2 Island Christmas celebrations cancelled due to COVID-19
Two public Christmas celebrations on Vancouver Island have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic for a second straight year.
The Peninsula Celebrations Society announced in a Facebook post Saturday that the Sidney Sparkles Christmas Parade would not return in 2021 out of "an abundance of caution surrounding COVID-19."
Similarly, organizers of Ladysmith's Festival of Lights announced Thursday that the town's Light Up celebration, scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 25, will be cancelled.
The annual Light Up Parade typically draws 25,000 people to the town, many of them lining 1st Avenue to watch Santa flip the switch on over 200,000 lights.
Lights will still be set up in Ladysmith this year on the first Sunday in November, and they will be turned on Nov. 25, but without a large gathering. Organizers say those interested in volunteering to help set up lights can get in touch to be added to the schedule.
"This decision to cancel Light Up for this year has been made with a view towards our responsibilities to this community," organizers said in a news release.
"Potentially, the health of our members, various service groups, the many volunteers and our community could be placed at risk by staging a large public gathering. Festival of Lights determined that cancellation of these festivities was the only responsible option under these circumstances."
Back in Sidney, the cancellation of the Sidney Sparkles parade comes just days after the event was included in a list of holiday parades expected to return this year by the Greater Victoria Festivals Society.
Three other parades - the 39th Peninsula Co-op Santa Claus Parade on Nov. 27, the IEOA Truck Light Convoy and Food Drive on Dec. 4, and the Esquimalt Light Parade on Dec. 6 - appeared to still be on for 2021 as of Sunday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.