Sunday’s Canadian Walk for Veterans in Kinsmen Park will be open to everyone, not just those who served.
Former members and their families will walk to raise funds for local and national charities serving members of Canada’s military and True Patriot Love, Canada’s national military foundation. The Walk for Veterans will be in support of River Valley Resilience Retreat (RVRR).
“I believe this is the eighth year for the Walk for Veterans, and River Valley (Resilience Retreat) has been the recipients of the proceeds for the better part of the last four to five years, at least since COVID in 2020. And it’s important for us is to get the message out that it’s open to everyone,” Evert Botha of RVRR said.
“So you don’t need to be a veteran. You don’t even need to be in active service. But it’s any member of the community who would like to honour the veterans to come and join the walk,” Botha said.
True Patriot Love provides funding to local and national mental health programs, recovery and rehabilitation programs, and other vital supports for Veterans, service members, and their families.
This year marks milestone anniversaries for Canadian Veterans, including the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the 75th anniversary of Canadian forces entering the Korean War. But while four in 10 Veterans are seniors aged 65 years and older, almost one-third of Canadian Veterans are in the core working age of 25 to 54.
To recognize the service of all generations of Veterans, the theme for the 2025 Canadian Walk for Veterans is “Honouring the Past; Supporting the Journey”.
He said it was an important event to honour veterans even if you are not a veteran. The organization pays tribute on social media each Friday to men and women deployed overseas.
“But with the Canadian Walk for Veterans, when we talk about veterans, people think of World War II and maybe the Korean War, and yes, we honour those,” Botha said.
“But we also honour our 34- and 35-year-olds who’ve done tours in the Middle Eastern wars and basically everywhere where we’ve been peacekeeping or just manning the frontiers to ensure and protect the democracy of not just our nation, but many other nations across the globe,” he said.
Registration will begin at noon, and the walk will start at 1 p.m. with some brief speeches.
“It’s $25 to participate. And for that $25, you do get the commemorative coin,” Botha said.
Botha said that this year they have also added a barbecue before the walk begins.
The Walk provides an opportunity to take action and support the mental and physical challenges faced by those who have served our country and, by doing so, honour the sacrifices they and their families make on behalf of all Canadians.
The event in Prince Albert is one of 22 walks being held across Canada and the only one in Saskatchewan, with hundreds more Canadians supporting the walk virtually by walking in their communities and donating pledges online.
The Prince Albert walk is being hosted by River Valley Resilience Retreat. The retreat’s mission is to provide secluded and safe respite for those who suffer from PTSI or OSI. Their patrons include: responders, veterans, active armed forces, RCMP, police, EMS & fire (including volunteer fire), corrections, social workers, doctors, nurses, emergency dispatch, 911, tow operators, funeral assistants, First Nations crisis/response, and all public safety personnel. Net proceeds will be used to help fund their activities.
The Walk will start at Kinsmen Park at Central Ave. and 26th Street Northwest at the Kinette Amphitheatre. Participants can register on-site or on the internet before the walk on Sunday.
“We have got two routes that they can walk. One is the inner circle, which is a short one, kind of around the amphitheatre. And then there’s the longer walk, which is kind of around the perimeter, basically from 22nd all the way up to the ball diamond.
For more information or to register, visit https://canadianwalkforveterans.com/prince-albert.
