Media Room

Click here to watch video courtesy of BayToday.ca

It was an eventful weekend in North Bay for the Algonquin Regiment as it hosted dignitaries from the Netherlands and Timmins in observance of Liberation Weekend, and coinciding with ceremonies overseas and domestic marking the liberation of Dutch towns and villages by Allied forces in the last year of the Second World War and the approaching 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (V.E.) Day.

Furthermore, it is a milestone year for the Algonquin Regiment in 2025 as it celebrates its 125th anniversary.

As part of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division, the Algonquin Regiment played an important role in the liberation of the Netherlands, creating a bond that has endured over 80 years.

At Memorial Park, a Canadian flag for each of 341 Algonquin Regiment soldiers lost in the liberation is planted in the ground before the Algonquin Regiment monument. Stu Campaigne/BayToday

See clips below from Ne-Kah-Ne-Tah: The Liberation of Welberg, Memory, Meaning and Experience, with expert contributions from historians Anna Pearson (York University), Stephen Connor (Nipissing University) and Robert Catsburg (Welberg Liberation Memorial Foundation).

On Sunday, joined by Mayor Peter Chirico of North Bay and Mayor Michelle Boileau of Timmins (each city is home to an Algonquin Regiment company), Mayor Ruud van den Belt of Steenbergen (Welberg, The Netherlands) officially presented the Algonquin Regiment with its own Welberg Bell. On Sunday, for the first time, the bell was rung in unison with the Welberg Bell in the Netherlands and the South Alberta Light Horse Bell in Edmonton to commemorate those who have died and the connection the communities have in this collective loss, and subsequent freedom.

Donated by the Liberation Monument Foundation Welberg, on behalf of the community of Steenbergen, the inscription on the bell reads:

This bell is related to the bell of the Liberation Monument Welberg in the Netherlands. That monument was erected in 2004 in remembrance of the civilian and Canadian casualties during the liberation of Welberg and Steenbergen in 1944.

This bell is a gift to the Algonquin Regiment as a token of gratitude for their contribution to liberate Welberg and Steenbergen during the Battle of the Scheldt. It expresses the feelings of friendship between our community, the Algonquins and Canada and the feelings of joint responsibility for freedom and democracy. Just like the bell donated to the South Alberta Light Horse Regiment this bell also is connected in kindred spirit to the bell of the Welberg monument. The three bells at least once a year will sound simultaneously to honour the fallen and express hope for the future.

On Saturday evening, the regiment hosted a dinner at the Martin Leo Troy Armoury, where Mayor van den Belt was the guest of honour. The visiting mayor gave a presentation on the Welberg Bell. Stephen Connor of Nipissing University spoke about the connection between the Algonquin Regiment and the village of Welberg.

Lt Col Kirk Langdon and Mayor Peter Chirico unveil the Algonquin Regiment Monument plaque. Gage Campaigne for BayToday

On Monday, May 5, a special declaration signing will take place at North Bay City Hall. Mayor Chirico, Timmins Mayor Boileau, and Mayor van den Belt of Steenbergen will formally recognize the lasting bonds of friendship and remembrance shared between their communities.

“This event honours the profound legacy of the Algonquin Regiment and its deep ties to our City,” said Mayor Chirico.