badger
  • On behalf of the Canadian Army, The Fort Garry Horse, Lieutenant Sohi, Corporal Hunter and Corporal Watson, accompanied by Warrant Officer Connor Harder of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles Army Cadet Corps
  • On behalf of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Major Jeremy Cutts
  • On behalf of the National Metis Veterans Association, CSNC student
  • On behalf of the Metis Veterans, Deb Degryse Clark
  • On behalf of the St. Norbert Veterans Memorial Association, Mark Hlady
  • On behalf of the Province of Manitoba, Members of the Legislative Assembly, for Fort Richmond, Janice Chen and for Riel, Mike Moyes
  • On behalf of the St. Norbert Parish-LaBarriere Metis Council, Billie Cross
  • On behalf of the City of Winnipeg, Councillor for St. Norbert-Seine River Ward, Markus Chambers
  • On behalf of the Winnipeg Police Service, Constables Dirk Creighton and Harminder Singh
  • On behalf of the Business Community of St. Norbert, John Thompson from The Medicine Shoppe and Sachit Mehra from East India Company
  • On behalf of the Education Community in St. Norbert, Superintendent, Seine River School Division, Dr. Ryan Anderson, Principal, Ecole Romeo-Dallaire, Former Air Force Second Lieutenant, Savin Basque, College St. Norbert Collegiate, Principal, Ms. Kayleigh Sieffert, and Vice Principals, Rafaelle Borelli and Joanne Comte
  • On behalf of the St. Norbert Knights of Columbus, Donatien Biseruka, Bernard Lemoine and Lucien Gagnon
  • On behalf of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Club #3870, Willy Stepushyn
  • On behalf of the South Winnipeg Lions Club, Kevin Gamble
  • On behalf of the Ginakes Family, Art Bloomfield
  • On behalf of Pembina Active Living 55+, Dave and Marla Olinyk
  • On behalf of the Girl Guides of Canada, Mrs. Suzanne Wylie, accompanied by the Girl Guide Units of the Grand Pine Area
  • On behalf of the Bloomfield Family - grandchildren of Art and Wendy Bloomfield
  • On behalf of the 13 Fallen Men recognized on the St. Norbert Cenotaph, cousin of Richard Fenton, Harolyn Capstick and Ian Capstick, great-granddaughters of Jules Seewald, Monique Sevald and Jeanine Sevald as well as Toni Raugust, cousin of Arthur Carriere

For information on how you too, can make a difference with this very important annual event, please send us an email.

image of a poppy Lest We Forget image of a poppy

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