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Christmas has been saved.

Just days after the Southland Mall said it was no longer putting on its annual Santa Claus parade in Regina, Wheaton Kia has stepped forward to sponsor the event.

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Greg Gilbertson, the general manager of the dealership, said the decision to take over the parade was the same day it was initially cancelled.

“We were disappointed like so many people in Regina. We just felt it was a Christmas tradition in the city that needed to continue, so we’re going to do our best to keep it going this year,” Gilbertson said during a phone interview on Friday.

Gilbertson already has a parade permit approved by the Regina Police Service. The parade will take place on its traditional date, Nov. 18 at 1 p.m. The parade will begin near the Wheaton Kia dealership at 2640 Avonhurst Dr., and will then head north on Albert Street.

Anyone who wants to participate in the parade is asked to contact the organizers through a Facebook page that has been created for the event.

In recent years, the parade had been organized and paid for by the Southland Mall. The property management company which owns Southland said on Wednesday that it was ending the parade and shifting its focus towards supporting local charities.

Gilbertson said Wheaton Kia has a few partners it’s working with to help make the parade happen, and hopes to bring them aboard soon.