THUNDER BAY — The annual tradition will soon make its way down the streets of Thunder Bay in the hopes of raising money for local charities in need.
This year's parade will take place on Dec. 2 and will follow its usual route, starting at Manitoulin Transport before heading down Main Street to the Harbour Expressway where it will turn right onto Memorial Avenue and continue to Queen Street and then onto Fort William Road, ending on Water Street.
“We like to focus on special needs in children and young adults and the [above four charities] provide a lot of services for them,” said parade chair Greg Stephenson, a retired city police officer.
“The funds that we raise go a long way [to] help them provide services all year [round]. Government [isn’t funding these organizations] as much as they used to. It's really important that we keep these services going because they're special kids and young adults and they need our support.”
Officials confirmed Wednesday that the 2022 edition of the Parade of Lights collected $45,636.10 that was shared with the following organizations:
- Autism Ontario – Thunder Bay and District
- George Jeffrey Children’s Centre
- Special Olympics Ontario - Thunder Bay
- Thunder Bay Therapeutic Riding Association
“[Our organization has] been part of [the Parade of Lights] for many years, and the money goes to keep costs down for our riders because it is an expense that some people can't afford,” said Tereza Biloski, president of the Thunder Bay Therapeutic Riding Association. “Our participants look forward to the parade. When you mention it to certain people, they get so excited [that] you can’t actually talk about it until [the date] gets closer.”
There will be a sensory friendly area on Fort William Road between Queen Street and Water Street where people can still enjoy the lights without getting overwhelmed by the loud sounds of truck horns.
Mark Claypole will serve as Parade Marshall representing Special Olympics Ontario – Thunder Bay.
There are several ways to help donate to the cause, including an online portal through Canada Helps.
Stephenson himself became the chair of the event in 2003 and loves to do it even though he’s retired.
“I was one of the people that would do the traffic duty [for] the original parade. I was [then] elected to the Thunder Bay Police Association in 2003,” Stephenson mentioned. “It's our parade. We're very proud to say that it's our parade and we support it 100%. One of my first duties when I got elected was to take over the parade [and] be the guiding light with the charities that were involved in it. I love the parade and I'll do it for as long as I can.”
Organizers were forced to scrap the 2020 event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
