After 81 years of celebrating Canada Day, Bill Virney decided that it was finally time to get a hat to match the occasion.
“It’s the day to celebrate,” Virney said, sporting a freshly purchased red-and-white top hat almost as tall as his head with matching red sunsleeves.
For Denise Miranda, it’s her first Canada Day. She took the day off work and came early to the legislature lawn at 10 a.m. “This really makes me happy,” Miranda said, gesturing to the families spread out around her in front of the legislature.
Miranda arrived in Victoria seven months ago from the Philippines on a work permit and hopes to eventually become a nurse and a Canadian citizen.
In Manila, it’s too hot for families to picnic in the sun, she said. Capital region residents on Saturday enjoyed sunshine and a breezy 20 C.
Douglas Smith, executive producer of Victoria’s Canada Day event, said he’s happy that the celebrations are back at the Inner Harbour.
“There’s always going to be challenges regardless of the venue, but I just think the lawn of the legislature makes Victoria Canada Day one of the most charming and beautiful Canada Day venues in the entire country,” he said.
The event was called off for two years because of the pandemic and was revived in scaled-back form last year at Ship Point.
Crews were working almost until 11 p.m. on Friday night and resumed preparations on Saturday at 6 a.m. to get this year’s festivities in place.
Smith said the celebrations are more grassroots than in previous years. “The city is not as involved as they were before. It’s more of a community-led initiative now, the way the city wanted it,” Smith said.
At about 11:30 a.m., according to traditional protocol, Lekwungen elder Frank George of the Songhees Nation and Jackie Albany, an elected councillor of the Songhees Nation, welcomed two canoes carrying Lekwungen dignitaries from both Nations, as well as Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto and Port Angeles Mayor Kate Dexter to shore in Victoria’s Inner Harbour.
George led the welcome from shore in English and Lekwungen.
“Its great to see that our language is coming back,” Frank said, adding that it’s thanks to the efforts of places like the W̱SÁNEĆ tribal school.
In her speech, Alto said that Canada Day is a day of opportunity “to celebrate what’s good about our history, to acknowledge what we’ve done poorly, and to learn from that so that we can all do those lives together better in the future.” The City of Victoria has stepped back from leading Canada Day celebrations, but provided $100,000 in support of the event and $25,000 toward the fireworks show.
Smith’s Blue Coast Event group partnered with Penmark Community Arts Society to host the day’s events. The event’s primary sponsor was EF International Language Campuses, who stepped in after Central Walk Holdings Ltd., the owners of Mayfair shopping centre, pulled out on short notice in May.
Canada Day events were held all around the Island, including at Starlight Stadium in Langford, along the Gorge in Saanich, at Transfer Beach in Ladysmith and at Maffeo Sutton Park in Nanaimo.
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