Most stores in Halifax will be closed all day on Wednesday, November 11, for Remembrance Day, under Nova Scotia's Remembrance Day Act. The municipality said curbside garbage pickup for that day moves to Saturday, November 14.
The Act bans the sale of goods and most paid work for the whole day, and it covers malls, big box stores and large grocery stores. An employer who breaks the Act can be fined up to $15,000.
No alcohol can be sold or served in the province before noon, and movies, games, concerts and other performances cannot start until noon. Businesses that remain open must stop work for three minutes from 10:59 a.m.
The province's rules are designed to mark the armistice that ended the First World War at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918. The Canadian Virtual War Memorial, which lists the more than 118,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders who have died serving in uniform, allows members of the public to look up names and stories and lay a virtual poppy.
In Winnipeg, the Free Press is not publishing a print or e-edition on November 11. Most businesses in Manitoba are required by provincial law to be closed from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Remembrance Day.
A Remembrance Day service and Winnipeg Garrison parade are scheduled at Vimy Ridge Park, starting at 10:30 a.m. A service will also be held at the RBC Convention Centre, where doors open at 9:30 a.m. and attendees must be seated by 10:15 a.m. for the entrance of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba.
Ceremonial gunfire usually marks the day on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislature, but provincial officials say the guns are not available this year, so the 21-gun memorial salute will not take place. The Poppy Blanket, a 26-metre blanket made of more than 8,000 handmade poppies, is displayed on the Grand Staircase in the Legislative Building before it is moved to the RBC Convention Centre on November 11. The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders are set to take part in the service at Vimy Ridge Park.