The decades-old Canadian Day tradition of a street party in Osborne Village will not return.
The annual event, which lasted less than two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, had lost the support of members of the area’s business community and the executive director of the Osborne Village Business Improvement Zone. (BIZ) says it’s time to move. a new direction.
“It started out as a community-organized event, but it turned out to be something that didn’t benefit our business members, and I don’t think it was advancing the perception of Osborne Village in the direction we wanted to go,” Lindsay Somers said. dit.
The BIZ, which organized the event, which was first launched in the 1990s, surveyed its members last fall about their needs and priorities, and found that local businesses got nothing from the activities. of Canada Day.
“We went in outside food trucks, we had foreign markets and vendors,” Somers said.
“We often even see a plug of food trucks right in front of a restaurant in Osborne Village. And we had big crowded courtyards and a lot of extra security.”
Instead of a big party, BIZ will present Happy Fridays in the Village, with live music on the bell tower near Osborne and Stradbrook, 12 courtyards and walking tours around the neighborhood throughout the summer. The first Happy Friday will be on July 1 this year.
Named one of Canada’s most livable neighborhoods, Osborne Village has struggled in recent years as long-standing businesses have closed their doors or left the area.
The Canada Day festival brought tens of thousands of people to the area, but few of them sponsored neighborhood businesses, instead of staying out and buying from street vendors. , said Somers.
“We love having people on our streets. We want people to walk and enjoy Osborne Village, but with our ability and where we are now, after COVID, we understand that we need to do a lot of rebuilding. In our community.” .
BIZ is also investing in public art and murals and has partnered with architect Joe Kalturnyk in a community courtyard.