Victoria councillors agreed Thursday to cover the cost of policing the 2020 Canada Day celebrations and stick to the same format as in years past.
They acknowledged, however, that ongoing reconciliation discussions with Indigenous peoples will likely reshape the event in subsequent years.
“My complete expectation is that, beginning in 2021, Canada Day will look very different, and I think that’s a good thing,” Coun. Marianne Alto told a committee of the whole meeting.
The city began debating the future of the Canada Day celebrations in June after the Victoria Police Department announced that it was unable cover the policing costs within its budget.
Councillors eventually agreed to pick up the tab and celebrations went ahead as planned.
The event’s future, however, remained in doubt until councillors decided Thursday to increase the special event operations budget by $107,000 to cover next year’s policing costs as well.
“I think as a capital city, we do need to celebrate Canada Day,” Coun. Jeremy Loveday said.
“I think there is an expectation of that.”
He agreed with his colleagues, however, that council needs to examine how that celebration takes place in future years.
“I would look forward to that broader discussion and to hearing more from residents and from Indigenous people, whose lands we’re on, what they think Canada Day should look like in the future,” he said.
Coun. Ben Isitt was the lone voice in opposition. He favours scaling back the celebrations to a strictly daytime event to curtail the number of unruly youth coming into the city, often from the suburbs, causing mayhem and driving up policing costs.
“It is just a one-day event and I think its scale is getting beyond the ability of taxpayers in the inner city to pay,” he said.
Isitt also agreed with his colleagues that discussions are needed to ensure that future events align with the community’s values.
“Because it’s a fact that every year there’s Indigenous people protesting the thing,” he said.
“I think we want to engage in a very rigorous process of reconciliation and decolonization and then, hopefully, we’ll be in a place when the opportunity that Canada has provided can truly be celebrated more broadly.”
Coun. Charlayne Thornton-Joe, who has been involved in planning Canada Day celebrations for years, argued against scaling back the event.
“My feeling is the event will continue to evolve and improve with the times,” she said. “If we were to reduce the scope, I am concerned about how we reduce the scope.
“I’m sure if I asked every person at this table or in this room, each person would have a different piece that they love about Canada Day.”
lkines@timescolonist
