Revellers can expect Canada Day celebrations to look different across the country this year as smoke from forest fires blankets communities from coast to coast and some municipalities face budget constraints.
Here is a partial roundup of where public fireworks will and will not be set off this July 1.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Vancouver: The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority said it decided in 2022 to permanently discontinue its annual fireworks display on the waterfront at Canada Place “primarily due to rising costs.” Instead, five city blocks at Canada Place will feature food trucks and a main stage with a diverse lineup of entertainment, including headliners Tegan and Sara.
Victoria: Fireworks over Victoria’s Inner Harbour are slated to be set off at 10:20 p.m.
Kamloops: Kamloops said it’s planning a fireworks show at Riverside Park at dusk, or approximately 9:30 p.m., weather and fire conditions permitting.
Burnaby: Burnaby’s Central Park will wrap up an evening of Canada Day festivities with a fireworks finale at 10:15 p.m.
Surrey: Fireworks will be set off from the Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre in Surrey at 10:15 p.m.
ALBERTA
Calgary: Calgary is wrapping up its Canada Day festivities with a fireworks show at Stampede Park at approximately 11 p.m. Calgarians will be able to watch the fireworks from Fort Calgary and surrounding areas.
Edmonton: The City of Edmonton’s fireworks will light up the sky over Edmonton’s River Valley at 11 p.m. The fireworks will also be live-streamed for anyone who would like to watch from home.
SASKATCHEWAN
Regina: A fireworks show at 10:30 p.m. will cap off a day of Canada Day festivities at Wascana Place in Regina.
Saskatoon: In Saskatoon, Canada Day fireworks will be fired from Broadway Bridge at 10:30 p.m.
MANITOBA
Winnipeg: From 3 to 11 p.m., the province’s capital will mark Canada Day with food, entertainment, artisans and a fireworks display by Canfire Pyrotechnics at Assiniboia Downs.
Brandon: The City of Brandon will set off fireworks at the Brandon Riverbank at dusk.
ONTARIO
Ottawa: In Canada’s capital city, celebrations at LeBreton Flats Park will kick off at 9 a.m. and feature a number of activities, animations and shows presented by Canadian artists. The Tim Hortons Canada Day fireworks will light up the sky at 10 p.m.
Toronto: Canada’s most populous city will be launching fireworks at 10 p.m. from Ashbridges Bay Park, Centennial Park, Milliken Park and Stan Wadlow Park. There will be no fireworks at Nathan Phillips Square, Mel Lastman Square, Thomson Memorial Park or Fort York.
Niagara Falls: The City of Niagara Falls has suspended its fireworks display for June 30 due to the impacts of wildfire smoke in many areas of Canada, but said it expects its fireworks show on July 1 to go ahead as scheduled.
Pembroke: Poor air quality has prompted Pembroke to postpone its Canada Day fireworks in Riverside Park. The municipality said the fireworks will be postponed “until such time as fire hazard conditions improve and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry lift the Restricted Fire Zone designation for the Pembroke District.”
Muskoka region: There will be no Canada Day fireworks in Bracebridge or Huntsville due to a municipal fire ban that remains in place for all of Muskoka region. Instead, those communities will mark the day with other activities on Manitoba Street and at Muskoka Heritage Place respectively.
QUEBEC
Montreal: The organizer of Montreal’s Canada Day fireworks said the city’s fireworks display on Saturday has been cancelled in solidarity with those affected by wildfires in northern Quebec and in an effort to limit air pollution since wildfire smoke is causing poor air quality in the city. Instead, a big block party will take place in the Old Port of Montreal, starting at 1 p.m.
Quebec City: Due to the fireworks ban currently in effect in Quebec City, and in solidarity with the communities affected by wildfires, the Canada Day fireworks show on the Plains of Abraham has been cancelled. All other activities including creative workshops and performances will go ahead beginning at 11 a.m.
NEW BRUNSWICK
Fredericton: A full day of music and family-themed activities will be capped off with Fredericton’s largest-ever fireworks display, staged from the Westmorland Street Bridge, at 10:30 p.m.
Moncton: At 10 p.m., Moncton will celebrate Canada Day with a fireworks display at Riverfront Park.
Saint John: The port city is set to host a waterfront fireworks display on the Long Wharf at 10:15 p.m., weather permitting.
NOVA SCOTIA
Halifax: For the first time since 2019, Halifax’s waterfront fireworks display will go ahead. The municipality recommends watching the 10 p.m. show from the Queen’s Marque and Sands at Salter Stage or elsewhere on the Halifax-Dartmouth waterfront.
Bedford: There will also be Canada Day fireworks at DeWolf Park in Bedford at 10 p.m. The Halifax Regional Municipality said it will pay attention to safety concerns related to fireworks and remains in consultation with Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency on this issue.
P.E.I.
Charlottetown: The province’s capital is planning to launch a brilliant display of lights and colours from a barge in Charlottetown Harbour in front of Victoria Park at 10 p.m. The event will mark the 150th anniversary of P.E.I. joining Confederation as Canada’s seventh province.
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
St. John’s: The City of St. John’s will host a live concert at the Quidi Vidi Bandstand at 8 p.m. followed by fireworks at 10 p.m. If weather conditions are not ideal, the city said the fireworks will be rescheduled for the same time on Sunday.
YUKON
Whitehorse: The Whitehorse Legion is planning a host of activities on Canada Day, but they do not include fireworks. The event, scheduled to run from 8 a.m. until 8:30 p.m., will feature a pancake breakfast, parade, bouncy castle and live entertainment from Yukon performers.
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Yellowknife: The City of Yellowknife is marking Canada Day at Somba K’e Civic Plaza with a day of free family activities, local food vendors, artisans In areas where weather conditions are poor, those planning to go to Canada Day celebrations should check with organizers on Saturday morning, in case of cancellations. live performances. The event kicks off at 1 p.m. and will not feature a fireworks display.
NUNAVUT
Iqaluit: The City of Iqaluit is hosting a Canada Day parade, but no fireworks show this year.
In areas where weather conditions are poor, those planning to go to Canada Day celebrations should check with organizers on Saturday morning, in case of cancellations.
NEW GLASGOW, N.S. – Police in New Glasgow, N.S., say a 44-year-old woman faces fraud charges after funds went missing from the Pictou East Progressive Conservative Association.
New Glasgow Regional Police began the investigation on Oct. 7, after Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston reported that an undisclosed amount of money had gone missing from his riding association’s account.
Police allege that a volunteer who was acting as treasurer had withdrawn funds from the association’s account between 2016 and 2024.
The force says it arrested Tara Amanda Cohoon at her Pictou County, N.S., residence on Oct. 11.
They say investigators seized mobile electronic devices, bank records and cash during a search of the home.
Cohoon has since been released and is to appear in Pictou provincial court on Dec. 2 to face charges of forgery, uttering a forged document, theft over $5,000 and fraud over $5,000.
Police say their investigation remains ongoing.
Houston revealed the investigation to reporters on Oct. 9, saying he felt an “incredible level of betrayal” over the matter.
The premier also said a volunteer he had known for many years had been dismissed from the association and the party.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
PICTOU, N.S. – A Nova Scotia excavation company has been fined $80,000 after a worker died when scaffolding collapsed on one of its job sites.
In a decision released Wednesday, a Nova Scotia provincial court judge in Pictou, N.S., found the failure by Blaine MacLane Excavation Ltd. to ensure scaffolding was properly installed led to the 2020 death of Jeff MacDonald, a self-employed electrician.
The sentence was delivered after the excavation company was earlier found guilty of an infraction under the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Judge Bryna Hatt said in her decision she found the company “failed in its duty” to ensure that pins essential to the scaffolding’s stability were present at the work site.
Her decision said MacDonald was near the top of the structure when it collapsed on Dec. 9, 2020, though the exact height is unknown.
The judge said that though the excavation company did not own the scaffolding present on its job site, there was no evidence the company took steps to prevent injury, which is required under legislation.
MacDonald’s widow testified during the trial that she found her husband’s body at the job site after he didn’t pick up their children as planned and she couldn’t get in touch with him over the phone.
Julie MacDonald described in her testimony how she knew her husband had died upon finding him due to her nursing training, and that she waited alone in the dark for emergency responders to arrive after calling for help.
“My words cannot express how tragic this accident was for her, the children, and their extended family,” Hatt wrote in the sentencing decision.
“No financial penalty will undo the damage and harm that has been done, or adequately represent the loss of Mr. MacDonald to his family, friends, and our community.”
In addition to the $80,000 fine, the New Glasgow-based company must also pay a victim-fine surcharge of $12,000 and provide $8,000 worth of community service to non-profits in Pictou County.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Investigators found the remains of a 77-year-old American man on Wednesday at the scene of a fire that destroyed a hotel in western Newfoundland on the weekend.
Eugene Earl Spoon, a guest at the hotel, was visiting Newfoundland from Kansas. His remains were found Wednesday morning during a search of the debris left behind after the fire tore through the Driftwood Inn in Deer Lake, N.L., on Saturday, the RCMP said in a news release.
“RCMP (Newfoundland and Labrador) extends condolences to the family and friends of the missing man,” the news release said.
Spoon was last seen Friday evening in the community of about 4,800 people in western Newfoundland. The fire broke out early Saturday morning, the day Spoon was reported missing.
Several crews from the area fought the flames for about 16 hours before the final hot spot was put out, and police said Wednesday that investigators are still going through the debris.
Meanwhile, the provincial Progressive Conservative Opposition reiterated its call for a wider review of what happened.
“Serious questions have been raised about the fire, and the people deserve answers,” Tony Wakeham, the party’s leader, said in a news release Wednesday. “A thorough investigation must be conducted to determine the cause and prevent such tragedies in the future.”
The party has said it spoke to people who escaped the burning hotel, and they said alarm and sprinkler systems did not seem to have been activated during the fire. However, Stephen Rowsell, the Deer Lake fire chief, has said there were alarms going off when crews first arrived.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.
