Open house for Atlantic Memorial Park

The Atlantic Memorial Park (AMP) Society is pleased to announce an open house will be held on May 10 at the Holy Family Parish Hall in Sydney Mines.

This will be an opportunity to learn about the important progress made over the past several months and the planned next steps towards our mission: “To create a seaside journey of remembrance that brings Canada’s military history home.”

The open house will feature a keynote address by Leonard Boudreau on the Battle 0f Vimy Ridge. Boudreau is well known for his evocative and compelling presentation. Refreshments will be served.

Canada needs a unique memorial park where visitors can pay respect to, and be educated about, the contributions and sacrifices of its military personnel.

Unfortunately, because of distance and cost, few Canadians are able to visit the overseas memorials that have been erected on the battlegrounds where many young heroic Canadians made the ultimate sacrifice in defence of our nation’s freedom. These memorials will be replicated in the Atlantic Memorial Park to enable visitors to experience a unique trek through Canada’s military history from Ypres to Afghanistan.

The Atlantic Memorial Park will also include a feature monument modelled after the breathtaking and inspirational Vimy memorial in Northern France, the battleground which many historians cite as playing a key role in the birth of Canada as a nation.

Situated on 120 acres of publicly owned land in a remarkable seaside setting at the entrance to Sydney Harbour, the park will attract thousands of visitors, young and old alike, to experience a unique combination of features unavailable anywhere else. The park will also include the restored historic Chapel Point Battery fortification, a family park and playground, a mile-long ocean beach and, a first nations replica encampment and annual veterans’ powwow. Public support for the project has been overwhelmingly positive, including the endorsement of the Dominion Command of the Royal Canadian Legion. A business case has been prepared which demonstrates a significant economic return for the area and the entire Island. A compelling statement of support has recently been made in the Senate by Senator Jane Cordy. The support of Island residents for this initiative has been outstanding and is critical to its success. All are invited to the open house and a special invitation is being issued to our members of parliament, members of the legislative assembly, the mayor and councillors of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

For further information about the park, refer to our website at ampheroes.ca where an excellent drone video, an overview of Canada’s military contributions and the contributions of the Sydney Harbour area are highlighted.

Brian Ferguson (Planning Director, Atlantic Memorial Park project)

Sydney Mines

Cyril Aker (AMP Society Chair) Sydney Mines