DWBIA brings Canada Day parade downtown again

The Windsor Canada Day parade will once again be held downtown. The Downtown Windsor BIA along with the Parade Company made the announcement Wednesday.

"This year's parade is going to be bigger and better than ever. We can't wait to see the community come together for this fantastic celebration," said Parade Company executive director Maggie Durocher.

The parade will begin at Wyandotte Street and Ouellette Avenue, and proceed north to Riverside Drive and then west to Caron Avenue.

Durocher said the company is inviting community groups and individuals to enter floats and other units. Participants can sign up at windsorparade.org.

She expects 60 in all.

"We do work with dynamic displays in Detroit, so we do bring inflatables over for that one. I think last year we had six inflatables," said Durocher. "Members of the MCC  [Multicultural Council] are really involved in this parade. So we get a lot of multinational groups in."

"And we're super excited to be celebrating Canada Day back downtown where it certainly belongs," said Ward 3 Coun. Renaldo Agostino who also sits on the BIA board.

"It is one of the best days we have in our community," said Windsor West MP Brian Masse, who attended the news conference wearing a Team Canada jersey.

Downtown Windsor BIA executive director Debi Croucher announces the return of the Canada Day parade to downtown Windsor flanked by Paw Patrol and Sonic the Hedgehog who will be costumed characters in the parade. (Dale Molnar/CBC)

The parade first went to the Wyandotte Towne Centre BIA in 2017. It returned in 2018, but went back the following year. The event was then cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Durocher said the WTCBIA did not want the parade back this year and while negotiating the Santa Claus parade with the DWBIA it expressed interest in holding the Canada Day parade as well.

"There's a bigger picture, and the bigger picture is getting people to be back downtown," said Agostino.

"We are proud to support this event and look forward to welcoming everyone to our vibrant downtown district," said BIA chair Chris MacLeod in a news release.

The parade will kick off at 11 a.m. on July 1. Free cupcakes forming a giant Canadian Flag will once again be handed out in a fan zone of activities to take place at University and Ouellette.