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
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
BREAKING Canadian Blood Services apologizes to LGBTQ2S+ community for discriminatory blood donation policy
Canadian Blood Services issued an apology on Friday to the LGBTQ2S+ community for what it now admits was a harmful and discriminatory blood donation policy that prevented sexually active men who have sex with men and some trans people from donating blood and plasma.
BREAKING 'Just wait': Toronto mayor hints that WNBA team is coming to the city amid multiple reports
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says that she is hopeful an announcement could be made soon amid multiple reports that a WNBA team is coming to Toronto in 2026.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
'Irate male' assaulted Newfoundland officers with block of cheese, police say
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.