The Prince Albert Multicultural Council has concluded plans to celebrate the Multicultural Canada Day at the River Bank on July 1.
The event will get underway at 4:00 p.m. Multicultural Council executive director Michelle Hassler said they’re eager to celebrate another Canada Day.
“We are very excited because it’s looking as if it is going to be a nice, beautiful, sunny day on July 1,” she said. “We’ve always had rain. For like the last three years it rained during Canada Day, so we are hoping and praying that the rain will stay away for now. I know that we need rain with our wildfires and all that. We just hope for one beautiful day on July 1.”
The Canada Day celebrations will include games for children in the Children’s play area that will open by 4:00 p.m., music, stories, craft, food and a fireworks display.
“The flow of the afternoon leading to the fireworks displays will be similar. There’s just changes to the performers who will perform,” Hassler said. “There are some new vendors and food trucks that will be joining us this year, and some children’s activities that will be joining us this year as well.”
The day’s celebration will also showcase the historical as well as the rich cultural heritage of the Prince Albert community.
“For over 50 years now the PA Multicultural Council has organized the Canada Day gathering at the River Bank. It’s very beneficial for us, as we serve our newcomer clients as they find new homes, that they feel safe and welcome here in Canada especially in our community of Prince Albert. They would like to celebrate that and be grateful for that, and we are very grateful to be part of that feelings and celebrations of our new comer clients, friends and families,” Hassler said. “But we also acknowledges and we respect the feelings of our Indigenous people, friends and communities with regards to the truth and reconciliation and the residential school that happened.”
Hassler said there was a call to cancel Canada Day events in Canada a few years ago. Since then, Hassler said they’ve spoken with Indigenous elders about using the day as a platform for awareness while still working towards healing and celebration.
Hassler said the day not only helps newcomers learn more about Canada, it helps introduce Canadians to new residents.
“It is also good for the Canadian citizens to learn the stories of our newcomer friends, the stories of the residential schools and how we can work together, and then move forward respectfully,” Hassler said. “This is the main objective that we have to continue the Multicultural Canada Day in Prince Albert. That’s the reason we will have a huge LED Screen beside the main stage and it will showcase video messages about the stories residential schools, the stories about the new comers who come to Canada, anti-racism and diversity and multicultural and community videos.”
Hassler said they want their event to be respectful to everyone.
“We don’t want to hurt anybody. We just want to gather everybody for us to be as one community during this day,” she said.
The Main event will start by 5 p.m. at the River Bank in Prince Albert.
–with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald
