Peterborough councillors miss the point about Canada Day Parade
When city councillors voted to continue the dying tradition of the Canada Day Parade, they overlooked so much information that it blew my mind. All because they didn’t have the courage to defend their overworked staff.
There are many reasons to replace the parade with a different type of celebration. For example, at $20,000, it costs $1,000 per minute; most of those funds pay police to stand around street-closing barricades. O Canada!
Secondly, talk about a shallow way to celebrate the holiday. Sure, people walk by while waving flags. Whoop de doo!
For years, this parade came together thanks to a robust group of volunteers. Eventually, it moved in-house to a group of employees.
Over the past year, a working group formed this plan after meeting with staff and community partners, like the New Canadians Centre and Musicfest organizers. Councillors just seem miffed they weren’t included.
This part of Monday’s staff report speaks volumes: “The City does not employ staff devoted directly to run events and it is therefore managed by Recreation and Parks staff as an extra item to their normal job duties.”
At no time during Monday’s debate did a council member acknowledge the burden on staff to prop up this event. Instead, they ignored their workload and their innovation to come up with a new approach. This is Bad Management 101. Anyone who has worked at a toxic office knows this best way to crush morale. If city councillors had offered to step up and help, that would tell a different story. If they asked about reinstating a volunteer corps to take it on, they would have thrown staff a lifeline.
Instead, they left them sinking under the mission of resuscitating a parade along an asphalt route as our summers get hotter.
Admittedly, the Canada Day Parade does draw a good crowd. After all, most people are off work and it’s handy to wander downtown in the middle of the day. By all accounts, more people come out to it compared to the Pride, St. Patrick’s Day or Santa Claus parades.
Let’s look at the other side of the equation. In 2019, 56 groups signed up to enter the parade but only 16 showed up due to a heat wave. There were 25 entries in 2023 compared to 60 in the Santa Claus Parade.
In short, fewer people appear in the parade as they seek to enjoy a national holiday or avoid heat stroke. So, who will people watch on July 1 this year?
Again, the staff report lays out the facts pretty clearly: “Considering the costs associated with road closures and the lower float participation numbers, the parade is no longer either financially or logistically sustainable as a part of the Canada Day celebrations.”
Rather, they propose a trio of events: games and music in the morning; entertainment in the afternoon and fireworks after the Musicfest concert in the evening. That way, people can pick the time of day that works best for them.
In the end, the new idea reflects “a better use of budgeted funds, are more easily managed, and are suited to draw interest from the public.” Strategically, they foster community resiliency, neighbourhood identity, civic pride, sense of belonging and intercultural harmony. They also provide robust, affordable, and accessible programs for people of all ages and abilities.
But sure, let’s watch a dwindling group of people walking down a street, performing the same show we see every year.
There are many reasons to replace the parade with a different type of celebration, writes Lois Tuffin.