Citizens braved the cold weather to help commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge yesterday afternoon at the cenotaph in downtown Portage la Prairie.

"This being the 100th anniversary is a very special day and I'm really happy to see the turnout we had despite the cold conditions," says Royal Canadian Legion Branch 65 Service Officer Daniel Boyse. "It was a big day and as much as the weather didn't cooperate when you think of what they went through 100 years ago, you really can't complain."

Portage la Prairie's Mayor Irvine Ferris lay a wreath down at the cenotaph on behalf of the City.

Portage Mayor Irvine Ferris laying a wreath at the ceremony. (Photo by Aaron Wilgosh)

"We have a long tradition and have had many people serve our nation in this capacity, and certainly the great war saw a lot of our young people go and serve overseas. We knew this was a watershed moment in our nation's history, so we commemorate that today, and we also commemorate all those young people so many years ago that served and came from our communities."

"I think it shows a lot of appreciation for what happened 100 years ago," says Ian Wishart, Portage MLA. "The battle of Vimy Ridge was certainly a turning point for Canada as a country. I know there's no one around that served at that time but I think it's still a good sign of recognition that we value the service of the military."