The decision to continue the traditional Canada Day parade in 2024 was endorsed by Peterborough City Council last night. This comes after city staff had contemplated introducing new Canada Day celebration events and possibly discontinuing the parade due to the noticeable decline in float entries over the past five years, as well as the financial costs associated with putting on the parade.
According to reports, the number of float entries has steadily decreased over the past few years. In 2023, there were 25 float entries, a slight decline from the 21 entries in 2022, and a significant drop from the 16 floats that participated in 2019. The parade had to be cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite these challenges, Council decided to keep the parade, however, they have asked city staff to provide a report later in 2024 to help Council make a decision about the future of the parade for 2025.
(Written by: Scott Arnold)
