Markham, Ontario, May 28, 2010 – The Town of Markham council has declared May 28, 2010 to be Armenian National Day. In honour of this special occasion, the Armenian tricolour (red, blue and orange) was raised on the flagpole at Markham Civic Centre at 8:30 am. on Friday, May 28, 2010.
The Town of Markham officially recognized the Armenian Genocide in 2007 and since then, the Town has celebrated this triumphant move on every May 28th with a flag raising ceremony of the Armenian Tricolour Flag in front of the Markham Civic Centre.
Over 200 members of the Canadian Armenian community of Markham were joined by the students from the Armenian Relief Society (Armenian Private) School and the Homenetmen scouts. Deputy Mayor Jack Heath, Ward 3 Councillor Don Hamilton and Ward 8 Councillor Alex Chiu and others were on hand to congratulate the Armenian community.
During the reception, two grade 11 students from the ARS Armenian Private School, Shahe Papissian and Shaghig Kolandjian read their short speeches. Haig Manougian a grade 12 student and a member of Homenetmen scouts joined Deputy Mayor Jack Heath, Councillors Don Hamilton and Alex Chiu in the flag raising ceremony.
A reception was held in the council chamber hall following the Flag Ceremony where Deputy Mayor Jack Heath congratulated the Armenian community on their National Day and thanked them for helping to make Markham one of the best cities in Canada.
Markham Civic Centre is located at 101 Town Centre Blvd. on the north east side of the intersection of Highway 7 and Warden Ave.
The Armenian National Committee of Toronto is a chapter of the Armenian National Committee of Canada, a grassroots organization that was founded in 1965 to address the concerns of the Canadian Armenian community on a broad range of issues.
For more information:
Contact: Sam Manougian
Phone: 416-735-2884