Organizers pull the plug on Montreal's Canada Day parade for 2nd straight year
The parade has been a mainstay for nearly 50 years
With less than two weeks' notice, organizers of the Montreal Canada Day Parade are pulling the plug on the celebrations.
In a news release, organizers said the event, which attracts over 100,000 spectators annually, was cancelled due to "ongoing planning disruptions, strained relations with city departments and unresolved challenges stemming from municipal worker strikes."
The parade's main organizer, Nicholas Cowen, said while he understands why municipal workers are striking, disruptions raise safety concerns for parade-goers, as well as create possible logistical challenges.
"If something was planned, are they going to do their jobs to the best of their abilities? This is a concern," he said.
This is the second consecutive year the event is cancelled.
Last year, Cowen said red tape and roadwork on Ste-Catherine Street were to blame and that he hadn't applied for a permit.
At the time, he told CBC the parade route would have been changed and he would have been forced to apply for new permits without a guarantee of getting them.
By cancelling the parade, he was hoping to highlight some of the challenges faced by organizers.
The first Montreal Canada Day Parade was organized by Dr. Roopnarine Singh nearly 50 years ago. Cowen has been involved since the 90s and has been the organizer for more than two decades.
He's hopeful the event will make a comeback.
"This event is for the people, not for profit. I truly hope we can one day return to the streets of Montreal with a parade that unites us, not divides us," Cowen said.
In an email to CBC, City of Montreal spokesperson Nicky Cayer said that as was the case last year, Cowen failed to submit a project application "despite the city inviting him to do so on several occasions."
Cayer confirmed, however, that Canada Day celebrations will be held in Montreal.
"A land-use permit was issued this year to Production EGP for the Le Canada en Marche event to be held on July 1," he wrote in French, in addition to the city's official annual event at Quai de l'Horloge in the Old Port.
Written by Annabelle Olivier