The Ontario government is set to intervene and help save the annual Christmas Cheer breakfast that was abruptly cancelled for the first time in 68 years on Friday because of a lack of a venue.

Nepean MPP and Tourism Minister Lisa MacLeod says the provincially-owned Shaw Convention Centre has said it will host the event. A date still has to be determined.

For years the Christmas Cheer Breakfast has marked the unofficial start to the holiday season and a way to raise thousands of dollars for designated charities like the Youth Services Bureau, the Ottawa Food Bank and the Caring and Sharing Exchange.

So far there has been very little information from Christmas Cheer itself, other than a terse statement on their website citing insurmountable obstacles in finding a venue.

For years the breakfast was held at the Westin Hotel before switching to Lansdowne Park in 2018.

The Christmas Cheer breakfast has been running in the city in various forms since 1951. For several decades it has also run in conjunction with a live fundraising broadcast on Newstalk 580 CFRA.