The Canadian National Exhibition says losses suffered because of the cancellation this year’s Ex may well mean the end of the venerable old fair. The CNE is projecting a 95% revenue loss this year because of the pandemic, a sum that may exceed $35 million. The exhibition began in 1879 as a purely agricultural fair when most Ontario residents were farmers. Over the years it has adapted to reflect massive changes in society and public activity. Now the CNE says in a press release Thursday that it may not survive beyond 2021 without financial help from the government. Mayor Tory, who previously said the CNE could use some reinvention, said the city needs to have a “hard look” at the fair’s future and whether it’s possible to do “something more consistent with the 21st century.” — Toronto Sun
