The Canadian International AutoShow, Montreal International Auto Show and Vancouver International Auto Show have been called off for 2022 as the rapidly spreading omicron variant spawns a resurgence of COVID-19 across Canada.
The three events, planned for February, January and March, respectively, would have marked the return of the Canadian auto show circuit after a year-long, pandemic-induced hiatus.
Luis Pereira, the Montreal’s executive director, said the decision was made with a “heavy heart” but that the rising COVID-19 case counts make the live event planned for the Palais des congrès de Montreal “irresponsible.”
“We were really confident that the event would be held this year. Omicron came along and muddied the waters. But it is our corporate responsibility,” Pereira said in a statement.
The event was scheduled to take place Jan. 21-30.
CIAS would have followed a month later — between Feb. 18 and 27 — at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in the city’s downtown.
Jason Campbell, general manager of CIAS, said the decision was made with “great regret” but the “health and wellbeing of our community needs to be our first priority.”
In response to fast-rising COVID case counts through the first half of December, the Ontario government reinstituted restrictions on indoor venues Wednesday. Any indoor venue accommodating more than 1,000 people will be limited to 50 percent capacity starting Dec. 18.
CIAS said it made the decision to cancel the February event in agreement with its manufacturer partners, while noting the show plans to return in 2023 for what will be its 50th year.
“What has been clear over the past few months in our discussions with our consumers and our manufacturer partners is how much they all value our in-person live AutoShow event experience, and how hungry they all were for it to return,” Campbell said in a statement.
Ticket sales for the Toronto show had not yet begun. They had started in Montreal, with the move-in date less than a month away. Refunds will be issued to all purchasers.
As with CIAS, Pereira said the Montreal show organizer had the full support of participating automakers to cancel the 2022 event given the evolving situation with omicron.
“We spoke to some last night and we spoke to the rest of the OEMs this morning and they were, all of them, 100 per cent in accordance with what we decided … It just made no sense to go forward at this point,” he told Automotive News Canada Thursday.
Despite the disappointment, Pereira said he and his team will reconvene after the holidays to begin plotting out MIAS 2023.
“Now we just close the books, close the files and let’s start building 2023.”
Meanwhile, the B.C. New Car Dealers Association announced the cancellation of the 2022 Vancouver International Auto Show, alluding to the potential impact of the omicron variant and industry supply issues.
“For the past several months we have been working diligently with our partners and major auto manufacturers to plan a return of Western Canada’s best attended consumer exhibition event in March of 2022 at the beautiful Vancouver Convention Centre,” association president Blair Qualey said in a statement.
Despite eagerness for a return of the show after being forced to scrap the 2021 event, “our top priority continues to be the safety of the public, our dealer members and their staff,” Qualey said.
“The constraints on the industry and the realities of the continuing pandemic in Canada have forced us to make the disappointing decision to postpone the 2022 Show until 2023.”
Qualey said his group hopes to announce details soon about the 2023 show, as well as “new initiatives to connect consumers with the new car industry in 2022.”
The show had been scheduled to run March 23 to 27.
Steve Mertl contributed to this report.
