Sydney Santa Claus parade to skip Whitney Pier this year

Christmas may be weeks away, but already Santa has decided he won't be going to Whitney Pier this year, at least not as part of the annual Sydney Santa Claus Parade.

The parade is usually held in late November and followed a six-kilometre route that took it through the community of Whitney Pier.

This year, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality made the decision to shorten the route and take the parade to Open Hearth Park where it will end.

Fred Brooks, the municipality's recreation manager, said the decision was made after consulting with parade participants.

"It's over six kilometres and the kinds of feedback we've been getting from participants, particularly those that walk or have horses, or are marching in costumes, is it's extremely long," he said.

Brooks said Open Hearth Park is a more central location and its size makes it ideal for large outdoor events. He said it was a logistical decision and was in no way meant to snub residents of Whitney Pier.

Resident Clarence Stockley wasn't pleased with the change.

"It's a little disgusting, all of the years of it coming here and people jamming the streets looking for Santa Claus," he said.

Gary Dalton said it's history to have the parade end in Whitney Pier.

"It's always been here and now they're going to take it away from us? What's next, you know what I mean, the Easter Bunny?" he said.

Joe Savoy is holding a meeting Monday evening to discuss plans for a separate Whitney Pier parade.

"They're all angry now and we're on our own," he said. "They don't want to put us in the picture, we'll run our own," he said.

Organizers have tentatively set the date for their parade for Nov. 29, the same day as the Sydney parade.