The District of Sechelt, which officially cancelled the traditional Canada Day events downtown in April as a result of the COVID pandemic, says it’s worked closely with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) to develop an alternate program of events that comply with all provincial health requirements.
The alternate Canada Day celebrations, which will still take place on Wednesday, July 1, will feature the launch of a locally made musical tribute video to essential workers, according to a release from Siobhán Smith, the district’s arts, culture and communications coordinator.
The video, featuring local musicians along with nurses, doctors, firefighters and other local heroes, will be shared on YouTube, Facebook, and the District of Sechelt website.
Other activities include three drive-by style parades through Sechelt neighborhoods, starting with a 10 a.m. parade through West Sechelt and The Shores, to be followed by a 10:50 a.m. procession through Wilson Creek and Davis Bay, and the final parade, starting at 11:40 a.m. in Tuwanek, East Porpoise Bay and Bayview.
“We’re going to venture out into the various neighborhoods of Sechelt,” Mayor Darnelda Siegers said during a June 4 appearance on Eastlink Community TV. “People can then watch the parade from their front lawn or from their yard… It looks like it’s going to be a good time.”
Anyone with a road safe vehicle can participate in the parades, by registering in advance, but there won’t be any room for “bicycles, unicycles, horses or pedestrians,” according to the Sechelt Downtown Business Association (SDBA), which is coordinating the parades. Other restrictions include keeping all the participants within their vehicles, with no sitting in the back of a pickup truck, or riding on a flatbed.
The district is encouraging residents to decorate their homes, cars, driveways, or themselves and the SDBA has donated $500 in gift cards as prizes for the best decorations.
In the afternoon, roving performers will take to the waterfront walkways in Davis Bay and along the Boulevard. “To discourage crowds, the performers will walk with pedestrians, rather than performing in one fixed location,” the release said.
Canada Day celebrations will wrap up just after 7 p.m., following the evening salute to health-care workers, with local singer and music teacher Sara Douglas performing a bilingual version of O Canada that will be broadcast online with residents invited to sing along from their windows, back decks, and front yards.
Registration for the drive-by parade, and other information related to Canada Day in Sechelt, can be found at sechelt.ca/CanadaDay
