Governor General Michaëlle Jean steps down from a horse-drawn landau to officially open a multi-faith national memorial centre at a ceremony at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa April 7.

Governor General Michaëlle Jean inspects an honour guard before officially opening a multi-faith national memorial centre at a ceremony at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa April 7.

An RCMP escort party passes in front of the new multi-faith national memorial centre at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa April 7. The centre, believed to be the first of its kind anywhere, was blessed last fall at a ceremony attended by religious leaders from  a variety of faiths.

"This memorial centre is a promise made to the women and men who came before us and who shared their energy, enthusiasm and unique vision of the world," said Governor General Michaëlle Jean in an address before officially opening a multi-faith national memorial centre at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa April 7. "It is a promise to never forget, despite the passage of time," she added. "It is a promise to continue their work and to add to it for the benefit of future generations. It is a promise to endeavour always to improve the lives of those around us." Beechwood Cemetery is home to the national military cemetery.

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                          An April Fool's Day joke?

What appeared to be a small mountain in Ottawa April 1 was actually snow dumped by city crews cleaning up after one of the worst snowfalls in the city's history. A layer of dust coated 'snow mountain' during a rainstorm at the end of March that was accompanied by high winds.

A butterfly rests on a rock at the Wings of Paradise Butterfly Conservatory in Cambridge Ont., over the Easter weekend.

A guide dressed as a station agent gives a history lesson to visitors in a restored railway station at a heritage village near Hamilton, Ont. over the Easter weekend.

A mourning dove that has perched in a tree peers suspiciously at the photographer below.