Canada Pork and the Canadian Pork Council (CPC) announced plans to become title sponsors of the Ottawa Ribfest, a food festival celebrating over 30 years in downtown Ottawa on Sparks Street Mall. The Sparks Street BIA and Sparks Street Mall Authority manages festivals as a main priority in making historic Sparks Street, Canada’s original pedestrian mall, a vibrant community, cultural and commercial destination. Ottawa Ribfest is one of its signature annual festivals. This popular outdoor event attracted over 124 thousand visitors in 2023. This year, the event takes place from May 30 – June 2, 2024.
Festivals have come under increasing financial pressures with ongoing funding cutbacks making community engagement, tourism and economic development even more challenging for the downtown core. According to Sparks Street BIA Executive Director, Kevin McHale, “As a BIA, we are always looking for strategic partnerships that allow us to elevate our community, cultural and commercial developments for our district. We are grateful for the continued support of Canada Pork and the Canadian Pork Council for Ottawa Ribfest, and we recognize the importance of sector collaboration.”
“Canada Pork and the Canadian Pork Council are excited to partner with Ottawa Ribfest, a great event that features world-leading quality pork from some of Canada’s more than 7,000 pork producers. The Canadian pork industry is an agricultural and economic powerhouse – employing more than 100,000 people in communities across the country and generating more than $7 billion in annual revenue, with 70% of that coming through exports to more than 75 countries,” stated Stephen Heckbert, Executive Director, Canadian Pork Council.
Source : CPC CCP