Yellow lights illuminate B.C. landmarks for International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Yellow lights illuminated Vancouver City Hall overnight ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27.
The local landmark is one of 15 in B.C. that are being lit for the 78th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp.
The colour yellow evokes the memorial candles lit in remembrance of Holocaust victims, according to the City of Vancouver, which released a statement of solidarity with the Jewish community on Friday.
“We join with the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre…to pause and remember the six million Jewish lives, the survivors (many living in Vancouver) and the countless others—children, women and men---who were victims of the atrocities carried out by the Nazi regime and its collaborators,” reads the statement.
The centre will be part of the city’s commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day at City Hall at 1:30 p.m., which will also be livestreamed.
Other Vancouver landmarks that will be lit yellow Friday include the airport, Convention Centre, Canada Place, Burrard Street Bridge, Bloedel Conservatory, Bentall Centre and B.C. BC Place. Across the Lower Mainland, include Coquitlam’s Lafarge Lake Fountain and the city halls of North Vancouver and Delta will also pay tribute.
Over on the island, the B.C. Legislature and the city halls of Victoria, Nanaimo and Saanich will shine yellow too.
In a statement issued Friday, the premier said “We can never lose sight of the fact that behind the numbers are real human beings: beloved children, siblings, aunts and uncles, parents and grandparents. Through the stories of survivors and their families, the horrors of the Holocaust will always live on.”
Politicians across the province are posting photos of themselves holding signs reading “We Remember” on social media.
In one tweet, Coquitlam-Maillardville MLA Selina Robinson is pictured with B.C. Energy Minister George Heyman, who she calls a child of survivors.
“We remember the millions of Jews, Roma, LGBTQ2S and others who were murdered because of hate,” Robinson wrote.
The Vancouver Police Department posted a video of its members holding signs as well.
“Together, #WeRemember the past to build a better future and to ensure that #neveragain truly means never again.”
A 2019 study titled “Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness in Canada” found 48 per cent of Canadians believe something similar to the tragic event could happen in other Western democracies today.
According to the survey, 22 per cent of millennials said they haven’t or weren’t sure if they had heard of the Holocaust.
More information on the Holocaust is available on the following websites:
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
BREAKING 15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
Mexican authorities say thieves killed 2 Australians and an American to steal their truck
Thieves killed two Australians and an American on a surfing trip to Mexico in order to steal their truck, particularly because they wanted the tires, authorities said Sunday.