Multicultural Canada Day celebration carries on after venue change

Prince Albert’s multicultural Canada Day celebration carried on Wednesday after weather concerns forced organizers to move the event from the riverbank to the Prince Albert Exhibition Grounds.

The Prince Albert Multicultural Council gathering brought families, performers, food trucks, vendors, community booths and dignitaries to the Exhibition Grounds for an evening celebration that ended with fireworks.

The event was originally planned for the riverbank, where PAMC has traditionally held its Canada Day gathering, but organizers shifted to the Exhibition Grounds after the City raised concerns about conditions near the North Saskatchewan River.

PAMC executive director Michelle Hassler said she was pleased to see people still come out, even though organizers had little time to tell the public about the new location.

“We are very happy to be honest,” Hassler said. “The turnout seemed to be really good, even though with just a day and a half of promoting and announcing the new location of our event.”

Hassler said the move created a new layout and new logistics, but staff, volunteers, vendors and performers helped make the celebration happen.

“Without them, like this big of an event is nothing without my staff, nothing without the help of the vendors, nothing without the help of our volunteers,” she said.

Families spread out around the grounds as the evening got underway. Food trucks served visitors, children’s activities continued through the evening, and cultural performances were scheduled before the fireworks display. Hassler said the lineup included First Nations drum and dance, French music, Metis fiddling, Latin music and other performances.

The opening ceremony included a Treaty 6 and Metis homeland acknowledgement, a prayer and message from Elder Liz Settee, and greetings from local leaders.

Settee told the crowd she had mixed emotions about Canada Day as an Indigenous person, pointing to broken treaties, residential schools and other painful history. She also said she was proud to live in Prince Albert and Canada, and urged people to build relationships beyond one day.

“Why do we just have to come together on Canada Day?” Settee said during her prayer. “Why can’t we build community and relationship throughout the year?”

Prince Albert Historical Society representative Fred Payton said the Exhibition Grounds also had a place in the city’s Canada Day history. He told the crowd that when Prince Albert and area celebrated the 50th anniversary of Confederation in 1917, the Exhibition Grounds was the location where residents gathered. Payton said the community has changed greatly since then, but the goal of bringing people together remains the same.

Randy Hoback, MP for Prince Albert, said Canada continues to be respected around the world, in part because of the way Canadians have represented the country abroad. He said the Maple Leaf still creates goodwill when Canadians travel, and said the country should take pride in acknowledging mistakes from the past while working toward a better future.

MLA Alana Ross said the celebration gave residents a chance to learn more about one another.

“It gives us the wonderful opportunity to talk about the Indigenous heritage, and all the rest of us come from somewhere,” Ross said. “A celebration like this gives us the opportunity to learn about one another and understand one another, sample the different foods, and just meet people.”

Ross said she was impressed by how smoothly the event continued after the venue change.

“You would think this has always been here,” she said. “All of that is just community working together to make this happen.”

For Lemoya Lorensen, the celebration carried extra meaning. Lorensen moved to Canada from the United States in 2009, became a permanent resident in 2012, and became a Canadian citizen in 2025.

She said this was her first Canada Day as a Canadian citizen.

“I find it really special,” Lorensen said. “It means more to me than it would have a year ago.”

Lorensen said Canada has become her home, and Prince Albert has become more meaningful to her over time.

“Canada has been a haven for many people from many parts of the world, so it has become my home and my sanctuary,” she said.

Otas Ekhaguere, who was visiting Canada from Nigeria, said the celebration also stood out to him because of the peaceful atmosphere. He said his son introduced him to the Prince Albert police chief during the Legion Canada Day event, and he noticed the chief moving freely without an escort.

“I saw him going alone, and no problem,” Ekhaguere said.

He said that would be different in his home country, where a police chief would often be surrounded by an escort.

“If you see chief of police coming, about six cars with escort,” he said. “That means peace here.”

Hassler said the purpose of the celebration was to create a welcoming and inclusive space for everyone, including newcomers, Indigenous people and families from different backgrounds.

“At the end of the day, it’s still Canada,” Hassler said. “We are in Canada, and we are very thankful of it, and it’s Canada Day.”

arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca