As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and following the City of Orillia's decision last week to extend restrictions banning local events and public gatherings until July 5, Orillia’s Canada Day committee has officially pulled the plug on this year’s celebrations.
The committee who has been responsible for putting on the annual celebrations in Couchiching Beach Park for the past 14 years, began to expect a cancellation of this year’s event once COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic.
“We’ve been following the situation closely and we are in the process of trying to come up with something,” said Ken McLaughlin who is the Canada Day committee chair.
Fortunately, the committee was in the early stages of planning this year’s event and hadn’t yet begun fundraising which they typically start doing during the first week of April.
“We weren’t very far along other than our usual planning, arranging dates, times and the midway, things like that,” McLaughlin said.
The Canada Day committee is still brainstorming for a possible celebration that would take place once it’s safe to do so.
“We haven’t got a hold of the city yet with our plans and we are just trying to figure out when they are going to open things back up for sure,” McLaughlin explained.
“Maybe we will follow through with something, maybe the fireworks. We are unsure but we are trying to put something together for later."
However, putting on Canada Day celebrations at a later date without any opportunity to fundraise would make it difficult for the committee.
“We are hoping that the city will pitch in and the government will help ... that would get us through the fireworks,” McLaughlin hopes.
