November
04
Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign Surpasses 2 Million Tree Goal@Fort York National Historic Site -Wed.,Nov.2nd,2022
Photography by Wayne Baggs
On Wednesday it was a special event at Fort York National Historic Site in Toronto. It was announced that over 2 million trees were planted to honour every Canadian who served in the country’s Armed Forces and the 117,000 who paid the ultimate sacrifice. The campaign began in 2015, and is the world’s largest living tribute with nearly 2.5 million trees planted in total at over 825 planting locations across Ontario.
One of the fallen heroes honoured by the HoHTC included Sapper Brian Collier. Brian was killed by an IED in Afghanistan in 2010 while serving his country. His mom, Silver Cross Mother Carol Collier, spoke at the event
The acoustic performance from Colin MacDonald&John-Angus MacDonald (The Trews),who performed their acclaimed song, “Highway of Heroes.”
Also In Attendence:
- Bob Barrett, Barrett Family Foundation
- Carol Collier, Silver Cross Mother
- Mark Cullen, Chair/President & Co-Founder Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign & Trees for Life
- Susan Hay, anchor/producer Global News, event host
- Mike Hurley, Executive Director, Trees for Life and Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign
- Right Honourable David Johnston
- Rob Keen, CEO, Forests Ontario
- Colin MacDonald & John-Angus MacDonald (of The Trews)
- Seamus O’Regan, Minister of Labour
- Carolyn Scotchmer, Executive Director, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation.
About Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign:
When is a tree more than just a tree? The answer is when the tree is part of a memorial to honour Canada’s fallen heroes. We have planted over 2 million trees for all Canadians that have served during times of conflict since Confederation and including the War of 1812. 117,000 of the most prominent trees were planted along and near the stretch of the 401 known as the Highway of Heroes: one tree for every life lost while serving in the Canadian Armed Forces. This tribute provides a myriad of environmental benefits and offers an opportunity to tell the story of those who have served in the Armed Forces, reminding future generations of the great debt we owe these courageous Canadians.
The Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign is funded by Veterans Affairs Canada, the Government of Ontario, Cullen’s Foods, Landscape Ontario, Forests Ontario, Ontario Trillium Foundation, TD Bank, the City of Toronto, Intact Public Entities, the City of Quinte West, Harrington & Associates, Rotary District 7070, Maple Leaves Forever, and the Garden Club of Toronto. To learn more, visit www.hohtribute.ca.
About Trees for Life:
Trees for Life is a Canadian charity driven to inspire, support, and mobilize community-led tree and shrub-planting initiatives. Its mission is to create a healthier, happier Canada by planting native trees where people live, work, and play. They support these organizations with partner outreach and advocacy; funding and fundraising tools; and access to expertise, resources, and education.
Their first projects, the Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign and GrandTrees Climate Solutions, raised over $12 million to support the planting and stewardship of over 2.5 million trees in Ontario. Inspired by this donor and partner commitment, Trees for Life is using its insights and partner networks to extend its vision and impact nationwide. Launched with the support of the Government of Canada through Natural Resources Canada’s 2 Billion Trees Program, the strength of its connections, combined with its unique community-led approach and science-based planting methods, ensures the most critical local needs are met and that the tree-planting capacity of its partners is enhanced.
To learn more, donate, or suggest a project, visittreesforlife.ca, or follow @CdnTreesforLife on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
We would like to thank Strut Entertainment for the invitation to this event.
BKonthescene 