London, Ontario
A Second World War Veteran, Mr. Jack Cain has been a member of the Royal Canadian Legion for more than 45 years and, for 30 years, he has served on the executive and participated in the colour party. His many awards include Life Membership and the Meritorious Service Medal with Palm Leaf from his Legion Branch, the Canada 125th Anniversary Medal, and the Queen's Jubilee Medal. Much of his life has been devoted to the well-being and commemoration of his fellow Veterans and, in 1972, Mr. Cain helped form the London Poppy Fund to support Veterans in need. He is in high demand at schools and local media as a guest speaker to share his message about peace and remembrance. For over 30 years, Mr Cain has been President and an executive member of the London Veterans Memorial and Graves Committee where he worked hard to ensure that more than 5,000 deceased Veterans from the London area are remembered and their resting places maintained. Mr. Cain's efforts in rallying support from the media, Veterans organizations and the public to prevent protestors from demonstrating at London's main Cenotaph took him to City Hall where his goal was achieved; the use of the Cenotaph is now exclusively for honouring Veterans. Through Mr. Cain's dedication to the memory of Veterans he is extremely active in D-Day ceremonies and places long stemmed poppies on the war graves in London. Twenty-five years ago, Mr. Cain introduced a special Remembrance Day ceremony inside a local mall so that Veterans who were too frail to withstand the cold and harsh Ontario weather could pay their respects indoors. He also planned a Veterans Memorial Park at the Parkwood Hospital complete with a flagpole and wide sidewalks for accessibility. He is active with the Ted Foster Fund which ensures that every Veteran at Parkwood receives a gift every Christmas.