The names of veterans will once again line Esquimalt streets this fall, as the Township’s memorial banner program enters its sixth year. For the families behind those names, the banners are more than a tribute. They are a way to keep stories of military service alive and share them with the community. Esquimalt Mayor Barbara Desjardins knows that feeling firsthand. Her father’s service in the Navy is among the stories remembered through the program. “He was, throughout his life, so very proud to have served in the Navy,” Desjardins said. “I felt having this memorialized on a banner was a fitting way to honour him.” The Township has 44 banner spaces available for 2026 and is hoping to fill them all. Each personalized banner feature a veteran’s name, military service information and a remembrance-themed poppy design. They will be displayed along Esquimalt Road, Craigflower Road and near CFB Esquimalt in late October and early November. For Desjardins, the program is about more than remembering those who served. “I have had a banner up, and it’s just wonderful to be able to point it out, and then be able to speak about my father,” she said. That connection has been echoed by families who have taken part in the program. “My wife’s side of the family have been residents of Esquimalt for over a century, and this program allowed them to publicly remember those family members who served God, King and Country in both peace and war,” one resident said in a statement. Another resident described the program as deeply personal for their family, saying they looked forward to seeing the banners each fall and would go out of their way to drive past them. “We felt it was a real honour for some very special members of our family who we miss greatly,” the resident said. Desjardins said that response is especially meaningful in a community with deep ties to the military and the Royal Canadian Navy. “It is a way for them to celebrate their family, history and involvement in the military, which is really important in this climate, as a Navy town,” she said. The program was initiated by Esquimalt council in 2019 and launched in 2021 following pandemic-related delays. Since then, 64 banners have been purchased by community members. The banners are displayed for about three weeks each year and remain in the program for three years. After that, the banner is returned to the purchaser to keep as a family keepsake. Desjardins said her father’s banner now has a place at her family’s cottage in Ontario. “And they are so grateful for it,” she said. The program is open to members of the public, including those who live outside Esquimalt. Those being honoured must have served with the Canadian Armed Forces or, as a Canadian citizen, in the armed forces of an allied nation. The banners are produced locally and cost $135, with the price set on a cost-recovery basis. There are a limited number of spaces available, and banners are being sold on a first-come, first-served basis. The deadline to purchase a 2026 memorial banner is Sept. 9. “Our people who are serving our country are dedicating their lives, literally,” she said. “And those that have passed, we would love to have their memorial on our banners, for Remembrance Day.”
