Parades will not be allowed to travel through the city centre of Stratford.
At a special meeting Monday night, a motion was made to reopen the debate but not enough councillors voted in favour of it. Only two in attendance voted against more discussion, councillors Kathy Vassilakos and Danielle Ingram.
Parades, with the exception of the Remembrance Day parade, will not be allowed on the connecting highway links of Ontario, Erie, or Huron Streets. The parades will be held to local roads only.
The issue was back in front of Council because the organizers of both the Canada Day event and the Santa Claus parade, the Kinsmen Club, had told city staff last week, that it would cancel both events if a change wasn’t made.
When Council made the decision in May, safety concerns such as ongoing construction on Huron Street and reports of vehicles being driven around barriers during the parades were cited as the reason.
The decision to move parades to local roads will be reviewed in the first quarter of next year.
