Caribana is officially history, but you might not notice

By ROB GRANATSTEIN, CITY HALL BUREAU

 

Caribana is dead - but the party is just beginning.

In Caribana's place, the new Toronto Caribbean Carnival promises to have Torontonians and visitors jumping up, while not making the city's accountants scream.

The Toronto Mas Band Association (TMBA) announced yesterday it has come to an agreement with the city to receive $400,000 in funding for a carnival at the same time of year, with all the same events as Caribana, plus the same amount of cash from the province.

It also announced a Financial Management Committee, headed by former city economic development commissioner Joe Halstead, and including Toronto Board of Trade CEO Glen Grunwald and Rod Seiling, president of the Greater Toronto Hotel Association.

"In the past few years something went wrong," Halstead said yesterday of Caribana, one of the city's biggest tourist events. "The accountability for finances given was not as good as it should have been."
 

The Caribbean Cultural Committee, organizers and trademark owners of Caribana, lost its city funding for the event after not providing appropriate audited financial reports for the money it received in 2004 and 2005.

Margaret James, a member of the CCC, said the group will still have to determine its response, but added "if there's no management, there's no Caribana.

"If people call, we'll tell them there's no Caribana this year," she said.

Mercedez Otway of the TMBA said the festival is more than just the name and isn't worried about it not being called Caribana anymore.

The new organizing committee said yesterday it is hoping to reverse the parade route this year, so it starts at Lake Shore Blvd. and Parkside Dr., goes east along the water, through the Princes Gates and ends in Exhibition Place.

Curtis Eustace of the TMBA said that will allow for a gated area at the end of the route, where there will be food, music and vendors. Organizers could charge a fee to help pay for the carnival.

"All day, with the exception of vendors, we make no money," Eustace said of the way the carnival is run now.
 

Courtesy : The Toronto Sun