Toronto’s Santa Claus parade gets a boost from the city

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Not many people would consider Justin Trudeau as Santa, but the Prime Minister did guarantee the annual Santa Parade in Toronto, which will be 120 years old this year.

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“I heard[Santa Parade]faced some challenges. So we will help them. It’s a great tradition and we hope to keep moving forward in the years to come.”

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But the first thing to rescue is the city of Toronto, not the prime minister.

The city announced Monday that it will receive more than $1.6 million in funding through the Special Event Stabilization Program (SESI) through 81 festivals, including the parade. The funding is expected to help several other festivals, such as Pride, Jerkfest, Beaches International Jazz Festival.

“Many of these events are Toronto’s highly respected Toronto traditions, and people and families have created memories and it’s great to see so many local festivals supported in the first round,” Mayor Olivia Chow said in a press release released by the city.

So far, the Prime Minister has no further news.

The threat of cancellation

Earlier this month, parade organizers revealed that long-term traditions require urgent funding if they are to continue moving forward in the coming years.

“We are very excited for this year’s milestone anniversary – but with increasing inflation and operating costs, coupled with the wider corporate budget constraints recently, the march faces a deficit that is currently jeopardizing its future,” organizers wrote on the Gofundme campaign page, which is jeopardizing its future, seeking to fill the march’s storage.

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The parade page set a target of $250,000, and has since reached over $72,000.

The annual festival attracts 750,000 people of all ages, religious and cultural backgrounds. This year’s edition will include 26 floats and the usual prevailing parade, live bands and celebrity clowns.

The parade will be held on Sunday, November 24. It will begin at Christie Pits Park at 12:30 p.m. and end at St. Lawrence Market near Jarvis Street.

Bounce from Kuved is still a challenge

The original Santa Claus parade board chairman David McCarthy told reporters at a press conference last Thursday that this year’s parade may be the last.

The board has cancelled live television broadcasts to cut costs this year.

“The challenges posed after excitement have been daunting to say the least,” McCarthy said. “Performing a parade of this size requires floating, security, warehouse space, roadblocks, etc., and all of which are expensive.”

McCarthy said less than 5% of the annual budget for the march came from government grants. He added that 85% of the annual budget for the march came from company sponsors.

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“Nothing can stop the 120-year-old parade. It’s not a world war, it’s not a recession or frustration, it’s not even a global pandemic. Let’s unite now and show our children that nothing can stop us now,” he said.

Former Toronto Mayor John Tory told reporters that thousands of people in the crowd did not celebrate Christmas, but attended the event in the spirit of the celebration.

“It’s… something that belongs to the whole city, and it’s very special in bringing people together and having them celebrate each other and having them celebrate their own city,” Tori said.

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