Canada Day fireworks cancelled at Toronto park after vendor pulls out last minute
One of Toronto’s Canada Day fireworks displays has been cancelled and another has been postponed after a vendor pulled out at the last minute.
According to the city, the vendor providing the pyrotechnics for Ashbridges Bay Park, Stan Wadlow Park and Milliken Park informed officials on Thursday they “did not intend to fulfill its contractual obligation to perform fireworks displays.”’
“City staff worked throughout the day and into the night to secure new vendors that could perform fireworks at the three locations. Companies across Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and in the U.S. were contacted,” staff said in a news release issued Friday morning.
“The City was able to secure the services of a new vendor to allow the Ashbridges Bay fireworks display to continue this evening. The vendor was also able to commit to a fireworks display on July 2 for Stan Wadlow Park.”
However, officials said the potential vendor for Miliken Park in Scarborough, located near Steeles Avenue and Middlefield Road, confirmed Friday morning they didn’t have the resources for the event. Those fireworks have now been cancelled.
“They just walked away from a contract we had with them,” Toronto Mayor John Tory said at a news conference ahead of the Canada Day parade. “City staff scrambled. They literally spoke with 20 different vendors.”
City officials said they have used the vendor, who they identified as David Whysall International Fireworks Inc., multiple times, including for the Victoria Day weekend. They say that staff were in contact with the company as recently as June 20 to confirm details for the Canada Day fireworks.
“We will, just so everybody knows, certainly hold this vendor responsible for any costs and damages that the city actually ends up incurring as a result of this very last minute notification that they’re not going to live up to their obligations,” city spokesperson Brad Ross told CP24 Friday morning.
Fireworks at Ashbridges Bay Park, Mel Lastman Square and Downsview Park will continue as planned tonight at 10 p.m.
“We do apologize to residents for some of these cancellations and rescheduling, but we’re hopeful that people will be able to enjoy Canada Day weekend, certainly tonight at Ashbridge’s Bay and Mel Lastman’s Square,” Ross said while adding that the city will “make it up to the residents of Scarborough in the near future.”
Ross said he hasn’t seen the fireworks displays planned for Friday night but he remains hopeful it will be a great show.
The city is also reminding residents that fireworks are allowed on private property without a permit until 11 p.m on Canada Day, however they are not allowed to be set off in city parks, beaches, balconies or parking lots.
Tory, for his part, urged residents heading out into the city to watch the firework displays to do so respectfully—making reference to the Victoria Day long weekend in which two people were shot, one person was stabbed, two others were robbed at gunpoint and seven police officers were injured after being struck by multiple fireworks.
“It was a very small group of people, you know hooligans really, on Victoria Day that weekend that ruined it for everyone,” he said. “They engaged in very reckless behaviour, it could have resulted in somebody literally dying because they were shooting fireworks at each other and police officers and there’s just no excuse for that.”
"It's just not the kind of behaviour that we believe in in the City of Toronto."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
4th Indian national arrested, charged with murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Homicide investigators in B.C. say murder charges have been laid against a fourth Indian national in connection to the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Surrey gurdwara last year.
Man ticketed after allegedly trespassing again at Drake's Bridle Path mansion to get his bike
A man who tried to access Drake’s Bridle Path mansion earlier this week returned to the property Saturday and was apprehended again for allegedly trespassing, Toronto police say.
Switzerland's Nemo wins 68th Eurovision Song Contest
Swiss singer Nemo won the 68th Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night with 'The Code,' an operatic ode to the singer’s journey toward embracing their nongender identity.
Wildfire that forced evacuation of Fort Nelson, B.C., caused by tree falling on wires, mayor says
The wildfire that prompted the evacuation of more than 3,000 people near Fort Nelson, B.C., was caused by a tree falling on wires, according to the municipality's mayor.
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
'I am angry': Alberta farmers will continue fight over world class motorsport resort
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
IN PICTURES Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Grand Bend, Collingwood and Guelph, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with Maple Leafs, dead at 79
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.