One of Toronto’s Canada Day fireworks has been canceled and another has been postponed after a vendor withdrew 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 that they “did not intend to fulfill their contractual obligation to do fireworks shows.”
“City staff worked all day and overnight to get new vendors who could make fireworks at all three locations. Companies from Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and the U.S. were contacted,” the staff said. in a press release issued Friday morning.
“The city was able to secure the services of a new vendor to allow the Ashbridges Bay fireworks to continue tonight. The vendor was also able to commit to a fireworks display on July 2 for Stan Wadlow Park.
However, officials said the potential vendor from Miliken Park in Scarborough, located near Steeles Avenue and Middlefield Road, confirmed Friday morning that they did not have the resources for the event. These fireworks have already been canceled.
“They just left a contract we had with them,” Toronto Mayor John Tory said at a news conference ahead of Canada Day parade. “City Hall staff has been redone. They literally talked to 20 different vendors.”
City officials said they used the vendor, which they identified as David Whysall International Fireworks Inc., several times, including Victory Day weekend. They say staff contacted the company on June 20 to confirm details of Canada Day fireworks.
“For everyone to know, we will certainly hold this seller accountable for any costs and damages that the city ends up incurring as a result of this last-minute notice that they will not meet their obligations,” the city said. spokesman Brad Ross said Friday morning on CP24.
Fireworks at Ashbridges Bay Park, Mel Lastman Square and Downsview Park will continue as scheduled tonight at 10 p.m.
“We apologize to residents for some of these cancellations and rescheduling, but we hope people can enjoy Canada Day weekend, certainly tonight in Ashbridge’s Bay and Mel Lastman’s Square,” Ross said as he add that the town will “compensate Scarborough residents in the near future”.
Ross said he hasn’t seen the fireworks scheduled for Friday night, but that he expects it to be a big show.
The city also reminds residents that fireworks are allowed on private property without permission until 11pm on Canada Day, but they are not allowed to take place in city parks, beaches, balconies or car parks.
Tory, meanwhile, urged residents to come out to the city to watch the fireworks shows to do so with respect, referring to the long weekend of Victory Day in which two people were shot, one was stabbed, two more were stolen at gunpoint and seven policemen were injured after being hit by several fireworks.
“It was a very small group of people, you know, hooligans, on Victory Day that weekend that ruined it for everyone,” he said. “They were behaving very recklessly, it could have caused someone to literally die because fireworks were fired between them and the police officers and there is no excuse for that.”
“It’s not the kind of behavior we believe in in the city of Toronto.”