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.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
