Students, staff, faculty, and alumni across U of T gather to honour the fallen on Remembrance Day
UTM’s ceremony took place in front of the William G. Davis Building and featured wreath-laying, a moment of silence, and heartfelt messages of peace and remembrance.
On the morning of November 11, a gathering of students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the University of Toronto (U of T) Mississauga (UTM) stood in quiet reflection in front of the William G. Davis Building. The annual Remembrance Day Ceremony brought together members of the community to pay tribute to alumni, staff and faculty who served, and in many cases lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars, among other conflicts.
Alexandra Gillespie, vice president of U of T and principal of UTM, oversaw the occasion. She began the ceremony with a land acknowledgement before the national anthem commenced. In her address, Gillespie described the illustrious life of Claude Bissell, a World War II veteran, English professor, and president of University of Toronto — a role through which he oversaw the opening of both the Mississauga and Scarborough campuses of U of T.
Next, Gillespie, United Steelworkers Local 1998 representative Richard Waters, and President of UTM’s Association of Graduate Students, Faisal Halabeya, placed tributes at the base of the flagpole. The Canadian flag was taken down at 11 a.m., after which participants partook in a two-minute silent contemplation. The Last Post blared as the event came to an end, marking the end of the moment of silence, as the Canadian flag was raised to half-mast.
The day’s significance at UTM stems from its capacity to transform a national moment of commemoration into a campus-specific act of community. The ceremony last year, which was also performed at 10:45 a.m., emphasized that war is both a part of history and an ongoing fact of our world today.
A Remembrance Day Ceremony also took place at the St. George campus on November 11 at the historic Soldiers’ Tower, according to U of T’s alumni website. A 51-bell carillon recital began at 10:10 a.m., followed by the formal ceremony at 10:30 a.m. The program also featured wreath-laying, words of remembrance, and a moment of silence at 11 a.m. and concluded with the Last Post. A gun salute at Queen’s Park followed, along with a reception at Hart House’s Great Hall and public access to the Memorial Room.
This ceremony, which links current students to a century-long history of memory, is still one of U of T’s oldest traditions. With bell chimes ringing throughout campus, wreaths placed beneath engraved names, and the participants’ silent solidarity, the ceremony combines introspection, history, and togetherness. The university maintains recollection as a common dialogue about peace and continuity as well as a ritual of respect by opening the Memorial Room and holding a post-ceremony reception.
At the UTM ceremony, The Medium interviewed Sonia Carreiro, Supervisor of Sport Programs at UTM’s Department of Recreation, Athletics and Wellness. She excerpts, candidly, “The ceremony is an ode to the veterans who served the country in the First and Second World Wars, and other conflicts, and also the people who are currently serving now.”
She reflected that “the least we can do is give them fifteen minutes of our time each year,” emphasizing that remembrance is not only a tradition but a responsibility. Having friends in the military, she spoke about the courage and bravery it takes to serve, qualities she believes deserve ongoing recognition and gratitude from the community.
Her message to others was simple yet powerful: to keep the memory of these soldiers alive. She urged the UTM community to pause, even briefly, to reflect on the sacrifices that make their freedoms possible. “Remembrance,” she said, “is the least we can do, but it means everything to those who once stood for us.”
