Northern Santa Claus parades not all returning in full capacity
It's not even Halloween yet, but northern communities have already started to plan the return of their Santa Claus parades.
In Sault Ste. Marie, while it may be returning, its planning committee said it's likely to be a scaled back event to comply with public health concerns.
"What the concern is and difficultly we have as organizers is social distancing of the crowd, checking for vaccines and masking," said David Marshall, Sault Santa Claus parade chair. "With the limited volunteers that I have, it's difficult to enforce that."
Marshall said Algoma Public Health agreed that it would be difficult to enforce those rules under a normal parade format.
Instead, he said the committee is leaning towards hosting the event by drive-by.
"Which means we'll have floats and Santa of course parked in a stationary position and then we'll have drive-by, or allow drive-by with the public," he said.
Timmins Downtown BIA is planning the return of its parade at full capacity to kick off the holiday season.
Its executive director said it's confident it can ensure the safety of the public.
"We felt comfortable that we could hold an outdoor parade this year," said Cindy Campbell. "We will have volunteers on the parade route encouraging social distancing, but we will also be taking measures to ensure that people in the parade are safe as well, people driving the parade floats."
Campbell said it would also be asking families to be mindful of their own surroundings and be aware of people who may not be physical distancing.
"We'll certainly be encouraging people to wear masks as well, even though we're outside," she said.
Parade organizers in North Bay have yet to determine the format of their event, but some type of gathering is planned.
Meanwhile in Sudbury, a decision on whether its parade will even go ahead has yet to have been made.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.