Medicine Hat, Dutch town commemorate connected past

By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on May 9, 2025.

asmith@medicinehatnews.com

Medicine Hat city hall was host to visitors from across the sea Thursday in both remembrance of lives lost during the Second World War and in celebration of the longstanding connection between Canada and the Netherlands.

Meeting at city hall Thursday afternoon, Mayor Linnsie Clark sat alongside Mayor Ruud van den Belt of Steenbergen, a municipality and town in the south of the Netherlands.

The two cities have a long and storied history, says Cpt. Brian Talty with the South Alberta Light Horse Regiment Foundation, who led the ceremony. The South Alberta Regiment had been part of the force that liberated the region during the Second World War, a freedom that Steenbergen and the surrounding villages celebrate both in November for their specific community and in May for the entirety of the Netherlands.

“The reason we’re here is that a few years ago, the Town of Steenbergen gifted a bell to the South Alberta Light Horse, who perpetuate the South Alberta Regiment,” said Talty.

He says the bell is an important part of Medicine Hat’s history, and one he believes more people should know the story of. To this aim, Medicine Hat will, alongside Steenbergen across the sea and a fellow bell in North Bay, Ont., be rung on the same dates, celebrating the liberation of the Netherlands and remembering the sacrifices that made it possible.

Clark expressed gratitude for the connection to the city’s Dutch visitors and to this vital piece of Albertan history.

“It is such an exciting opportunity, and to have another mayor from another country across the ocean to come and celebrate with us, and that the work of the regiment still means so much in the Netherlands,” said Clark. “I know that this friendship that we are nurturing today will last for a long time.”

The moment had been in the works for a long time, explained van den Belt, but the pandemic had delayed their arrival when they had initially wanted to come over for the 75th anniversary of the region’s liberation in 2020. Steenbergen has long had a desire for a strong friendship with the home of the South Alberta Light Horse Regiment, and he was pleased to be able to further nurture that bond now.

“During October and November and again just last weekend, many activities took place in our community to commemorate 80 years of freedom,” said van den Belt. “We took the time to remember the victims who made the ultimate sacrifice for our liberty, considering they paid the highest possible price to set us free, I strongly believe we owe them our eternal gratitude.”

To truly honour them, van den Belt says he would solve all the problems the world is facing if he could, but he is convinced that “each of us, no matter how small our actions might seem, can make a difference. When we stand together, our collective efforts can become something even greater, a powerful force against polarization and vision, helping to bring people closer together instead of pushing them apart.”

The two communities exchanged gifts, including a small prism containing the image of the regiment bell and a collection of artwork done by Medicine Hat Public School Division students, as well as flags from their respective cities, before signing a proclamation of friendship.

The ceremony then proceeded outside for the playing of national anthems, a recitation of In Flanders Fields, a moment of silence and laying of wreaths upon the cenotaph in Riverside Veterans’ Memorial Park, before ringing the gifted bell, which will remain in Medicine Hat.

“Let us hold tight to this unbreakable bond and remain allies,” said van den Belt.

He says he looks forward to all the ways the friendship between the two communities can continue to be strengthened despite the great physical distance between them.

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