Waterloo Region returns to in-person Canada Day celebrations
Waterloo Region held its first in-person Canada Day celebrations since 2019 and there were several local events for residents to show off their Canadian pride.
The City of Kitchener organized a party at Carl Zehr Square, the first major community event at that location since construction wrapped up last month.
"This is the first event that the square is being utilized, which is exciting for us," Jeff Young, the city’s special events manager, told CTV News.
A pre-event block party hosted by the Downtown Kitchener BIA and Good Company Productions featured live music from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the corner of Gaukel Street and Halls Lane West, leading up to the main concert in front of city hall.
"It’s awesome to see so many people around," said party-goer Vikas Kumar. "It’s been awhile and I’m pretty sure it’s hard for people, but getting around together like this is amazing for the community."
In Cambridge, Canada Day celebrations also returned with a parade down King Street, followed by a fair at Riverside Park.
"I’m glad to see a lot of people out," said Brad Coles, treasurer of the Cambridge Celebrates Canada Day committee. "I was really surprised with all the people at the parade. It’s a good event."
Cambridge resident Lucy Homen said this year’s festivities had added meaning because she wasn’t able to celebrate Canada the same way during the pandemic.
"We have been in our condos and our homes and not be able to go back to work and stuff like that, so today was a little more emotional that we got to celebrate," she said. "I wasn’t born here, so Canada is freedom to me."
Several fireworks shows were also scheduled across Waterloo Region.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | U.S. actor Anne Heche to be taken off life support, 9 days after car crash
American actor Anne Heche will be taken of life support on Sunday, nine days after suffering severe injuries in a fiery car crash, as a compatible person was found to receive her donated organs, a spokesperson said.

Weapon in deadly 'Rust' film set shooting could not be fired without pulling the trigger, FBI forensic testing finds
FBI testing of the gun used in the fatal shooting on the movie set of 'Rust' found that the weapon handled by actor Alec Baldwin could not be fired without pulling the trigger while the gun was cocked, according to a newly released forensics report.
About 4,000 beagles destined for drug experiments finding new homes
About 4,000 beagles are looking for homes after animal rescue organizations started removing them from a Virginia facility that bred them to be sold to laboratories for drug experiments.
Brothers dead after SUV crashes into North Carolina restaurant, police say
A sport utility vehicle crashed into a North Carolina fast-food restaurant on Sunday, killing two sibling customers, police said.
Republicans demand to see affidavit that justified FBI search of Trump's home
Republicans stepped up calls on Sunday for the release of an FBI affidavit showing the underlying justification for its seizure of documents at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home.
Warming climate could see a future California flood become the world's costliest disaster, study suggests
A new study is offering a dire prediction for the U.S. state of California, where scientists say catastrophic flooding could become twice as likely in the future due to the effects of climate change.
Norway puts down Freya the walrus that drew Oslo crowds
Authorities in Norway said Sunday they have euthanized a walrus that had drawn crowds of spectators in the Oslo Fjord after concluding that it posed a risk to humans.
U.S. man allegedly drives into fundraiser crowd before killing mother
Pennsylvania state police say a man who was upset about an argument with his mother drove through a crowd at a fundraiser for victims of a recent deadly house fire, killing one person at the event and injuring 17 others, then returned home and beat his mother to death.
Antarctica ice melt is accelerating, and research says an overlooked coastal current is to blame
A new study suggests that Antarctica’s ice shelves may be melting faster than previously believed, which is causing sea levels to rise at a more rapid pace and accelerating the dangers of climate change.