Keeping Ontario Beautiful
These signs are at all on and off-ramps along the Highway of Heroes.
On Saturday, March 13, 2021 a number of volunteers doing backbreaking work along the Highway of Heroes did that.
It was the start of the 2021 Spring Clean of the Highway of Heroes with military members, veterans, first responders, Silver Cross mothers along with families of the fallen soldiers, politicians and regular citizens coming out to keep Ontario beautiful.
Twice a year volunteers from across Ontario descend on a sacred stretch of soil to keep it beautiful – and clean.
The volunteers gathered at Toronto Road in Port Hope where the on and off-ramps are dedicated to Silver Cross Mother, Anna Loveman’s son, Craftsman Kyle Sinclair.
For volunteers who come out each time, there are no surprises. The amount of garbage is staggering along the ditches of the on and off-ramps.
A fire extinguisher, a tire, a tarp, a mattress, cups, food containers, plastic bottles, many masks, even more empty alcohol cans and bottles, and many pee bottles and poop bags.
The stench at times is unbearable. But volunteers continue their work every six months. Hoping people who are so disrespectful will somehow see the error of their ways.
Signs at every ramp along the highway states there is a $500 fine for littering – it’s meaningless.
Alcohol containers collected from just the Toronto Road ramps and one ramp at Wesleyville amounted to nearly two garbage bags.
The cans are all turned in to The Beer Store and the money donated to charity.
But think of what type of person is behind the wheel and driving on our highways.
Volunteers are here to keep Ontario beautiful. But the importance of their mission is to pay respects for the fallen heroes of Canada that were repatriated during the Afghanistan war.
From CFB Trenton to Toronto thousands of people would line the bridges along the Highway of Heroes paying respects to the fallen and their families.
For the next several weeks, these volunteers wearing bright orange vests will be cleaning the 344 km of highway.
If you see garbage bags along the ramps, they’ve already been there and the bags will be picked up shortly by highway workers.
From 2001 to 2014 Canada lost 158 members of the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan.
These volunteers who give so much of their time twice a year cleaning up after others are shining examples of the true, north strong and free.
If anyone is interested in volunteering contact ktadeu@cogeco.ca.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
