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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, Ja nu ar y 17 ,2 01 9 | 4 WATERLOO - The Cana- da Day party will go on this year at the University of Waterloo, only a signifi- cantly scaled down version with just fireworks. And after that, the uni- versity is hoping a new host will take over the July 1 cel- ebration. "Organizing the event and the activities and the security for that size of an audience is a significant un- dertaking and cost," said Sandra Banks, vice-presi- dent of university relations. "It just doesn't seem to be a sustainable commitment that we can make." The Canada Day bash has been held on the Water- loo campus since 1984. It was first run by student government, then the uni- versity took over organiz- ing it in 2013. But a recent evaluation found that leading a large- scale entertainment event that attracts crowds of up to 60,000 to the Columbia Lake Field for live entertainment and activities is not sustain- able for the university. The price tag for hosting the free, one-day event was approaching $250,000. "Those costs have gone up every single year," Banks said. "It is a big in- vestment." The university wants to focus on its core mission of teaching, research and scholarship. That includes public talks it regularly hosts for the community, like one coming up at the end of the month by Nobel laureate and university physics professor Donna Strickland. "Those events are rou- tinely sold out in a matter of days," Banks said. The university's other key consideration along with the growing cost is finding new ways for stu- dents to engage in the com- munity. While the Canada Day event has grown signif- icantly in recent years, stu- dent participation has de- clined. UW started talking with student and city leaders in December about the cele- bration's future. "We'd very much like to be a part of the discus- sions," Banks said. "I think there's potential for lots of ideas." The university said it will mark Canada Day 2019 with "an amazing fireworks display." Then, it's time for a fresh start for the celebration af- ter 35 years on the Waterloo campus. "It certainly wasn't an easy decision," Banks said. "The university has been very proud to have had the opportunity to host Canada Day." Waterloo Mayor Dave Ja- worksy said he under- stands why UW can no lon- ger host the massive event, and he's thankful the uni- versity was willing to put on one last fireworks display. Now, there is an oppor- tunity to re-envision what the community celebration looks like. "Maybe it's not a central location any more," Jawor- sky said. Finding a similar site to the campus' wide open space is a challenge, not to mention the huge cost of se- curity for a large, single site. "Maybe there's an oppor- tunity of doing something in many neighbourhoods," said Jaworsky, pointing to Waterloo and Kitchener's neighbourhood strategies. Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said the city would like to be a part of talks about what the cele- bration could look like. Kitchener and Waterloo have worked together on other initiatives and this is another that could be ex- plored. "I think there's a number of options," he said. Jaworksy said there's a full year to figure out "the where, what and who's in." One thing certain is there's interest. "We know there's lots of enthusiasm for a Canada Day party." jweidner@therecord.com Twitter: @WeidnerRe- cord Crowds gather for the Canada Day festivities at Columbia Lake in Waterloo on July 1, 2017. Metroland file photo UW READY TO HAND OFF CANADA DAY CELEBRATION LOCAL JOHANNA WEIDNER jweidner@therecord.com UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO WILL HOST FIREWORKS THIS YEAR, AND CITY OF WATERLOO WILL CONSIDER HOW TO MOVE FORWARD January 14 - 19, 2019 Store Made PePPer Bacon Reg. $7.99 lb.$5.99 lb. Fresh Pork Hocks Reg. $1.99 lb.$1.49 lb. Fresh cut stewing Beef Reg. $5.99 lb.$5.49 lb. NOW AVAILABLE! Original Recipe Harmony Lunch Burger meat ready for you to take home! Come in and get someWaterloo County Heritage! Store Made PePPeroni Pizza cHuBs Reg. $5.99 lb.$4.99 lb. Store Made Beef and Pork summer sausage cHuBs Reg. $16.00 ea.$15.00 ea. Store Made regular or smoked HeadcHeese (Piece) Reg. $3.29 lb.$2.79 lb. Store Made turkey PePPerstix (10 Pc.) Reg. $4.99 ea.$3.99 ea. Store Made deli sliced smoked turkey Breast Reg. $8.99 lb.$7.99 lb. Store Made sliced roast onion & HerB loaf Reg. $6.49 lb.$5.49 lb. Store Made london Broil Reg. $4.99 ea.$4.49 ea. www.wcdsb . ca Catholic Elementary Schools: Holy Rosary 519.747.9005 Our Lady of Lourdes 519.886.4810 Sir Edgar Bauer 519.884.8480 Saint Agnes 519.885.3180 Saint Luke 519.884.4912 Saint Mathew 519.886.9311 Saint Nicholas 519.884.9198 Catholic Secondary School: Saint David Catholic Secondary 519.885.1340 Resurrec�on Catholic Secondary 519.741.1990 Come Experience The Difference... CALL TO REGISTER TODAY! Registration Info: www.wcdsb.ca/our-schools/register-for-school/ French Immersion: www.wcdsb.ca/programs-and-services/fsl/