WATCH: Freedom of the City parade highlights RCAF 100th anniversary in Cold Lake

Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland, right, presents a framed scroll honouring the Freedom parade to Col. Dave Turenne, right, Wing Commander at CFB Cold Lake.

Festivities for the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 100th anniversary were most visible in Cold Lake late Thursday morning with the rare Freedom of the City parade.

An event typically done every decade saw over 200 members of 4 Wing Cold Lake parade to City Hall, where Col. Dave Turenne knocked on the front door to see Mayor Craig Copeland. After a short walk to downtown in front of Beantrees Cafe and Furniture Galaxy, Copeland was asked by Col. Turenne to inspect the troops.

Former Cold Lake mayor Ray Coates joined Copeland for the inspection.

He then presented a short speech, as well as handed a framed scroll to Col. Turenne, honouring the event and the services that 4 Wing Cold Lake provides the community and Canada.

“It is pretty much the coolest thing you can do as Mayor of the City of Cold Lake,” said Copeland. “One of the things Ray told me when I became Mayor back in ’07, was to make sure that our commitment to the base was there. And I’ve cherished his words ever since.

“We take freedom for granted here in our country…the F-35 is going to be huge for our military, and having a state of the art aircraft finally. The federal government investing in infrastructure for you all, I think it’s just tremendous. It will boost our economy of course, but our region and our country is going to benefit by having the best plane in the world here in Cold Lake, protecting Canada.

“Thank you to everyone who’s serving, today and in the past, and going forward. It’s an honour as a mayor to be here on parade with you.”

A fighter jet fly-over was scheduled at the conclusion notes of God Save the King, but was cancelled due to rain and low cloud coverage.

This tradition goes back to 1983, when the City dates the first Freedom of the City parade.

The most recent one is believed to have been in 2014.

Walk to City Hall

Ceremony & Speech