Hill 70: On the eve of the important WW I battle, a look at Hill 70 Memorial Park

Leave a reply

An item from the Legion Magazine that may be of interest to members.
Weekly Feature
Observation Post

The limestone obelisk and revamped ampitheatre at Hill 70 Memorial Park in Loos-en-Gohelle, France. [hill70.ca]

Hill 70: On the eve of the important WW I battle, a look at Hill 70 Memorial Park

STORY BY RICHARD FOOT

It was in 2007, while touring Canada’s First World War battlefields with his family, that Mark Hutchings first set foot on Hill 70.

In startling contrast to the stunning memorial and grounds he had seen at Vimy Ridge, there was nothing to mark one of Canada’s most significant actions of the war except a nearby cemetery holding the graves of some of the 1,877 troops who died capturing Hill 70 in 1917.

“We went straight up the hill, and I stopped and said, ‘Hill 70, this is the highest feature—this must be it,’” recalled Hutchings. “And there was nothing there.”

READ MORE
O Canada 5-Volume Set
The Briefing
The Briefing

Former military medic Jessica Miller resigned from the Women Veterans Council in early January 2026. [Courtesy Jessica Miller]

Jessica Miller on the Women Veterans Council resignations

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

Retired sergeant Jessica Miller believed in the cause, believed in the potential of the Women Veterans Council when it was launched on Jan. 29, 2025.

The body, explained the former military medic, was “based off one of the 42 recommendations in the Invisible No More report” from the previous year, a study undertaken by the standing committee on veterans affairs of the experiences, challenges and systemic barriers faced by women—past and present—in the Canadian Armed Forces. Miller had faith that change could finally be possible, and that serving on the council could help deliver it.

Not so, the now-ex-member says.

READ MORE

Member Benefit Partner
Medipac Insurance
 

Email sent to: mkbarbour@gmail.com

Canvet Publications Ltd.
86 Aird Place |
Kanata, Ontario | K2L 0A1 | Canada |
1-844-602-5737 | 613-591-0116 | magazine@legion.ca

Fireworks from a WWII Liberty ship. July 4, Pier 35

Leave a reply

This opportunity might be of interest to members geographically located in the Bay Area.

SS Jeremiah O'Brien

National Liberty Ship Memorial
-There are a lot of places to watch San Francisco’s Fourth of July fireworks.

Most of them are parking lots. Some are beaches. A few are boats.

This one is a 441-foot WWII Liberty ship berthed at Pier 35 with a clear sightline to the Bay, a working bar, and a steam engine that’s been running continuously since 1943.

July 4, 2026 — Dockside aboard the SS Jeremiah O’Brien, Pier 35, San Francisco.

The ship opens at 7pm. Fireworks start at 9:30pm. Beer and wine will be available for purchase. The engine room will be open for tours before the show.

If you’ve been meaning to get down to the ship but never quite made it — to see the engine room, walk the decks, understand what these vessels actually were — the Fourth is the low-pressure way to do it. She’s docked. The crew is around. The fireworks are just the excuse.

Tickets: $45 adults / $30 seniors / $25 youth

→ Get tickets

Pier 35, San Francisco. Arrive by 8:30 to get settled before dark.

Opt out of any future emails

Pier 45 Suite 4A
San Francisco, CA 94133
United States
SS Jeremiah O’Brien

Pier 35, The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94133

ssjeremiahobrien.org  |  info@ssjeremiahobrien.org

Upcoming events to celebrate Canadian pride! 🇨🇦

Leave a reply

An newsletter from a fellow Canadian organization in the Bay Area.  Note the events that may be of interest to members.

Canadian Studies Announcements

In This Issue:

External Events

• Team Canada watch party

• 14th Annual Canada Day Celebration in SF
• DML Canada Day Picnic
• SF Pride 2026 – Friends of Canada

Academic Opportunities
• Call for proposals: “Interrogating Canadian Identities” conference at York University

EXTERNAL EVENTS

Team Canada Watch Party
Friday, June 12 | 11:30 am | San Francisco | RSVP

Join the Consulate General of Canada in San Francisco to cheer on the Canadian men’s national soccer team as they face Bosnia-Herzegovina. The match kicks off at 12:00 PM. All are welcome – bring your friends, your energy, and your team spirit! Food & drinks will be available for purchase. Seating will be first come, first served.

14th Annual Canada Day Celebration in SF

Tuesday, June 23 | 5:30 pm | San Francisco | RSVP

Join the San Francisco Canadian Expat Meetup Group to celebrate Canada Day in the city! ​Wear your red & white, rep your favourite Canadian team gear, and get ready to sing, “Oh Canada!” with fellow Canadians! Everyone is welcome – bring friends, family, and coworkers. This is a great opportunity to network with other Canadians in the Bay Area and make new friends.

DML Canada Day Picnic

Saturday, June 27 | 11:30 am | San Mateo | Tickets

The Digital Moose Lounge invites you to join your fellow SF Bay Canadians at their annual Canada Day Picnic! Enjoy a fun afternoon of activities and games for the whole family, with a delicious BBQ, cold drinks, and sweet treats. Meet new friends and reconnect with old ones as you embrace your heritage and celebrate with patriotic pride. Remember to wear your red and white alumni gear, or represent your favorite Canadian sports team!

SF Pride 2026 – Friends of Canada

Sunday, June 28 | 11:00 am | San Francisco | RSVP

The Consulate General of Canada in San Francisco cordially invites Canadians and friends of Canada to march in the 56th annual SF Pride Parade. All are welcome to join our friends and family to celebrate diversity and to support the 2SLGBTQI+ members of our communities in California, Canada, and beyond.

The exact assembly location and time will be announced approximately one week prior to the parade. Please register via Eventbrite to receive updates.

ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES

Call for Proposals: “Interrogating Canadian Identities” Conference at York University
Deadline: June 8, 2026

The Interrogating Canadian Identities (ICI) SSHRC grant at York University is hosting a conference to interrogate anachronistic and persistent images and ideas about Canadian identity. These conceptions are often rooted in the historical conceptions of settler communities and this country’s first 155 years.

The conference welcomes paper proposals investigating the continued impact of that past on contemporary views of what it means to be a Canadian, in light of changes to the Canadian population in recent decades; movements toward greater diversity, equity, and inclusion; and other shifts in the way Canadians understand their identities in the 21st century.

Read the full call for proposals here.

Canadian Studies Program

213 Philosophy Hall #2308

Website | LinkedIn | Email | Donate
Canadian Studies Program | Univ. of California, Berkeley 213 Philosophy Hall #2308 | Berkeley, CA 94720 US

News and Events for the Bay Area Canadian Community

Leave a reply

A newsletter from one of our fellow Canadian organizations in the Bay Area.  Note their up-coming Canada Day picnic, where Branch 25 will be represented.

Can’t see this message? View in browser
This email was sent from this site.

82 Years Ago Today…

Leave a reply

An item from the Juno Beach Centre that may be of interest to members on this anniversary of D-Day.

6a13bddb23840c5710837d8e_jbc bl_red.png
69d9c8fa2f0a489d54aee335_61992775_10157238849692145_6294282260279459840_o.jpg
82 years ago today, 14,000 Canadian soldiers landed on the shores of Juno Beach. United by a single conviction — that the forces of democracy must triumph over those would threaten to destroy them — by nine that night, they had pushed farther inland than any other D-Day landing force.

By the end of the war, 1,100,000 Canadians would serve, making a decisive contribution to the Allied Victory. 45,000 would make the ultimate sacrifice to help liberate Europe from the grip of tyranny.

Today, as we honour the bravery and commitment of those who served, we encourage you to pass on their legacy, to share a story from the generation that witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of inaction, so that the next generation might know the true cost of freedom.

Share this email with your family and friends today. Encourage them to take 10 minutes to hear from those who served and help keep this history alive.
YouTube Video
You can watch all the Legacy of Honour videos here. And if you haven’t already, please consider donating the Juno Beach Centre today.
Donate Today
Copyright © 2026 Juno Beach Centre, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:

CP 63038
CP PL DU COMMERCE,
Verdun. Quebec, Canada
H3E 1V6