by Morinville News Staff
The Town of Morinville will be hosting Canada Day in St. Jean Baptiste Park July 1, but a popular aspect of celebrating the nation’s birthday will be absent.
The Town of Morinville announced Friday morning that fireworks would not be part of the festivities this year because they have not been able to find “a safe and secure site for the fireworks display,” prompting the Town to “make the difficult decision to cancel the Canada Day fireworks show.”
“Fireworks are a wonderful part of community celebrations and we hope to have them in future Town celebrations,” said Morinville’s Events & Culture Coordinator Ryan Telfer in a media release. “A suitable site that meets federal regulations, addresses community concerns and provides adequate viewing space is not readily available within the community at this time. We will continue to look into potential sites and work with industry experts to determine how fireworks may fit into future events.”
Canada Day event organizers have arranged a number of other activities for Canada Day, including a mobile escape room trailer with two escape room experiences: Da Vinci’s Workshop and Starship Mutiny.
The Town says participants have 10 minutes to solve each room and will be able to sign up for pre-scheduled times at the event.
Other events planned for the festivities include the ETS Pipe & Drum Band and live music courtesy of Smith Music.
The complete listing of Canada Day events can be found at https://morinvilleonline.com/events/canada-day-in-the-park/1561982400/
Morinville News will have more details on Canada Day activities closer to the event.
Kyle Stephenson
Your joking right?
you’re
Ty Alderman Brown ha ha sure, thanks.
wtf!!
why is this year any different than past years? nothing has changed has it? Or am I missing something?
Marnie Sneddon there were no Fireworks at the Lite Up the Nite festival for the same reason!
unfortunately we were out of town that night I was unaware of that. But what has changed since last summer that they are now unable?
Historically there have been fireworks at Lite Up the Nite, Festival Days and Canada Day.
Festival Days have not had fireworks for a couple of years at least.
Last year’s Lite Up the Nite had no fireworks for the same reason the Town gave in their release this morning – “no safe place to let them off.”
MorinvilleNews.com interesting. We have a LOT of ball diamonds here. Base sets it off right behind the houses on the golf course. Don’t we have a fire department that attends for Just incase? Lol
Kloie Beaudin yup…..there are places I agree, I feel this is an easy way to get out of it. Oh well, st.albert it is….to bad really…….
Kloie Beaudin fire Department is always on hand for fireworks.
If you look at the previous places the fireworks have been held they are all in very close proximity to houses and businesses and also the crowd watching! All it would take is one firework going in the wrong direction! Safety has to be the first priority! As much as we like the fireworks it’s just not worth having someone’s house catch on fire or someone injured! 🤷🏼♀️
Marnie Sneddon we won’t be staying in town for anything that day either. We’ll go to either St.Albert or downtown. I’m sure there will be lots of food and beer gardens 🍻 to spend the day at there 🙂
No you won’t be Kloie Beaudin….
Savannah Shantz ooooh ya lol. We’ll be drunk somewhere else lol
Savannah Shantz we will be back by then. We still get to go to fireworks 😃
Marnie Sneddon I live by the skate park and well there is a huge field to the north and I’m sure the farmer wouldn’t mind one night of fireworks on it. Safety wouldn’t be a concern her at all. Also the ref center has land to spare with nothing in all directions. I think the issues of “no where safe” is really stretched.
So no carnival … no fireworks … no pool … taxes going up though 👍 just my thoughts
Curtis Farvolden You didn’t really point out any of your thoughts. You stated facts.
Curtis Farvolden I remember there was a parade last summer. Did that got cancelled as well because there’s no carnival?
Dali Riv there’s a parade still. Just no midway rides at all.
Kloie Beaudin thank you! 🙂
😡😡😡😡
Is it because of the sturgeon Division construction site??
Is it because of the sturgeon Division construction site??
no
Seriously? The town needs to step it up, no carnival, no fireworks, no pool, the Rec Centre kids play area is disapointing…anything else? Smaller towns seem to have more going on
Andrew Phelan well good thing you’re out of town. Looks like I’m going to Fort Saskatchewan to celebrate at my moms 🙄
Why is this town taking everything away? I thought they wanted to keep ppl staying here to support the community? No midway rides, now no fireworks for Canada day. We won’t be staying local for festival days, or Canada day now. I guess Morinville wants us residents to go take our time and business somewhere.
Kloie Beaudin right! You would think these things would grow and improve, instead they are getting smaller and taken away.
Jen Kulba Billington guess we have to take the girls elsewhere this year for fireworks
Amie Forsyth we’ve done the Fort before… maybe we can do that again. The kids had fun
Legal is having canada day fireworks and it’s only ten minutes away come on down. 🙂
Andy Beaton and their festival has ride and many other exciting things.
Wow!
Brandon Kirk look the year we leave everything else does too. No carnival no fireworks no pool.
Now no fireworks Andrew Curry.
Jamie Lynn We better get a big Pail and shovel for all the bull💩 the town is going to say why they are cutting all the good events, not fixing our roads, or, sidewalk, and why taxes keep going up.
Krystal 😢
Starting to wonder what else will be cut! Moved here in 2017 because I was expecting some fun fireworks and a midway, now it all is a big dissppointment. Hope it will change in the near futute though 😉
Brutal!
As our population increases, our town is removing events of which our residents supported and liked attending. At one time I had read the Midway ride people needed to be assured a certain $ amount before they’d come to town. Never mind that there seems to be a power struggle with the Festival Society and town! Now the town is using “a safe location for fireworks not available” to cancel those. I would think we have a fair bit of land out by the new Leisure Centre that may work, the ball diamond area would perhaps work! I feel the town has put all their effort and money into the new leisure centre and forgotten the smaller things of which the residents liked and appreciated.
So you’re saying we should all gather in either a muddy dug up construction zone or shoot off fireworks beside a busy highway! As much as it sucks to not have fireworks in town safety has to be the top priority!
There’s a parking lot out at the new leisure centre.
Brenda Measner there is NO POWER STRUGGLE between the Festival Society & the Town. The Town is in complete & absolute control, as they wanted.
The Town told the Festival Society in 2017 they were no longer in charge going forward & that was that, the Town would administer & provide the Festival. As a result the Festival we are used to seeing has changed & not necessarily for the best. Here we are in year 2 of the Town running the Festival & something else is no longer part of the fun.
In the 8 years the Festival Society ran the Festival they NEVER paid a deposit & maintained a great working relationship with the Midway operator. Matter of fact if the Festival Society had not used their goodwill they had established over years there would have been no midway in 2018. Bridges have been burned but not by the Festival Society, a dedicated group of volunteers, who spent each & every year for 8 years making sure bookings & venues were signed sealed & delivered & continued to expand the Festival with their love & enthusiasm along with their many hours of time.
The Festival Society is not the first group in town doing a top notch excellent job to be told, over the years, that the Town is now in charge! Eventually those affronted, discarded groups have been approached to re engage with the Town & produce a product that once again is up to the expectations, of we, the taxpayers. To my knowledge these groups continue to work independently & we so appreciate those dedicated volunteers who make things happen.
Having listened & researched both sides of this issue I still remain firmly convinced the Festival Society did it bigger, better & maintained confidence in venue providers along with a good working relationship. Let’s give them a grateful “well done”! I remain completely mystified as to the Town’s decision regarding this issue & continue to question their decision process.
Our volunteers are the heart of this community & these people get things done because that is their only focus…..why continual meddling is deemed necessary when something is working well & the citizens are pleased is most perplexing. “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” is an adage that works in this instance. Let’s pray egos get parked & those within the Town Administration who privately acknowledge a huge error has been made, can out vote the high handed bullying way this whole issue has been handled.
Have a great Festival everyone, it will be what you make it this year. We look forward with optimism to 2020’s Festival with activities that include ALL Morinville & area residents! 👍
Katherine Mary-Ellen. I stand corrected. The correct wording in St. Albert Now, regarding the Festival Society was being “bullied” by the town. I would be very interested into why the town felt they needed to remove it from the Festival Society’s hands. They were doing a great job for the most part!
Brenda Measner the Festival Society is still trying to figure that one out my friend…..the Town’s lame excuses just did not ring true & off the record there are those within the Town admin who agree! Political posturing & nonsense methinks! The word “Bullied” has been used more than once regarding arbitrary high handed decisions, that stem from certain departments with vindictive agendas…..yup I would say Bullied is an apt term in this case.