OTTAWA -- One of the premier events of the spring in Ottawa has been cancelled because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Great Glebe Garage Sale, planned for May 23, will not take place this year.

In a press release, the Glebe Community Association said, "The decision to cancel rather than postpone was a difficult one given the importance of the event to the vitality of our community, our local businesses and the organizations that use it to fundraise each year."

The community association specifically pointed to fundraising for the Ottawa Food Bank.

"Last year our neighbourhood raised almost $12,000 for the Ottawa Food Bank through the Great Glebe Garage Sale," Colette Downie, coordinator for the sale for the Glebe Community Association, said in the press release. "We would love to see everyone head to the Ottawa Food Bank website right now to help make up this shortfall and to continue to send business to our local Glebe merchants who are struggling at this difficult time."

Executive Director of the Glebe Business Improvement Area, Andrew Peck, said it's a disappointing decision, but a necessary one.

"It’s important that we all follow absolute compliance in the short term," Peck said in the release. "That's the only way we're going to get through this. None of us want to deal with a situation like this again."