The mayor of Antigonish says the cancellation of the Antigonish Highland Games is a double-edged sword.
Organizers announced the annual July event would be cancelled due to COVID-19 April 8.
Laurie Boucher, the town’s mayor, tells The Hawk it will be a big impact on the area.
“When we see these things being cancelled, we know it’s going to hit our community hard,” she says.” Businesses depend on events like this to get them through the summer- tourism is huge for our little town.”
Boucher says the decision also shows the severity of our current situation, and she’s proud of organizers for being cautious.
She says the impact of COVID-19 on local events goes beyond the Highland Games.
“Festival Antigonish is another event that probably won’t go as planned, our summer recreation programs, Canada Day even will be affected,” she says. “It’s going to be a different summer in Antigonish, and all of those things will definitely affect businesses in our town.”
Boucher says many will feel the financial impact, and the town will need some TLC when this is all over.
It’s just the second time the Antigonish Highland Games have been cancelled, the first being the First World War.
