Staff-led approach streamlines planning for Wilmot's biggest Canada Day celebration yet

Volunteer face painters Janet Divita and Shauna Koehler add artistic flair to the 2025 Wilmot Canada Day celebration in New Hamburg. While planning for the annual event is now led by Wilmot Township staff, volunteers continue to play an important role in bringing the festivities to life. Lou Divita photo

By Galen Simmons

When thousands of people gather at Norm Hill Park in New Hamburg on July 1, many won't notice one significant change behind the scenes.

For the first time since Wilmot Township revived its Canada Day celebrations in 2024, the event has been planned under a staff-led model rather than through a formal volunteer taskforce.

While the change may sound dramatic on paper, those involved say the transition has actually allowed staff and volunteers to work together more effectively while preserving the community spirit that helped make the event such a success in its first two years.

Last September, Wilmot council voted to dissolve the Canada Day Taskforce, an official committee of council that had overseen planning for the 2024 and 2025 celebrations. The move came after volunteers and staff alike expressed frustration with the rigid rules governing council committees, including restrictions on discussions outside formal meetings and limitations on communication between members.

"The feedback from the committee over both the 2024 and 2025 planning years was that they found the formal structure prohibitive to planning and more spontaneous and creative discussion," said Wilmot manager of community services Manny O'Krafka, who also served as a staff representative on the previous Canada Day taskforce.

Rather than eliminating volunteer involvement, the change shifted leadership responsibilities to township staff while allowing volunteers to continue focusing on the areas they know best.

"The feedback provided by the volunteers was what led to the staff report requesting the dissolution of the formal task force," O'Krafka said. "Much of the original committee is still involved in planning the event."

That includes longtime volunteers Lou and Janet Divita, who have remained heavily involved in organizing this year's celebration.

At first, Lou Divita admitted he wasn't entirely convinced the new approach would work.

"I thought, well, I don't know if I like that idea," he said. "Some of the others thought the same way, but I think in the end it works well."

Under the previous structure, volunteers often had to wait until the next scheduled meeting to make decisions or move projects forward.

"If I have a question or if I want to do something faster, I just call (staff) and say, 'Can we do this?' ‘Yeah, we can do that, no problem,’ " Divita said. "Everything goes a lot smoother."

For Divita, who handles marketing and promotion for the event, the streamlined process has made planning far easier.

"It was a lot smoother," he said. "There's only one person sort of looking after it. I think it worked out really well."

The township's recreation staff say one of the biggest advantages has been the ability to respond quickly to opportunities and challenges as they arise.

Under the old structure, customized sponsorship opportunities or other changes often required formal committee approval. Now, staff can work directly with sponsors and vendors, helping secure additional funding and programming.

Staff were also able to secure the federal Celebrate Canada grant along with additional FIFA-related funding tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

As a result, this year's event will feature several new attractions, including a dedicated Youth Zone with bubble soccer, a soccer-target challenge, an inflatable obstacle course and the return of Top Shot Hockey.

Organizers have also added a family bike parade, where participants can decorate bicycles, wagons and strollers in either a Canadian Spirit or FIFA-themed category.

Despite the new structure, both staff and volunteers stress the event remains very much a community effort.

Volunteer committee members continue to oversee everything from fireworks and children's programming to entertainment, vendors, sponsorships and event-day logistics.

"We can't say enough about the group of volunteers," O'Krafka said. "They've worked in their respective areas and collaboratively as a group with tireless dedication and they're so passionate about planning a fantastic event for the community."

The township has also introduced several measures aimed at improving the volunteer experience, including better orientation materials, maps, rotating shifts and additional support throughout the day.

"Our goal is to enhance it, to have our volunteers enjoy themselves, tell their friends, come back and continue to grow that aspect of the event," said Wilmot supervisor of recreation programming Lacey Smith.

For Divita, the results are already apparent.

"I think this year will be better than last year," he said. "There's more for kids to do, more events and more activities. I think it's positive."

While the planning structure may have changed, the goal remains the same – creating a memorable Canada Day celebration for the entire community.

And according to those organizing it, the partnership between township staff and dedicated volunteers may be the best formula yet.