Canada Day celebrations in Port Moody will be online again this year.
And the city is hoping more people will log on.
With concerns about the state of the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing and special events still banned by public health orders, Port Moody’s manager of cultural services, Devin Jain, said the city is planning for a second virtual event similar to last year’s.
Activities being considered include:
- pre-recorded musical performances
- a community engagement art activity led by the city’s staff artist
- greetings from the mayor and councillors
- an online art exhibit
- singing of O Canada
In a report, Jain said organizers will strive to improve the event’s diversity.
“With a little more lead time this year, staff will be better able to reach out to equity-seeking groups and provide them with an opportunity to participate,” he wrote, adding other city departments as well as local businesses and organizations will also be given an opportunity to be a part of the event.
But, when asked by councillors at Tuesday’s meeting of committee of the whole to provide a measurement of success for last year’s online event, Jain was unable to provide an overall number.
He said viewership numbers for the whole online presentation weren’t tracked as viewers could log in at any time. Instead, they counted by event.
Jain said some events received less than 100 views, while others ranged between 100 and 300 views. He said the musical performances were the most successful.
Coun. Meghan Lahti said the numbers were “disappointing,” adding, “hopefully this year we can garner a little more attention.”
Still, the effort is worth it, said Coun. Steve Milani. “The community needs a feel-good event to participate in.”
Council approved Jain’s budget request of $4,500 to organize the celebration.
