Military pomp was on full display in front of Timmins City Hall Wednesday afternoon, in commemoration of the 125th anniversary of Northern Ontario’s military regiment, the Algonquin Regiment.
The Timmins Police Pipes and Drums set the tone for Mayor Michelle Boileau to present the Freedom of the City to commanding officer Lt.-Col. Kirk Langdon. He then presided at the raising of the regiment’s flag.
“The regiment has very deep roots in Northern Ontario. Soldiers are currently drawn from North Bay and Timmins, but in the past they were drawn from all over the North, from Sault Ste. Marie, all the way up to Timmins, Sudbury, all in between.”
Langdon gave a brief history of the Algonquin Regiment, right up to five members headed to Latvia this year to serve.
Just prior to the flag raising, Mayor Michelle Boileau made a Freedom of the City proclamation for the regiment. Langdon said it’s one of the most prized honours a community can bestow upon a military unit.
“It signifies the respect, the trust and the esteem held for its soldiers by the citizenry of the city,” he mentioned, “and grants the unit the privilege of marching through the community bearing arms, with drums beating and colours flying.”
Langdon added that the soldiers are the sons and daughters of Timmins, giving them extra pride when on domestic operations such as help in times of floods and fire.
