The founder of a London, Ont. charity for terminally ill children is calling the city of London a ‘Grinch.’
The city has given the TLC Foundation a couple of weeks to remove Santa’s House from Victoria Park in order to prepare for the return of summer festival season.
“We need to get back to that normal arrangement again where we have it for the Christmas season and then it gets packed away for the summer,” says Scott Stafford, director of Parks and Forestry for the City of London.
Prior to the pandemic, the 500 square foot structure was taken apart piece by piece with cranes, flatbed trucks and they removed the inside paneling and wiring.
For the past two years, the city allowed the building to remain year-round. They will allow it to return again as a vendor after Remembrance Day but the founder of the charity says that isn’t possible.
“After six years, we’ve come to the notion that it just can’t be taken down because there’s too much structural damage every time you move it and take it down and store it,” says Leo Larizza, the founder of the TLC Foundation charity, which operates Santa’s House.
“They’ve asked us to take down the house and move it to a storage but unfortunately, we cannot store that house any further. So it really means the end of Santa’s House unless we can arrange something with the city.”
Larizza feels he had a few great options to save Santa’s House.
“One is Storybook Gardens and to make it a permanent home there,” he says.
“Two is to move the house to a different area in the park. Three is to leave the house and let’s paint it in the summertime let them use it for their events, and four is at Storybook Gardens but not in the park but outside of the park”.
The City had internal discussions, but did not come up with a solution.
“We talked about a couple of other locations that might be suitable and might work for them, but again we’re just at a time when things are kind of getting back to where they were pre-COVID,” says Stafford.
“Storybook’s got its plan and working on a new plan for the future as well. So we’re just not ready to make those type of year round permanent decisions at this point,” he adds.
While the city agrees the location is perfect during the winter months, they believe it affects the sightlines of the stage during music events and is in the way for festivals like Ribfest, Sunfest, and Home County Folk Festival.
Ward 13 Coun. John Fyfe-Millar who represents the downtown agrees that the structure should be removed for the summer.
“I think the house itself is a great representative of the holiday season, so it’s important that we have something in Victoria Park, and it’s a great draw at the same point in time,” says Fyfe-Millar.
“However the original plan on the house was to remove it in the summer, take it back, refurbish it and bring it back. I think it does bring back that excitement when you take it out and you bring it back. I think leaving it there permanently was never the goal and never the plan.”
However Coun. Paul Van Meerbergen says he’s going to do whatever he can to make sure the charity which sees thousands of visitors, and has raised over $500,000 for terminally ill children doesn’t come to an end.
“I’d like to go back, meet with staff, meet with the downtown ward councillor and Leo,” says Van Meerbergen.
“Let’s see if we can find a reasonable solution here. I mean, it really is incumbent on the city to find a way to work this magic and continue the magic for the kids in particular.”
While the city insists it isn’t being a Grinch, Larizza believes that’s exactly what is happening.
“We gave him so many different options,” says Larizza. “We were hoping that one of them would be chosen but unfortunately, the only one that was chosen is the one that says maybe it’s time Santa’s house has to end.”