Town moves Strathmore Day to online event this year
By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Town of Strathmore has announced that it will not be hosting in-person activities for Strathmore Day this year, deciding to allocate town funds elsewhere to higher priorities.
According to Johnathan Strathdee, manager of legislative services for the Town of Strathmore, the decision to not host the celebration of the town’s incorporation in person was not made lightly.
“Funding for Strathmore Day was considered by council during the 2023 budget deliberations. This was a challenging year to budget for, as there are many economic factors impacting municipalities, including inflation,” he said. “Council approved a wholistic budget that balanced economic factors while still maintaining the high service levels that the community expects. Ultimately, administration recommended that Strathmore Day be removed from the budget to support council with limiting the overall tax increase for 2023.”
This year will mark 115 years since Strathmore’s incorporation, originally as a village. Strathmore Day was first proclaimed in 2021 by Strathmore Town Council, and due to COVID-19 restrictions at the time, was largely hosted online.
The town will continue to recognize Strathmore Day this year, though it will be returning to the online and social media format.
“We recognize Strathmore Day on March 20 because the town was incorporated as a village on March 20, 1908. Strathmore Day is a way for us to celebrate our town’s history and honour previous generations,” said Strathdee. “We will continue to mark Strathmore Day on March 20 each year. The way the day is recognized could change year to year.”
Despite their immediate proximity, Strathdee clarified the Lead By Example Powwow being hosted March 17 to 19 had no impact on the decision to not host Strathmore Day in person, though added it would have been challenging for town staff, as well as external partners to plan for two large events back to back.
Through the 2023 budget, the town has also planned to reduce spending on Canada Day festivities, though that event will still take place in person as normal.
“The town is eager to partner with the community to continue delivering a fun and engaging Canada Day. If residents, businesses or community groups have ideas in terms of how they would like to support in the delivery of Canada Day, please contact the town’s event team at mediaadmin@strathmore.ca,” said Strathdee. “While the budget for Canada Day has been reduced, we’re still planning on hosting a great community event for everyone to come out and celebrate – including fireworks.”
The town will be sharing more information regarding Strathmore Day in this year’s format within the coming weeks, though no exact date was provided.