The Italian Campaign during the Second World War happened 80 years ago, and this past weekend 55 regional soldiers who were killed in the battles during the liberation of Italy were honoured. 

The Veterans Memorial Gardens & Interpretive Centre hosted a ceremony on Saturday honouring all who fought and died in the Italian campaign, including the Battle of Ortona.

“In the Italian campaign, our region lost 55 soldiers that we're honouring,” said Marie Renee Charbonneau, executive director of Canadian Motorcycle Tourism, which operates the gardens and centre.

“The Italian campaign started in July 1943 with the invasion of Sicily and went on until 1945.

“The Battle of Ortona took place in December of 1943, and it was a very bloody battle, and a lot of Eddie's, the Loyal Edmonton Regiment members, lost their lives in that battle.”

The weekend event brought the Loyal Edmonton Regiment to the city, which participated in Saturday’s ceremony. 

“In front of you is our regimental colours, and we do not parade them unless they are on special occasions, and this is one of them,” said Lt.-Col. Christopher Barr, commanding officer of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, at Saturday’s ceremony. 

Over the weekend, the Veterans Memorial Garden had military vehicles on display, and on Saturday, after the ceremony honouring soldiers, a dinner was held at the Bowes Centre at Bonnetts Energy Centre.

The dinner tables displayed the stories of the 55 regional soldiers killed in the Italian campaign. 

“Our local heroes fought and gave up their lives so that their families and future generations of Canadians could live in peace and harmony in a place that values the freedom to live, love, worship and be who we are as free people in a free country,” said Grande Prairie RCMP Officer in Charge Lee Brachmann. 

“It's more important now than ever to take the time to remember and learn from the past; in doing so, we recall the sacrifices of all those who fought, were injured, and those who died fighting to protect us.” 

Charbonneau said the event also welcomed Memorial Cross, or Silver Cross, families including Emery Wabisca’s daughter, who was three when her father died in the Italian Campaign. 

“She's completely honoured because, for her, this is the first time her dad's really truly being recognized, other than in a group ceremony.”

The event also brought Memorial Cross family members of more recent wars, such as the Afghanistan War.

Darcia Arndt’s husband Ray was killed while in Afghanistan at the age of 32, and a plaque at the memorial gardens honours him.

Ray was part of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment, and Darcia came to Grande Prairie to honour him and his memory.

“If you don't have places like these, people tend to forget,” she said.

Darcia volunteers at the Loyal Edmonton Regiment Military Museum, where she works on soldiers' files, researching them and sharing their stories. 

“They're real people,” she said.

“In my volunteer work, doing up a soldier file, I feel like I know them,” she said, noting her research reveals much of their lives, where they were born, what they did for a living, who their family is, who they went overseas with, who their friends are, and where they died and are honoured.

Col. James Stone

Col. Vanessa Hanrahan spoke about Col. James Riley Stone and his legacy of community work. Stone created the Military Police Fund for Blind Children, which now produces $200,000 every year in support of visually impaired children across Canada.

“It is because of his dedication to a community like yours that I get to stand in front of you and tell you what an awesome hero and human being this individual was,” said Hanrahan.

Stone enlisted in Grande Prairie at the start of the Second World War, riding on horseback for nealry 50 kilometres, according to the Military Museum biography. 

Stone won the Military Cross at the Battle of Ortona when he single-handedly assaulted a German anti-tank gun that was blocking his company's advance. He defeated it with a grenade.

Local leaders shared the importance of events honouring the past. 

“Events like these are a reminder of the dedication and sacrifice made so we can live our lives with our rights and freedoms here in Canada and experience the excellent quality we do today,” said City of Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton.

“I would like to give a heartfelt thank you to the families, our current serving members, and the organizers that are keeping this important part of our history alive for future generations,” said County of Grande Prairie Coun. Karen Rosvold.

Charbonneau said research on the 55 soldiers killed in action has been ongoing since 2015, researching the South Peace Regional Archives, Canadian Fallen Heros, and the National War Memorial. 

“We're piecing together all of the different killed-in-action soldiers from our region, finding a lot of the different veteran stories so that once we're done with killed-in-action, we can start with the veterans and hopefully feature some of those wonderful stories that are out there,” she said.

“Every day should be Remembrance Day; it is for our Silver Cross families even 80 years later,” said Charbonneau.

The City of Grande Prairie and the County of Grande Prairie are applying for grants that will expand wildfire safety strategies.

The city is applying for two grants, and the county is applying for one, through the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA).

“One of those grants will be for vegetation management to clean up some of our hazardous areas, and the second application is for a Firesmart public education grant,” said Dan Lemieux, city chief public and protective services officer.

The city’s two applications for $200,000 include one for vegetation management in the Bear Creek Corridor and another to provide public education on the FireSmart program, including a FireSmart home assessment initiative.

City Mayor Jackie Clayton asked if the county and city could collaborate on an application, but FRIAA requires each municipality to apply on their own behalf, said Lemieux. 

County application

The county is applying for a $50,000 grant to help fund a review and update of the Wildfire Mitigation Strategy. 

The county strategy was first implemented in 2015 and is used to identify areas in the county that are considered vulnerable or at risk in a wildfire situation.

“This grant application will enable the county to work with a forestry consultant to conduct a thorough assessment of hazards and re-engage stakeholders, including the Alberta Forestry and Parks wildfire operations, First Nations, fire services for both the county and City of Grande Prairie,” reads a county report. 

The county’s 2015 strategy focuses on fuel reduction on public lands and mitigation measures for private lands.

Ten high-risk areas were identified in the 2015 strategy, along with 74 recommendations for wildfire mitigation across the county. 

“Two of the 10 areas identified have had fuel reduction work completed, and work is underway in priority area 3, Hwy. 40 West,” says a report given to county council Aug. 28. 

Areas of priority included in the 2015 strategy are the Riverview Pines Subdivision (priority area 6), and areas west of Hwy. 40 (priority area 3) which were affected by the Dunes West Wildfire earlier in May. 

The Dune West wildfire resulted in creating fire breaks in the county, while other wildfires threatened the north and west borders. 

It’s recommended by FRIAA that the Wildfire Mitigation Strategy be revisited every 10 years or after a significant wildfire, such as the Dunes West fire.

The county report says work on vegetation management is ongoing west of Hwy 40, and additional information on the work will come to county council on Sept. 11.