'It's a day of pride': New military monument unveiled in Morinville
The 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron flew over Morinville Sunday as a new monument was unveiled in honour of contributions made by the Canadian military.
The LAV III monument will be the first of its kind in the Edmonton area – and the last of its kind in Alberta.
Originally named the Kodiak, the LAV III is a third-generation light armoured vehicle, which was instrumental in Canadian military operations in Afghanistan.
The monument is made of a decommissioned LAV III hull. It is the last one to be installed in Alberta through the Canada Company LAV III Monument Program, which has ended.
"Today is the culmination of years of hard work," said Gordon Putnam, chairman of the Rotary LAV committee. "I couldn't be happier for the region."
Putnam said the idea was pitched in 2015 by a local military member. It was officially unveiled Sunday as part of the Rotary Club of Morinville's 25th anniversary.
A ceremony was held at 1 p.m. at the site beside the Morinville Leisure Centre, near Highway 642, and the 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron performed a flypast.
Putnam said the installation is meaningful because Morinville and Sturgeon County have around a 30 per cent population of military members.
"To be able to provide a monument to them and a dedication and tribute is really, it's a day of pride," Putnam said.
"I'm so proud of all the work that's gone in, but also I'm just proud that we have something where we can pay tribute to our Canadian military."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.