112th edition of the PNE Fair kicks off in Vancouver
The 112th edition of the PNE Fair is officially underway in East Vancouver. Thousand rolled through the gates Saturday, eager to return after COVID-19 restrictions kept many away the past two years.
“It’s no secret it's been a challenging two and a half years for our organization,” said spokesperson, Laura Balance.
"The skies are sunny and so are the days ahead for the PNE,”
While the fair can now operate without restrictions, Ballance says they’ve chosen to put their own capacity limits in place.
“The last two years we’ve had limited fairs,”
“We really felt like our guests enjoyed that, they enjoyed the space of being able to spread out, to distance,” Ballance said.
She says they’re expecting to have around 500,000 people attend the fair this year, roughly 70 per cent of pre-pandemic attendance.
Among the new additions to the grounds this year is a canoe carving showcase.
The exhibit is being run by an Indigenous-led, non-profit group called “The Canoe Cultures Society”.
"It means the world actually to have great opportunities,” Alvin Martin, an eighth-generation carver told CTV News.
The group will be putting on live demonstrations on traditional Indigenous carving techniques, and completed canoes are also on display.
“Come check us out, we’d love to have everybody and show what we’re doing here,” Martin said.
On Saturday ride passes sold out, Balance says people should buy ahead to avoid disappointment.
Tickets for the PNE prize home, which for the second straight year has been built off-site, can be purchased online, or on the fairgrounds until closing day, Sept. 5.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.