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Waskimo organizers are urging residents to hold out hope for the festival to resume next year, after the February event was cancelled this year because of environmental concerns.

“I never accept that there’s only one way to do something, but we need the time to be able to figure out what that might be and how it might go forward,” said Waskimo chairman Jeremy Parnes in an interview Monday. “What we have to do is get creative.”

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Parnes said the Provincial Capital Commission (PCC), which is responsible for managing Wascana Centre, broke the news to the board that the festival could not take place on the lake in late 2019.

Since then, the two groups have been working to try and come up with an alternative for the 2020 season. But the board realized there’s simply not enough time to do that and maintain the branding and vision that is Waskimo.

“The reality is that Waskimo is a signature event that centres on the ice, and we really aren’t able to be on the ice at least not at this point,” said Parnes.