Celebrations, fireworks are taking place in Ottawa despite air quality concerns

OTTAWA — Thousands of Canadians donned the national colors, cheered for patriotic speeches and took part in artistic and cultural displays across the country on Saturday in Canada Day festivities held from coast to coast.

Many of the festivities held to mark the 156th anniversary of Canadian confederation marked a return to business as usual after years of cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But some regions still had to celebrate without traditional trappings such as fireworks, as ongoing wildfires and resulting smoke led several municipalities to ignore the displays due to poor visibility and compromised air quality.

The most prominent Canada Day celebrations took place in Ottawa, with the main entertainment taking place in LeBreton Flats, just west of downtown.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Governor General Mary Simon were on hand for the morning round of events at the venue.

“People come to Canada to proudly call it home and build their lives, our communities and our country together,” Trudeau told a cheering crowd.

He said the country has weathered challenges such as wildfires and war in Europe by showing compassion, commitment, openness and democracy.

“That’s Canada’s advantage in the world now more than ever,” he said.

Speaking to Canadians, Governor General Mary Simon said she is proud to live in a country that is working on national and global challenges while striving to get better.

“If we work hard, if we do it together, there’s nothing we can’t do,” she said.

The morning event also included musical performances, public oaths of citizenship from newcomers from France and Cameroon, and remarks from Ontario-born astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who will travel to the moon next year as part of a NASA mission. A night show at LeBreton Flats will feature performances by Jann Arden, Roxane Bruneau and Aysanabee, among others.

Ottawa’s Sparks Street was packed with vendors and Canada Day revelers in the afternoon, with music echoing through the area and patrons filling local bars and restaurants.

The city’s big pyrotechnic show continues at 10 p.m. ET despite concerns about air quality and smoke development over the past few days, but that’s not the case in all of Canada’s major cities.

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority cited rising costs for canceling the fireworks show last year and said the move is now permanent.

Around Ontario, including in Niagara Falls and Pembroke, shows are being canceled due to the effects of ongoing wildfires.

Fresh off a fireworks ban during St-Jean-Baptiste Day celebrations last weekend, celebrations will be particularly muted in Quebec, where wildfires continue to spiral out of control and fire bans remain in place.

Montreal and Quebec City have canceled fireworks displays in solidarity with northern regions of the province that continue to burn.

Several city suburbs on the island said they were canceling Canada Day festivities due to poor air quality.

But for the first time since 2019, a Canada Day parade continued in downtown Montreal during the day.

People lined dozens of blocks of the parade route despite rainy weather to see participants representing more than a dozen cultural communities, including large Iranian and Chinese contingents.

Organizer Nick Cowen said it felt good to bring the parade back.

“Once you get on the ground, once you walk through it, it brings back memories, I’ve been doing this since I was 13,” he said in an interview before the parade started. “It’s a bit smaller, but that doesn’t matter. Look at all these people here, they all live together and they all live in harmony.”

For Adriana Shervan, who watched the parade with her mother, it was an opportunity to celebrate Canada’s freedoms and diversity.

“My parents are from Iran, but I was born here. I love the fact that this place is culturally diversified and appreciates all cultures and that’s what makes this nation so beautiful,” she said.

Meanwhile, a hushed celebration took place under an overcast sky in Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square, with native drummers scattered throughout the area. Members of the crowd — many dressed in red and white and sporting temporary maple leaf tattoos — clapped and waved Canadian flags throughout the performances.

Elsewhere, in the historic port city of Halifax, the festivities took place under a thick fog. The circumstances led to the cancellation of a performance by the Snowbirds, the Canadian Forces aerobatic flight demonstration team.

Major Brett Parker, the team leader and pilot of Snowbird 1, said he was disappointed the air show was postponed.

“But it’s great to meet people in downtown Halifax,” he said as he signed autographs at Founders Wharf. “They’re so excited and excited about Canada Day, just like I am.”

This year’s events in Halifax, including free concerts, were developed in partnership with Indigenous communities in honor of the Mi’kmaq nation. Ashley Augustine, a member of the Sipekne’katik First Nation, said she was very happy with the program.

“It’s amazing that we’re being recognized on Canada Day,” said Augustine, manager of the Treaty Truckhouse, which sold handmade Mi’kmaq items on the waterfront. “We are finally at the front…. It’s definitely about time.”

Halifax resident John Kenny said he brought his family downtown because they “didn’t want to be cooped up in the house, and we wanted to be involved.”

His partner, Mace Guarin, said Saturday was her second Canada Day as a Canadian citizen.

“I am very grateful and grateful to this country for giving me a better life,” said Guarin, who came to Canada from the Philippines seven years ago.

By David Fraser and Mickey Djuric