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The Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Latvia (CanCham) celebrated Canada Day on Wednesday, July 1st, 2026, with its annual Canada Day BBQ at the Sonada Hotel Gardens in Riga. The afternoon and evening brought together CanCham members, friends, representatives of the Canadian community, business partners and guests for one of the Chamber’s principal annual social events.

The celebration opened with welcoming remarks by Una Brūna, Vice-President of CanCham, who welcomed participants and emphasized the importance of Canada Day as an opportunity for Canadians and their friends in Latvia to come together and celebrate the relationship between Canada and Latvia.

Nicolas Lepage, Senior Trade Commissioner, brought greetings on behalf of the Government of Canada. His participation reflected the close working relationship between CanCham and the Embassy of Canada in Latvia and their shared interest in strengthening Canadian-Latvian commercial and economic relations.

Ed Kalvins, President of CanCham, addressed participants and reviewed the Chamber’s progress during the first half of 2026. He highlighted the continued development of CanCham’s Strategic Partnership Initiative (SPI), which is working to connect Canadian and Latvian companies and develop new opportunities for mutually beneficial business cooperation. He also reflected on CanCham’s accomplishments during the year to date, including its business networking activities, cooperation with the Canadian Embassy and initiatives supporting Canadian commercial and defence-related activities in Latvia.

The guests were also welcomed by Mark Watson, representing the host, RigaApartment.com. A special highlight was the presentation of a Canada Day birthday cake, adding a traditional celebratory note to the occasion.

CanCham is grateful to its member RigaApartment.com for hosting the event in the beautiful Sonada Hotel Gardens and to TINTO Wine Restaurant for providing the catering. TINTO prepared and served the food in traditional BBQ fashion, contributing to the relaxed outdoor character of the celebration.

CanCham was also pleased to welcome back Mārtiņš Šmits, a Canadian Latvian, who once again undertook DJ duties. His selection of music helped create a distinctly Canadian atmosphere and added to the festive spirit throughout the afternoon and evening.

The combination of the outdoor BBQ, music and informal surroundings provided an excellent opportunity for participants to renew friendships, make new contacts and enjoy Canada Day together.

Canada Day is one of CanCham’s core annual events and provides an important social complement to the Chamber’s year-round business and trade development activities. The 2026 celebration continued this tradition by bringing together the Canadian and Latvian communities in an informal atmosphere while reinforcing the personal and business relationships that support CanCham’s broader objectives.

CanCham extends its sincere appreciation to RigaApartment.com and Mark Watson for hosting the celebration, TINTO Wine Restaurant for the catering, Mārtiņš Šmits for providing the music, Nicolas Lepage and the Embassy of Canada for their continued cooperation, and to everyone who participated and helped make Canada Day 2026 a successful and enjoyable event.

And so, 159 years of Canada are behind us, and we look forward to the business season.

Please follow https://cancham.lv/ for the latest CanCham news and events.