Victoria considers additional funding for this year’s Canada Day celebration

As Canada Day approaches, Victoria’s city council must consider what they are willing to spend on the celebration. 

In this week’s committee of the whole, City staff are recommending allocating an additional $100,000 to the annual festivity via the Major Community Initiatives and Events Grant (MCIEG) program.

This recommendation comes as staff and council seek ways to reduce any undue property tax increases. 

In earlier Canada Day discussions, staff proposed a daytime-only event on Canada Day, which would cost $150,000 for the programming and $75,000 for policing costs, totalling $225,000.

Then, in a special committee of the whole meeting held on March 17th, council approved an additional $100,000 to come from the MCIEG program. 

This would put the total cost of the celebration at $325,000. 

Last year, the budget for Canada Day was $350,000 for programming, with $128,421 in policing, street cleaning, sanitation and other city services, totalling $478,421. This is what was deducted from the City’s operating budget. 

Additionally, 2024’s celebration received provincial and federal funding that totalled $87,000, bringing the final cost of Canada Day in Victoria up to $565,421. 

Now, City staff are saying that in light of the trade war and tariffs, there is a “strong desire” to maintain the level of entertainment at the Canada Day event. 

With this year’s festivities lacking in funding, staff suggest an additional $100,000 be utilized from the MCIEG for the event. 

If council agrees to do this, the budget for Canada Day 2025 would be brought up to $425,000, which is still less than last year, but would allow for expanded programming. 

City staff also note that if additional funding is not approved by council, that the production company who normally handle the Canada Day festivities would likely not take the contract. 

A major factor in this extra funding being available is that Victoria lost the bid to host an ‘Under 17 World Hockey Challenge’ this year, which council had allocated $250,000 for. Now that the money is not being used for the hockey tournament, it can be allocated elsewhere, such as the Canada Day celebration. 

City staff have also been trying to seek money from other sponsors and grants, but concede that it may be late to be garnering additional money at this point in time. 

Thus far, the City has only engaged in preliminary talks with the production company who would be putting together this year’s event. 

The focus of the evening is to be on local talent, producers, suppliers and partners, to keep everything as localized as possible. 

The matter of an additional $100,000 being used for the Canada Day celebration will be discussed by Victoria’s city council this Thursday, April 3rd.