{"id":26943,"date":"2020-07-09T19:53:23","date_gmt":"2020-07-09T23:53:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=26943"},"modified":"2020-07-16T17:37:12","modified_gmt":"2020-07-16T21:37:12","slug":"aurora-marks-canada-day-apart-but-celebrates-together-virtually","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/aurora-marks-canada-day-apart-but-celebrates-together-virtually\/","title":{"rendered":"Aurora marks Canada Day apart, celebrating virtually together"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lambert Willson Park, usually the scene of more than ten\nhours of revelry each July 1, was unseasonably quiet on Canada Day as Aurorans\nmarked the 153rd<\/sup> anniversary at home or in their social bubbles due\nto the global pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the party rolled on in a virtual way thanks to the\nDepartment of Canadian Heritage, the Town of Aurora, and the Aurora Museum\n& Archives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Virtual fun included a host of returning favourites that\nhave become a hallmark of local celebrations, including family-friendly craft\nactivities, a performance from the Fire Guy, and a virtual fireworks display,\nwhile the digital platform allowed for the development of new activities such\nas interactive cooking demonstrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While a parade down Yonge Street was hard to replicate in\na digital environment, some of Aurora\u2019s proud traditions continued online,\nincluding a reaffirmation of citizenship, led by local leaders, including area\nMembers of Parliament, Mayor Tom Mrakas and Council members \u2013 and a Council-led\nrendition of O Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The morning kicked off with words from Mayor Tom Mrakas,\nwho took a moment to recognize the present situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we celebrate our proud nation\u2019s birthday, I would\nlike to take the time to celebrate our essential service workers and I hope you\nwill all have the chance to feel the community\u2019s appreciation for all that you\ndo,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Words of welcome were delivered to communities across the\ncountry by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who said Canada is made up of people\nfrom \u201call walks of life who strive to live up to our shared values of peace,\nequality and compassion; people who believe in the strength of our diversity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re at our best when we\u2019re looking out for one another\nbecause that is who we are,\u201d he continued. \u201cAs we celebrate, let\u2019s remember\nwhat truly unites us all: our determination to leave a better world for our\nchildren, our belief in a more just society for all, and the idea that our\nbetter days are yet to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ontario Premier Doug Ford also joined in the words of\nwelcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe live in the greatest country in the world and today\nis about celebrating everything that makes us proud to be Canadian,\u201d he said.\n\u201cI am proud to call this province and this country home. Thank you for\neverything that you do to make Ontario and Canada a great place, especially\nduring these extraordinary times.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Provincial and local leaders came together to deliver\nCanada Day greetings to the Aurora community and leading the way was\nLieutenant-Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell, the Queen\u2019s representative in\nOntario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow much I wish I were there with you in person today,\nbut we\u2019re in the midst of a pandemic and we are keeping each other safe,\u201d she\nsaid. \u201cFrom my past visit to Aurora, I know you will be coming together as a\ncommunity to celebrate this wonderful country \u2013 inclusive and caring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the lead-up to Canada Day, Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond\nHill MP Leona Alleslev handed out Canada Day-themed lawn signs to constituents\nwho came to her Oak Ridges office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting on Canada Day, Ms. Alleslev said it is a day\nto come together to celebrate who we are as Canadians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot only do we gather with friends and neighbours to\ncelebrate the strength of our communities, but we also take the time to take a\nmoment to remember what defines us and how our past has shaped us,\u201d she said.\n\u201cAlthough our July 1 events will be different this year due to social distance,\nthey are no less important. The challenges we face today will not defeat us;\nthey will only make us stronger as we find innovative ways to overcome them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Newmarket-Aurora MP Tony Van Bynen added Wednesday was a\ntime to \u201ccelebrate the contributions Canadians have made throughout our\nhistory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a country that knows a Canadian is a Canadian,\u201d he\nsaid. \u201cWe look after each other and generosity is an essential part of our\nidentity. Today, let\u2019s celebrate what it means to be Canadian and hold those\nvalues close and recommit to ensure that all Canadians are treated equally.\nThis day, Canada Day, I am especially proud of the strength of Canadians to\ncome together to support one another in a time of crisis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom my family to yours, I wish everyone in Aurora a\nwonderful day of celebration with their family and friends, with a special\ngratitude to our frontline health workers and emergency first responders, and\nthe members of the Canadian Armed Forces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recording their messages from Queen\u2019s Park and delivered\noutside the Town\u2019s official Canada Day program through various digital and\nsocial media platforms, Members of Provincial Parliament also sent patriotic\nmessages to the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday, we celebrate the 153rd<\/sup> anniversary of\nthe birth of our great country,\u201d said Newmarket-Aurora MPP Christine Elliott.\n\u201cAs Canadians, we have much to be proud and thankful for. I am incredibly\nfortunate to call Canada home \u2013 today and every day. Although celebrations look\ndifferent this year, I wish you a happy and healthy day of celebration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Added Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill MPP Michael Parsa:\n\u201cToday, we celebrate the country we all call home and the amazing people that\nmake up this great country. From the beautiful natural landscapes to the\nstrength of our diverse\u2026communities, Canada is truly the best country in the\nworld. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis year, Canada Day is unlike any other, but we still\nhave much to be thankful for. Whether you\u2019re watching the fireworks virtually\nor spending time with family and loved ones, Canada Day is a reminder of the\nstrength and unity of our nation. During these unprecedented times, we have\nseen individual businesses and frontline workers, from coast to coast, step up\nand help exemplify the Canadian spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis Canada Day might be a little different, but our Canadian spirit is still the same.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brock Weir<\/strong><\/p>\n\r\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Families spent day having outdoor fun and beating the heat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":26934,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/2020-07-09-01.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-70z","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-26 09:41:28","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}