P.E.I. veteran praised for guarding cenotaph during anti-mandate rally
CBC
A Charlottetown-area veteran stood guard in front of the city's cenotaph for several hours Saturday as vaccine-mandate protesters gathered to show support for a convoy rolling through the city.
"I just felt it was my duty to go down there, and I was not there to protest or counter-protest or enter the political fray in any way," says Owen Parkhouse.
"I was merely there to guard the cenotaph and to ensure that those who served and those who fell for Canada were not disrespected."
Parkhouse said he was worried after hearing reports of the National War Memorial being disrespected during demonstrations in Ottawa. He said he didn't want anything similar to happen in Charlottetown.
"I was there to guard the statue to make sure that no one climbed on it or disrespected it in any way," he said.
Several photos of Parkhouse have been widely shared on social media. Some are calling him a hero.
"I think it's very flattering but I'm by no means a hero," he said. "I think the heroes are those that, unfortunately, didn't come back. So, I'm not a hero at all. I just did what was in my heart that I had to do."
Last May, CBC spoke with Island veterans who said protesting in front of the cenotaph dishonours fallen soldiers. Parkhouse said it all comes down to location.
"I think it's just the unfortunate location of the cenotaph," he said. "Most protests are in front of legacies in this country and it just so happens the cenotaph is in front of our provincial legislature."
Parkhouse stood by the cenotaph for several hours with a wreath of remembrance in his hand. After the crowd left, he laid the wreath at the base of the monument and then saluted it.
"It felt good because I felt I did my duty for those who are no longer around to have their say anymore."
Aside from a few individuals, the group treated him with respect, Parkhouse said.
Charlottetown police said there were some heated verbal exchanges on Saturday but no reports of violence.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary is investigating a shooting in St. John's on New Year's Day.
A former employee of the Millbrook First Nation has been sentenced to 4½ years in federal prison.
Jury selection begins today in Moncton for the trial of a 29-year-old accused of killing a Dieppe couple in 2019.
The Société de transport de Montréal and the union representing 800 professional workers have reached a tentative deal after more than a year of negotiations.
Mother Nature will be bringing Saskatchewan some warmer winter temperatures for the new year.
The leader of a rival party to Premier Danielle Smith's United Conservatives says they're scrambling to organize on the chance Smith tries to undercut them by calling a spring election.
An Air India pilot was arrested at Vancouver International Airport last week as he was preparing for a flight, with Transport Canada warning the airline that it could lose its flight authorizations if it did not comply with rules about alcohol consumption.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is calling Calgary's second catastrophic break of the same feeder main in less than two years a failure of oversight, and says it might be time for the province to step in and take some responsibility for supervising the city's water system.
A child is in critical condition after a residential fire in Markham, Ont., on Friday, York Regional Police say.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is calling Calgary's second catastrophic break of the same feeder main in less than two years a failure of oversight, and says it might be time for the province to step in and take some responsibility for supervising the city's water system.
A dog has died and a male pedestrian taken to hospital after being struck by a vehicle in downtown Toronto on Friday, said police.
An electrical issue caused the apartment fire in Charlottetown nearly a week ago, according to the city's police service.
This week's water main break came just as Shawn Kearns was already closing up shop at Greenbriar Market and Refillery on Bowness Road at the end of the December — and the timing did bring a sense of relief.