Coquitlam council dubs Canada Day ‘municipally significant’ to sell liquor

Canada Day is significant, according to Coquitlam council.

Council unanimously approved a “municipally significant” designation for Canada Day without discussion at Monday’s meeting. That resolution is intended to clear the way for the municipality to pocket the proceeds of liquor sales at the city’s July 1 celebration.

In previous years, Coquitlam’s city manager sent a letter to the province to confirm that Canada Day was significant, leading to the city getting a special event liquor permit. However, due to a change in provincial regulations, Coquitlam council needed to approve a municipal resolution to sell liquor and set prices.

Charging $6 per beverage at least year’s Town Centre Park festivities resulted in the city taking in $18,770 in gross liquor sales.

That event attracted an estimated 85,000 attendees, a 13 percent increase from 2019.

A copy of council’s resolution must be available at the event.

Suits in style

Coquitlam’s Canada Day celebration is set to feature food trucks, full-site liquor service, mini-golf, a climbing wall, and to top things off, Vancouver-based band The Suits is set to take the stage at Town Centre Park.

With two crooners trading lead-vocal duties and a horn section anchoring their slick funk founds, Suits covers artists ranging from Prince to Kary Perry, Aretha Franklin and Dua Lipa.

The event is scheduled to begin at noon and to end with a 10 p.m. fireworks finale.

The event is meant to focus on community and multiculturalism, according to a release from the city.
“Coquitlam recognizes that Canada Day can mean different things for different members of our community. As a result, the city aims to provide an experience that is sensitive to the diverse range of community perspectives,” the release stated.