Filipino community wins appeal, parade OK'd

They sayeveryone loves a parade, but the City of Winnipeg didn't make it easy for the Filipino community to hold one.

Organizers of the annualManitoba Filipino Street Festival havebeen running a parade onMcPhillipsStreetfor years, but the city's public works department changed its mind thisyear, worriedthat closing such a main thoroughfarecould make it difficult foremergency services to access Seven Oaks Hospital.

On Tuesday, the festival organizers appealed the decision to the public works committee, saying there has never beenan incident in running theparade on McPhillips in the past four years.

However, city traffic manager Luis Escobar told the committeethere was, in fact,an incident last year where an emergency vehicle had trouble driving around the event.

Coun.JaniceLukes, chair of the public works committee, askedparade organizers if it was possible to move to another street but organizers saidMcPhillipswas best because it is wide enoughto turn floats around.

Ron Cantiveros, publisher of the Filipino Journal, told the committee thatMcPhillips is the Filipino community's main street andshould remain as the route.

In the end, the committee sided with the community, voting3-1 to allow the parade.

Lukes was the only member who voted in opposition,sayingshe respected the concerns of the city`s emergency staff.

The parade runs in August and draws the Filipino communityfrom all points of Manitoba and outside the province.

Images from the 2014 Manitoba Filipino Street Festival