Take a stroll down to John Lawson Park anytime from 3 p.m. on July 1 and you’re guaranteed to be met with fun and frivolity, as West Vancouver beckons another Canada Day with a day full with festivities.
Running until 9 p.m., the District of West Vancouver will host an assortment of live music, on-the-go plates from some of the North Shore’s favourite food trucks, and ample games and entertainment to keep all the family involved.
The official ceremony will get underway from 4:30 p.m., a short but sweet affair that lasts only 15 minutes, before the entertainment settles in for the evening.
Gearing the crowds up first will be the West Vancouver Youth Band, the longest standing youth band in the country, on stage from 4:45 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. To round things off in the evening, seven piece live band Groove & Tonic will bring their genre-splicing act to the stage from 5:30 p.m. until close.
“It’s so fun. It’s very family oriented, and the community comes and enjoys the park, enjoys being together and picnicking along the waterfront,” said the District of West Vancouver’s Christie Rosta. “It’s such a spectacular way to spend the day and reflect on what it really means to be Canadian.”
What it means to be Canadian varies from person to person, said Rosta, with some celebrating being born and raised in Canada, and others celebrating having moved to a new country and joining the local community.
The multicultural facet to both the North Shore and Canada is celebrated first and foremost, with a citizenship ceremony that kicks off proceedings each year. The event will welcome the country’s newest citizens, inviting them to take their oath in front of this year’s guests.
Canada is such a “wonderful country,” and West Vancouver is such a beautiful place to live, it comes as no surprise that there are so many people yearning to set up home in the area, she said.
In addition to celebrating the vibrancy of the North Shore, the day’s events also provide the opportunity to acknowledge and pay respect to the local, host First Nations, said Rosta.
Preceding the opening ceremony will be a traditional welcome from Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) group Spakwus Slolem, translated to Eagle Song Dancers. The performance should encourage those in attendance to consider all facets of Canada’s history and how that will be learned from to reshape the future, said Rosta – because while it should be a day of celebration, it is also a time for reflection.
“We’ve learned that in the Squamish Nation language the word for music and medicine is the same, because both bring healing,” she said. “We’re really fortunate to have the band join us for the day.”
Mina Kerr-Lazenby is the North Shore News’ Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
