The latest event to fall victim to the COVID-19 pandemic in Windsor-Essex is LaSalle's Strawberry Festival.
"It was a difficult decision," said Mayor Marc Bondy. "With the current restrictions in place and the unknown of when they will be lifted, we made the responsible decision."
The province of Ontario has extended its state of emergency until May 12, and there is no indication yet when public health officials will greenlight a lifting of social distancing measures.
The 2020 LaSalle Strawberry Festival was set to go in June, but many municipalities are taking similar decisions and cancelling events through to the end of June.
The town's Culture and Recreation Department is in the process of calling entertainers and vendors to let them know the event has been cancelled until next year. Payments were only made to two vendors. Recreation Manager Patti Funaro said she hopes those payments can be applied to next year's event as credits.
The Culture and Recreation Department was also planning to announce the introduction of Last Call Before Fall festival this September.
The status of the LaSalle Craft Beer Festival in July will be reviewed over the coming weeks.