Thousands line the streets to welcome Santa Claus to North Bay
As Jane Pearl-Anderson waves to the Santa Claus and others on their floats, she asys her mind is made up on what she wants as her Christmas gift from the jolly elf this year.
“He’s going to bring me a snow globe with my house inside,” she smiled. “It’s my first time at the parade.”
Her friend Landon Robson was so excited to hear the parade was coming back for another year.
“We didn’t get to see it last year,” he said.
As Santa Claus is making his list and is preparing for his journey across the world delivering toys to children, he had time to make a stop in North Bay on Sunday for the city’s parade.
Thousands of young children and their families lined the streets to see the 25 floats and marching bands parade through the city.
“This is my first time seeing the Santa Claus parade because we just moved here,” said Khaleesi Legros who just moved to North Bay from California with her mother Vanessa.
“I look forward to having a white Christmas for the first time,” said Venessa.
Last year, the city in collaboration with the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit, decided to cancel the Santa Claus parade as the city was struggling to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the city organized a drive by parade where kids could wave to Santa safely from their cars.
The health unit gave the green light for the parade to return this year.
“We have to get back to life as we always remember it,” said Mayor Al McDonald. “This is a very safe way to do it. We’re all outside and you can just tell people are thrilled.”
For the last 10 years, the team at Battery Battery have participated in the parade with their locomotive and horseless carriages. When they found out it was back on, they were eager to get back in and spread some holiday joy.
“The choo choo was built as a parade vehicle and I’m into antiques and little things that go,” explained Shawn Kettner. “So whenever there’s a parade we trot them out and have some fun.”
The parade’s theme is ‘Reboot Christmas’ as families hope for a more normal holiday season.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.