Borough, activists cautiously optimistic about parade

Pierrefonds/Roxboro's Canada Day Parade may be alive and well this year if some of the residents who made a fuss about its cancellation find enough volunteer associations to make a commitment to attending.

"I told (parade activist Penny Michael) to get back to me with a list of associations that want to help out with the parade," explained borough councillor Bert Ward.

"I will then present that to an urgent council meeting," he added.

According to Ward, it should be fairly easy to find the $20,000 necessary to revive the parade if there is a demonstrated commitment on volunteer associations' behalf to attend.

When council originally announced its intention not to hold a parade this year, it blamed both exorbitant costs and a lack of volunteer presence in preparation of and at the annual event.

However, Ward said money was only a small part of the problem. "We can find it from another department, or we can squeeze it from somewhere," he said, adding it would definitely not be necessary to borrow the cash.

Penny Michael said she was optimistic. "The meeting went really well," she said, adding she was now busy getting in touch with various borough associations to find out if they would be willing to return to the parade.

When she first found out the parade was cancelled, Michael started a Facebook group in support of it, and eventually a delivered an almost 500-person petition to borough council at its last monthly meeting.

It was on that basis Pierrefonds agreed to perhaps come back on its decision, meeting with Michael and other residents a few days after the meeting to discuss a game plan.

The $20,000 price tag is something that may change in the future, but will have to remain this year. "You can't (cut down costs) three weeks before," Michael said, but she added this is a question that would be looked at in other years.

Ward said the event's costs could be reviewed on a year by year basis depending on the economic situation.

This year, the borough cut $855,000 due to Montreal's demands that all 19 of its boroughs make slashes to their budgets. "The $20,000 came from that," Ward explained.