Hour 1 of Ottawa Now for Wed. June 3rd, 2026

My heart goes out to the organisers of the Canada Day festivities. This has to be a major emotional let down. I was director of events at the NCC in the 80's and I remember very well, the days prior to July 1, the great degree of anxieties we all lived through at the office. A whole year of planning, searching the country for artists and ideas — too many activities to list in this short note. We were constantly glued to the weather forecasts. So many commitments with artists, suppliers, stage managers/workers, Parliament Hill set up (no LeBreton Flats then), hundreds of volunteers etc.,...