Ontario’s Highway of Heroes is about to get a whole lot greener. A total of 117,000 trees will be planted along the 170-kilometre stretch of the 401 in tribute to every person who died serving Canada since Confederation.
The project, dubbed A Tree for Every Hero, kicked off on Friday with ceremonial plantings of two trees at either end of the Highway of Heroes: Toronto and Trenton.
Today, we honour our fallen soldiers by planting the 1st tree of the @HOHtribute: https://t.co/Gcm01ea92l #onpoli pic.twitter.com/kXXQn0zLAH
— Steven Del Duca (@StevenDelDuca) November 6, 2015“It allows us to honour the men and women who have given their lives in service of our country,” Ontario’s transportation minister Steven Del Duca said in a statement. “At the same time, it allows us to continue the greening of our highways for healthier communities and a lasting legacy for future generations.”
Planting is set to start in the spring and will take about five years to finish, according to a press release.
“This is a great opportunity to reforest a transportation brownfield,” said Highway of Heroes Tribute executive director Scott Bryk. He believes the 117,000 trees will also “help to be a power symbol to ... governments' commitment to combating climate change.”
The stretch of the 401 dubbed the Highway of Heroes got its title in 2007. When a soldier dies their body is often taken by convoy from Canadian Forces base CFB Trenton to a coroner’s office in Toronto.
When that happens, people gather along overpasses to pay tribute to the fallen. Many might remember the throngs that gathered last year to honour Corporal Nathan Cirillo, who was shot to death in the Ottawa attack.
