The Roncesvalles Business Improvement Association (BIA)  is removing the word “Polish” from the name of the “Roncesvalles Polish Festival” and changing it to the generic Roncesvalles Festival.

The Roncesvalles Polish Festival is the largest Polish festival in North America with over 350,000 annual visitors. By removing its “Polish” character, the Roncesvalles BIA is erasing a symbol of Polish-Canadian culture and undermining Polish identity in Canada.

Canada is a multicultural mosaic of peoples where everyone is encouraged to celebrate  their ethnic identity and to be proud of their cultural heritage. We ask the BIA to correct their name change decision by putting the word “Polish” back in the Roncesvalles Polish Festival.