A heartbreaking end to Canada Day | Letters to the Editor

My heart goes out to the organisers of the Canada Day festivities. This has to be a major emotional let down. I was director of events at the NCC in the 80’s and I remember very well, the days prior to July 1, the great degree of anxieties we all lived through at the office. A whole year of planning, searching the country for artists and ideas — too many activities to list in this short note. We were constantly glued to the weather forecasts. So many commitments with artists, suppliers, stage managers/workers, Parliament Hill set up (no LeBreton Flats then), hundreds of volunteers etc., etc… Our then chairperson, Jean Piggott (for whom Canada Day was her favorite day) would ask me, “What’s your Plan B?” The fact was, there was no Plan B — it was a do or die situation. Events of this magnitude and involving so many people cannot be postponed or brought forward. Luckily, although we had close calls, we never had to cancel. Read MoreThe Ottawa Citizen’s Letters to the Editor, Saturday, July 4, 2026  Letters My heart goes out to the organisers of the Canada Day festivities. This has to be a major emotional let down. I was director of events at the NCC in the 80’s and I remember very well, the days prior to July 1, the great degree of anxieties we all lived through at the office. A whole year of planning, searching the country for artists and ideas — too many activities to list in this short note. We were constantly glued to the weather forecasts. So many commitments with artists, suppliers, stage managers/workers, Parliament Hill set up (no LeBreton Flats then), hundreds of volunteers etc., etc… Our then chairperson, Jean Piggott (for whom Canada Day was her favorite day) would ask me, “What’s your Plan B?” The fact was, there was no Plan B — it was a do or die situation. Events of this magnitude and involving so many people cannot be postponed or brought forward. Luckily, although we had close calls, we never had to cancel. Read More