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
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
'Tactical evacuations' underway near Fort Nelson, B.C., as wildfires encroach
The BC Wildfire Service says 'tactical evacuations' began Friday near Fort Nelson, B.C., due to an out-of-control wildfire that has grown rapidly since it was discovered earlier in the afternoon.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.