Canada Day plans in Flin Flon, Creighton, Denare Beach and northern Saskatchewan are going to see some change this week. Flin Flon’s parade is under new management, Creighton’s big part will go online and Denare Beach is holding off on celebrating until later in the month.
In Flin Flon, the Canada Day parade, instead of being planned by a community group, is being planned mostly by a business - Northland Ford has taken the lead in the parade’s planning over the past month. It is the first time in recent years that a business has taken the lead on organizing the parade, rather than the committee of the Flin Flon Trout Festival, though Northland Ford had been a prominent sponsor of the parade in the past.
General manager Allison Cooper, one of the event’s main organizers, said the 2021 Canada Day parade will follow the same route as parades past, but with some tweaks - including a call for spectators to follow COVID-19 protocols.
“It’s going to be the same as normal, but obviously we have to keep social distancing in mind,” said Cooper.
The parade will also include a classic car show-and-shine, but unlike holding the show on Main Street after the parade as in years past, the cars will be shown off before the parade itself.
Floats and attendees of the parade will also be asked to line up along Green Street, not around Centennial Crescent and Prince Charles Place as in past parades, for an 11 a.m. start.
Other changes for this year include a request for people on floats to not throw candy or knick-knacks from floats.
“We recommend people come in their own family bubbles at that they’re following the guidelines. We want to make sure that it should be okay,” Cooper said.
Cooper also added that the event has received a green light from the City of Flin Flon and should follow along with existing provincial public health orders.
“The way we see it is, it’s an event but everyone’s in their own car. We’re not suggesting that everyone gather at one time. If everyone sticks to their vehicle, it should be okay,” Cooper said.
“If the Manitoba government says, ‘definitely no parades’, then we can’t have one.”
As of press time, the parade was still slated to continue as planned. The Canada Day fireworks display, organized by the Flin Flon Fireworks Committee, will be held around midnight June 30 going into July 1.
Creighton
No major celebrations will be happening at the Creighton ball diamond this year - instead, the Town of Creighton plans to hold their marquee annual event online only, celebrating with a streaming concert.
The show will be produced and organized by the same personnel responsible for producing Loaded Mic shows from Johnny’s Social Club, centred by Trevor Sytnick. The Canada Day performances will include sets from Vanessa Whitbread, Lane Laderoute, Kevin and Kirsten Imrie, Holly Freeborn, Lyle Wallaker, Dean Martin, Sytnick and the Nemihitowok Hoop Troupe. The shows start at 2 p.m. local time on the Facebook pages for Johnny’s Social Club, Blueberry Jam Music Gathering and Creighton Recreation and Tourism.
Changes
Meanwhile, Canada Day festivities have been postponed in Denare Beach. Local leadership instead intend on holding a similar celebration in late July.
“To show respect to our neighbours and friends, we will be postponing our celebration on July 1 to July 30. On July 30, we will come together to celebrate all our residents, friends and families for Beaver Lake/Amisk Lake Community Day,” reads a statement issued by the Village online June 28.
Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation also announced June 28 that it would not "be participating, celebrating or acknowledging Canada Day" following the discovery of mass graves at several former residential school sites.
