By Cecilia Nasmith

Last week's cancellation of the 2020 Waterfront Festival was augmented at Monday's committee-of-the-whole council meeting, when the vote carried unanimously also to cancel the town's big Canada Day parade and associated civic festivities.

During each year's Waterfront Festival weekend, the town steps in on Canada Day to add its part with a parade, which ends in Victoria Park where Cobourg offers its own welcome in a presentation at the bandshell.

“I think it makes good sense,” Councillor Brian Darling said.

“It's going to be very difficult, and this issue with COVID is going to go on for some time.”

Other cancellations and delays that will ring an enormous change on a typical summer in Cobourg have already come out over the past few days, including the delay of June's Highland Games and Scottish Festival to a late-August date, the cancellation of the mid-April Rotary Ribfest and Music Festival, and the delay of the opening of the town's marina, campground and boat launch until the end of May.

Meanwhile, councillors are glad that the enforcement of social-distancing has passed from the education phase to the enforcement phase. Mayor John Henderson said that, just that day, two tickets were issued for violations – at $750 each.

By a March 31 provincial order, the town's parks are closed, Councillor Nicole Beatty noted, and Cobourg added its beach to the list. But she has seen such beach activities as volleyball and picnics.

Deputy Mayor Suzanne Seguin reported seeing people come to Donegan Park to play volleyball and enjoy the skateboard park.

“There are people that do abuse things, even with all the education,” she said.