BANFF – Traditional parades for celebrations such as Canada Day may be a thing of the past in Banff amid rising insurance and security costs.
The Town of Banff also wants to move away from the more traditional vehicle-driven float parades and encourage human-powered mobile displays and floats to be more environmentally friendly within a national park setting.
Jason Darrah, director of communications and marketing for the Town of Banff, said many communities across Canada have stopped hosting parades due to the significant increases in insurance and security costs.
“With many activities and parades across North America pre-pandemic, there were deaths that occurred of spectators, and even in children on floats, and so insurance has gone up dramatically because of the incidents and, of course, the lawsuits that follow,” he said.
“The organizations with the biggest pockets, municipalities that are permitting those parades, are often targets, and so in response, many municipalities have actually gone away from parades… because of costs associated with insurance or the cost of ensuring optimal safety as we’ve done for so many years.”
The policy now requires fencing at the organizer’s expense around the main part of the parade route, if there are motorized vehicles pulling floats or motorized floats. Safety personnel with high visibility vests are also a must to help the driver maintain safety.
Floats pulled by motorized vehicles must also provide proof of insurance in the amount of $5 million in general liability, with the Town of Banff named as an additional insured party.
“The parade policy was developed to provide consistency in parades in Banff and a high level of safety requirements for parade organizers,” Darrah said.
Coun. Hugh Pettigrew, a big fan of traditional parades, said he hopes the new requirements don’t deter parade organizers.
“I hope this doesn’t make it too onerous, but I understand,” he said.
Parades, which have long been a popular draw for both tourists and residents, were restricted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic for public health reasons, and more recently have been affected by staffing shortages in Banff.
The 2022 Canada Day parade in Banff organized by the Town of Banff was modified to include marching bands, dance performances, musicians and stationary displays within the downtown pedestrian zone. It also included a bicycle trade by the Community Cruisers.
Darrah said this was mainly in response to logistical challenges with coordinating performers with Canmore, deployment of safety fencing in the pedestrian zone, but also because of evolving safety concerns with vehicle-pulled floats.
Moving forward, he said parades are likely to continue as a feature of events, although human-powered parades will be encouraged.
“Encouraging more environmentally responsible activities in a parade would align with the Town's goals,” he said.
Administrative officials say no concrete plans have been made yet for next summer’s Canada Day celebrations.
“I want to get through New Year’s Eve and then we will look at those options, but we definitely want to focus on human-powered parades wherever possible,” Darrah said.
Banff and Lake Louise Tourism cancelled this year’s Santa Claus parade, which is typically held in November, due to the ongoing labour shortage in the tourist town making it difficult to get participants involved.
“But they have committed definitely to looking at it for next year, “ said Darrah.
In the last decade, the four main annual parades in Banff are the Town-run Canada Day, the Santa Claus Parade organized by Banff and Lake Louise Tourism, the Remembrance Day Parade run by the Royal Canadian Legion, and Rocky Mountain Cadet Training Centre’s Freedom of the Town.
