St. Catharines WE Day Community event postponed

The City’s plans to host a WE Day Community event at the Meridian Centre this fall have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the health and safety of the community top of mind, Councillor Kevin Townsend, chair of the City of St. Catharines Youth Forum Task Force that's planning the event, said the committee has made the difficult decision to postpone the WE Day Community St. Catharines event that was tentatively scheduled for early October.

“We understand this will be disappointing for the students who have been looking forward to experiencing the first-ever WE Day event here in St. Catharines,” said Councillor Townsend. “While it’s important for us to support our young people as they go on their journey to becoming our community’s next change makers, we are taking an abundance of caution in an effort to help stop the spread of COVID-19.”

Councillor Townsend added the uncertainty stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic has also made it challenging to plan an event expected to draw 5,500 students from across Niagara. The task force consulted with the City and determined it would be best to postpone the event.

“The rapidly changing situation with COVID-19 has unfortunately dramatically changed the timelines for many community events and gatherings,” said Brian York, Director, Economic Development, Government Relations and Tourism Services. “While we are hopeful that we will be able to host the WE Day Community event at some point in the future, it’s in the best interests of our community’s safety that we postpone current plans until we have a clearer picture of what events will look like in the aftermath of COVID-19.” 

The We Day Community St. Catharines would be a full-day event featuring 20 to 24 speakers and performers to inspire the next generation of leaders. Councillor Townsend said the task force will be put on hold until further notice as the City focuses on post Covid-19 initiatives. A rescheduled date has not been set yet.

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• St. Catharines WE Day Community event postponed