The annual event, which has not been held for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has lost support from members of the local business community, and the executive director of the Osborne Village Business Improvement Zone (BIZ) says it is time to move on. a new direction. “It started as a community-organized event, but it just evolved into something else that did not benefit our business members and I do not think it promoted the Osborne Village concept in the direction we wanted to go,” said Lindsay Somers. he said. BIZ, which hosted the event, which first started in the 1990s, asked its members last fall about their needs and priorities and found that local businesses were not taking anything from Canada Day activities. “We had outside food trucks coming in, we had outside markets and sellers coming in,” Somers said. “We often even saw a food truck outlet right in front of a restaurant in Osborne Village. And we had large yards full of people and a lot of extra security.” Instead of a big party, BIZ will present Happy Fridays in the Village, with live music on the bell tower near Osborne and Stradbrook, 12 patios and summer walking tours. The first Happy Friday this year will be on the 1st of July. Once called one of Canada’s most populous neighborhoods, Osborne Village has struggled in recent years as long-term businesses closed their doors or fled the area. The Canada Day festival brought tens of thousands of people to the area, but few of those people sponsor businesses in the neighborhood instead of staying out and buying from street vendors, Somers said. “We like to have people on our streets. We want people to walk and enjoy Osborne Village, but with our capabilities and where we are now, after COVID-19, we understand that we have a lot to do to rebuild the our community “. BIZ also invests in public art and murals and has worked with architect Joe Kalturnyk on a community patio.
