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Important Update on Embrun Water Restrictions – June 11

Updated: April 30, 2026

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Municipalité de Russell Township
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Voie de la Liberté Monument

Monument of la Voie de la Liberté during the unveilling

This plaque was added in 2021, in partnership with the Club “Amitié Francophone Embrun”. It is located at 717 Notre-Dame Street, Embrun.

The Monument

A series of nearly 1,200 stone monuments like this one mark each kilometer of the route followed by the Allied Forces for the Liberation of Europe during the Second World War. This route, commemorated by the French government, is called ”la Voie de La Liberté” (Road to Freedom) and stretches from Utah-Beach in Normandy to Bastogne in Belgium.

The monument you see in front of Town Hall today is an exact replica of the original monument gifted to our community in 1995. The monument was rebuilt in 2020 as it was in a deteriorated state after 25 years in the Canadian climate. The new monument was relocated from the recreation trail to the remembrance area in front of Town Hall, near the cenotaph.

Special thanks to the Club ”Amitié Francophone Embrun”, who arranged the rebuild of the monument to preserve this piece of history.

Replica of the Monument

An Honourable Gift

The village of Embrun in France offered this marker to its twin city of Embrun, Canada to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. These photos are from the unveiling ceremony in our community on October 7, 1995.

The monument itself was shipped by boat, while the delegation made their way to the unveiling by plane.

Unveiling of the original monument, 1995

Symbolism of the Monument

The design of the marker is symbolic:

  • The 48 stars on the crown of the marker represent the 48 states of the United States of America in 1944.
  • The four red rectangles symbolize the four sections of the Road to Freedom, which extend from Sainte-Mère-Église to Cherbourg, from Cherbourg to Avranches, from Avranches to Metz, and from Metz to Luxembourg and Bastogne.
  • In the center there is a torch emerging from the waves, which is inspired by the Statue of Liberty in New York.
  • The waves represent the Atlantic Ocean that the American Allies crossed to liberate Europe.
  • The acronym AO is the emblem of the 3rd US Army under the command of General Patton, who successively liberated each of the cities along the Road to Freedom.
French and Canadian Political Dignitaries posing with the monument
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