Canada Day celebrations moving from Parliament Hill
There will be Canada Day celebrations in-person for the first time in three years this July, but they won’t be happening on Parliament Hill.
The Canada Day main stage will be at LeBreton Flats park just west of downtown Ottawa this year, Canadian Heritage said in a news release Monday.
“The Centre Block Rehabilitation project means the Canada Day main stage is moving to a new location in the heart of the capital,” the release said.
However, it added that “the iconic Parliament Hill will feature some activities.” No further details were provided on what activities Parliament Hill would host.
Parliament Hill has been the site of the Canada Day main stage for more than 50 years.
But this July 1, LeBreton Flats will host the daytime ceremony and evening show, among other activities. Another new location, the Place des festivals Zibi, will “feature programming for the whole family,” the release said.
Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill has been closed to vehicle traffic since the ‘Freedom Convoy’ protests occupied downtown Ottawa for three weeks in January and February. The road is typically closed for Canada Day celebrations.
Canada Day celebrations were held virtually the past two summers because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, officials had been planning to move the Canada Day main stage to nearby Major's Hill Park due to the construction planned on the Hill.
The Centre Block construction project is expected to be finished between 2030 and 2031. The $5-billion project is the largest and most complex rehabilitation project in Canadian history.
No one from Canadian Heritage was avaible for an interview with CTV News.
Yasir Naqvi is the Member of Parliament for the area that includes Parliament Hill.
“It is really exciting that the live Canada Day show is back after two years of being virtual because of the pandemic – it is taking place at Lebreton Flats because of the construction that is taking place on Parliament Hill,” he said.
“Because of the construction that is taking place at Centre Block it is just logistically impossible to put a stage and all the infrastructure that goes with putting a full-on Canada Day show, so Canadian Heritage has made the decision to move it to Lebreton Flats where there is ample space, not only for the stage, but also space to accommodate people.”
Naqvi couldn't say how long it might be before Canada Day celebrations return to the hill.
“I don’t have a precise answer to that. It is my understanding that it may be the case for the next few years because of the construction that is taking place that Canada Day will be at another location like we are doing this year at Lebreton Flats for 2022,” he explained.
“From a health and safety perspective, you have to keep it safe, you have to bring in large trucks to set up staging and everything that goes into putting on a very robust show for the entire day, back offices, space for artists, lighting, that is why the decision was made to move it to Lebreton Flats.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.