150th anniversary of Canada

The official emblem of Canada 150, a stylized maple leaf with 13 diamonds representing Canada's provinces and territories. The four red diamonds represent Canada's initial provinces at confederation.
Canada 150 celebrations in Ottawa
Canada 150 celebrations at Canada Place in Vancouver, the largest event outside of Ottawa

The 150th anniversary of Canada, also known as the 150th anniversary of Confederation and promoted by the Canadian government as Canada 150, occurred in 2017 as Canada marked the sesquicentennial anniversary of Canadian Confederation.

Planning

Planning for the anniversary celebration began in 2010. The Institute of Public Administration of Canada held a conference called 150!Canada bringing together public servants, business leaders and non-governmental organizations at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on March 11 and 12, 2010. More than 300 delegates heard from 25 speakers, with the goal of developing an action to celebrate Canada's sesquicentennial.[1]

The 150Alliance was established as a national network of groups with a goal to encourage communities and organizations to organize their own Canada 150 events. It held its first meeting in Ottawa on January 23, 2015.[2][3]

Federal initiatives

Funding

The Canadian federal Government announced it would be spending an estimated half billion dollars on 150th anniversary events and projects. $300-million was to be spent by Canadian regional development agencies through a Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program. The fund was set up by the ministry headed by Stephen Harper and originally assigned a $150-million budget prior to the 2015 Canadian federal election. The new Liberal ministry under Justin Trudeau doubled the program's size in its first budget.[4]

$40-million for cultural projects was funded by the Canada Council for the Arts under its "New Chapter" program.[5] The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council also set up a grant program entitled Canada 150 Connection to support activities by post-secondary institutions and researchers that explore the contributions of social sciences and humanities research to Canadian society.[6]

Some projects were given special recognition under the designation "Signature Projects" as "large-scale, participation-oriented activities, of national scope and with high impact".[7] One of the projects with the highest profiles was the Canada C3 Expedition, a 5-month sailing cruise around Canada aboard the icebreaker Canada C3.

The official emblem of the sesquicentennial was designed by Ariana Cuvin, a then-19-year-old student in the University of Waterloo's global business and digital arts program. It consists of 13 multi-coloured diamonds forming a maple leaf; Cuvin stated that the four diamonds forming the emblem's base represented Canada's four original provinces, while the others represented the provinces and territories that had joined since. The government described the emblem as reflecting Canada's unity and diversity. The emblem was chosen through a competition held by the government, and open to post-secondary students.[8]

The emblem received mixed reviews from the professional community; two designers interviewed by the Ottawa Citizen panned the logo for being the "minimum" of a usable logo and "student work" respectively, but another remarked that it was a "strong and simple design that should hold up well in all applications".[9] The contest was criticized by the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, which believed that the contest was "unethical" and "exploited" students, and expressed dissatisfaction over the fact that the contest was not open to design professionals. Cuvin, who received a prize of $5,000 for winning the contest, told the Ottawa Citizen that she did not feel that she was being exploited.[8][9][10]

Commemorative currency

The Bank of Canada released a commemorative $10 banknote for Canada's sesquicentennial, which was expected to be broadly available by Canada Day.[11]

The Royal Canadian Mint held a national contest titled My Canada, My Inspiration[12] for the design of the reverses of each of five circulating coins of the Canadian dollar, which would be part of the "Canada 150 Collection".[12] Each coin had an associated theme.[13] On November 2, 2016, it held an unveiling ceremony in the communities of each of the winners, selected by an online vote in September 2015.[14] The winners received a trip to Ottawa, $2000 in cash, and a special edition set of the coins.[15]

Coin Theme Designer Title Notes
Toonie Our Wonders Stephen and Timothy Hsia Dance of the Spirits 10 million will be produced[15]
Loonie Our Achievements Wesley Klassen Connecting a Nation[16] 10 million will be produced[17]
Quarter Canada's Future Joelle Wong Hope for a Green Future 12 million will be produced[17]
Dime Our Character Amy Choi Wings of Peace
Nickel Our Passions Gerald Gloade Living Traditions

The Royal Canadian Mint also produced commemorative coins, including a 2-ounce (57 g) matte proof finish silver coin with a face value of $10, a 2017 variant based on the Silver Maple Leaf coin.[18] It expects to release about fifty commemorative and circulating coin products, including Brilliant Uncirculated sets.[17]

Commemorative stamps

All stamps produced by Canada Post during 2017 will include a reference to the sesquicentennial.[19][20]

National parks

Parks Canada announced it would give away free passes to Canada's national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas. The passes will be available at Parks Canada sites and through partners until the end of 2017.[21][22]

Official flower

The Canada 150 tulip, also known as the Maple Leaf tulip, is the official tulip of Canada 150 and was unveiled May 9, 2016, in Commissioners Park.[23] The tulip was selectively bred with white flower and red flames, which resembles the flag of Canada.[24] For Canada 150, the Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa will plant 30,000 Maple Leaf tulip bulbs.[25]

National cultural initiatives

Royals

Queen Elizabeth II, Canada's sovereign, offered her best wishes and congratulations on the 150th anniversary of Confederation in a December 31, 2016, recorded message.[26] Her son and heir-apparent, Prince Charles, and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, toured Nunavut and Ontario before attending the national celebration in Ottawa on July 1.[27] Some indigenous people criticized the Canada 150 celebrations for ignoring Indigenous history.[28]

National mural project

A Canada 150 Mosaic project will see in 150 interconnected murals created across the country, depicting a train travelling coast-to-coast across Canada. Each mural will be made up of hundreds of tiles painted by individual Canadians. Roughly 100,000 individuals are expected to take part.[29][30]

Film

On February 20, 2017, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) launched a four-part online series entitled 1 Nation. 4 Lenses, exploring Canadian stories through films from the NFB collection. The first chapter, What We Call Home, examines how Canadians define home. Subsequent chapters are What We Protect (launching April), What We Seek (June) and What We Fight For (September).[31][32]

On April 19, National Canadian Film Day 150 showcased Canadian films on television, online as well as at more than 600 cinemas, libraries and public venues in close to 200 communities across the country.[29][33]

Digital content projects

Lost Stories was inaugurated as an online film project initiated by Concordia University history professor Ronald Rudin, documenting unusual stories from Canadian history. Started in Montreal as a pilot project by Rudin, co-director of the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling at Concordia, Lost Stories was elevated to a national initiative, with $235,000 in Canada 150 funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage.[34][35]

The University of Alberta also launched a digital content hub to mark Canada's 150th birthday with stories, images, videos and featured events, as well as experts who will address topics such as Canada's constitution, Canadian literature, Indigenous issues, wildlife conservation and climate change.[36]

Legacies 150 (French: Générations 150) is a series of 13 interactive essays on themes of legacy and inheritance, produced by the National Film Board of Canada for the 150th anniversary.[37]

Regional projects

British Columbia

British Columbia established a funding program "to celebrate B.C. communities and their contribution to Canada," with $8 million invested in museums and heritage sites throughout the province.[38]

Metro Vancouver

In B.C., the city of Vancouver refers to anniversary celebrations as Canada 150+, to recognize Indigenous peoples in Canada who lived in Canada prior to Confederation.[21]

In Metro Vancouver, TransLink released a limited-edition adult Compass Card with the Canada 150 Emblem on June 22, 2017.[39]

New Brunswick

The New Brunswick government launched a website, canada150nb.ca, to promote events and celebrate New Brunswick pride as part of Canada's 150th anniversary. The website includes marketing tools to help community groups promote their Canada 150 events. The website also invites the public to submit their own video clips and photos of the province.[40]

Newfoundland and Labrador

The Newfoundland Insectarium and Butterfly Garden will be updating their exhibits and making them bilingual. These changes were put in place to celebrate the unity of Canada 150 and the influx of Franco-Canadian tourists to the island of Newfoundland in the recent years.

Nova Scotia

The province's 150 Forward Fund provides funding for organizations to help Nova Scotians celebrate Canada 150, with events or programs that honour Nova Scotian achievements, celebrate the province's cultural identity and diversity, or recognize innovation over the past 150 years. Communities, Culture and Heritage Minister Tony Ince announced January 30 that 39 non-profit enterprises and co-operatives had been awarded a total of $841,000 through the first round of grants. A second round of applications runs until February 28. Canada 150 celebrations in Nova Scotia will also include Rendez-Vous 2017, which will see tall ships visit 11 communities across the province over the summer.[41]

Ontario

The province of Ontario is spending $7 million to support more than 350 Canada 150 events across the province.[42] It opted to create its own Ontario 150 anniversary logo, or wordmark, at a cost of $30,000.[43]

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls officially launched its Canada 150 activities at a flag raising ceremony on January 27, with former Toronto Maple Leaf Johnny Bower in attendance. The city has allocated $150,000 for Canada 150 events.[42]

Ottawa

Young women promote local artistic depictions of Ottawa 2017 during Canada 150 celebrations in Ottawa.
Canada 150 Street Banner on the Alexandra Bridge in Ottawa, Canada.

Canada's capital of Ottawa is home to a vast amount of events during the sesquicentennial under the banner "Ottawa 2017".[44][45] Included in the planned events is Inspiration Village. A interactive area promoting Canada and it's Provinces and Territories. The area is set in the Byward Market and includes a large 3-D sign spelling out the name Ottawa. Workshops will animate the village while inspirational guest speakers and a line-up of performers will take the stage at the village amphitheatre.

The 2017 Ice Cross Downhill World Championship took place March 3rd to 4th. With the downhill course built along the Rideau Canal beside the Chateau Laurier. Red Bull also sponsored the Red Bull Global Rallycross taking place at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.

La Machine an enormous urban street theatre production from France while be making its North American debut. The production involves large marionettes and street performers.

The 2017 Juno Awards, took place March 27th to April 2nd at the Canadian Tire Centre in the city's west-end. The awards were hosted by Bryan Adams and Russell Peters.

The Canadian Football League will host 105th Grey Cup in Ottawa at TD Stadium. In addition to the game there will be concerts and interactive events.

The National Hockey League and the Ottawa Senators will host the NHL 100 Classic in December 2017. The outdoor hockey game will feature the hometown Senators host the Montreal Canadiens. The game will be a joint celebration of Canada 150 and the NHL's 100th anniversary.

Many other events are planned for Ottawa 2017. Including many cultural and food events, the 2017 Canadian Videogames Awards, and other sporting events including the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, and the Canadian Track and Field Championships.

Toronto

The City of Toronto's TO Canada with Love (the TO referring to the city's nickname, T.O.) is the year-long program of events related to the 150th anniversary of Canada. The city's iconic 3D Toronto sign was fitted with a large illuminated 3-D structure of a maple leaf prior to 2017 at the end of the sign.[46]

Canada Mosaic is a cross-country celebration of Canadian music and musicians administered by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, with $7.5 million in funding from the government of Canada. The program will involve 40 orchestras and as many as 60 new commissions. Canada Mosaic had its first performance January 21 at Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto, with conductors Alain Trudel and Victor Feldbrill leading the TSO in works by John Weinzweig, Godfrey Ridout, Pierre Mercure, Jean Coulthard and André Mathieu. The concert began with a two-minute fanfare by Trudel – one of 40 such so-called "sesquies" commissioned by Canada Mosaic.[47][48][49]

Hundreds of musicians are expected to perform together in Toronto to set a Guinness world record for the largest rock performance, by playing four as-yet-unannounced Canadian rock classics. Organizers of Canada Rocks 150 hope to attract 1,500 musicians.[29][50]

The Toronto Blue Jays will be wearing special red-and-white uniforms at select games during the 2017 season to mark Canada 150.[51]

Windsor

Dubbed the Great Canadian Flag Project, Windsor, Ontario is erecting a 150-foot (45.7-metre) flagpole to fly a 60 feet by 30 feet (18 metres by nine metres) Canadian flag. Four upward-facing spotlights will illuminate the flag at night. A smaller 24 feet by 12 feet (7.3 metres by 3.7 metres) flag will fly during periods of strong winds. As of January 14, 2017, $300,000 has been raised for the project, including $150,000 from the federal government.[52]

Quebec

Canada 150 in Quebec coincides with celebrations marking the 375th anniversary of Montreal, where notable projects include decorative lights for the Jacques Cartier Bridge and a new headquarters for the National Film Board of Canada in the Quartier des spectacles.[5]

Northern Canada

A Canadian Arctic Aviation Tour will be a series of air shows across Canada's North, with plans to visit close to 100 northern communities. The tour will begin in June at Alberta's Rocky Mountain House Airport.[29]

The Canada C3 was scheduled to sail through the Northwest Passage, visiting many northern Aboriginal communities along the way, during the summer of 2017.

International

To celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary, the Glasgow Film Festival (Feb 15–26) has selected a program entitled "True North: New Canadian Cinema." Films include Weirdos by Bruce McDonald, who is scheduled to attend the festival, along with Werewolf by Ashley McKenzie, Old Stone by Johnny Ma, Below Her Mouth by April Mullen and Hello Destroyer by Kevan Funk.[53]

Other

In January 2017, the journal G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics published a paper by molecular researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto who had sequenced the genome of Castor canadensis (North American beaver) to celebrate the sesquicentennial.[54]

In May 2017, a newly identified species of beetle (Apimela canadensis), first discovered in New Brunswick, was named in celebration of Canada'a 150th anniversary.[55]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Jordan Press & Natalie Stechyson (December 24, 2012). "Canada at 150: Experts urge government to get planning for the anniversary underway". Canada.com. Postmedia News. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  2. ↑ Dingwell, Rebecca (February 25, 2015). "Canada's big birthday: 150Alliance stops by Halifax to talk 2017 Confederation celebrations | Metro Halifax". Metro Halifax. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Home – 150Alliance Site". 150alliance.ca.
  4. ↑ Hannay, Chris (January 4, 2017). "Ottawa spending half a billion dollars for Canada's 150th anniversary". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Everett-Green, Robert (January 6, 2017). "Montreal can count on a double payout, sharing a birthday with Canada". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Grants help grow Canada 150 events and outreach – SFU News – Simon Fraser University". SFU News. Simon Fraser University. February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Canada 150 Signature projects". Government of Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Controversial Canada 150 logo-design contest won by University of Waterloo student". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  9. 1 2 Butler, Don (April 28, 2015). "Here's the controversial new symbol of Canada's 150th birthday". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  10. ↑ "What do you think of the Canada 150 logo?". Macleans. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  11. ↑ "New Bank Note for Canada's 150th". Bank of Canada. December 3, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  12. 1 2 "Royal Canadian Mint launches contest to design special coins for Canada's 150th anniversary" (Press release). Global News. royal Canadian Mint. March 11, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Royal Canadian Mint unveils its 2017 Canada 150 circulation coin series". CBC News. November 2, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Albertan selected as designer of Canada 150 circulation coin". Yahoo! News. Canada Newswire. November 2, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  15. 1 2 Docto, Isabelle (November 4, 2016). "Richmond brothers win 'toonie' design contest for Canada's 150th anniversary". Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  16. ↑ Johnson, Kathy (December 27, 2016). "South Shore icons designed on Canada 150 loonie". South Shore Breaker. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  17. 1 2 3 Szeplaki, Jim (November 8, 2016). "Canada 150 coins capture 'heartfelt expressions'". Canadian Coin News. Trajan Publishing. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  18. ↑ "2017 Canada 150 Maple Leaf Silver Coin Nears Sellout". COINNews. December 22, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Vimy Ridge, the Halifax Explosion and the 100th anniversaries of the NHL and the Toronto Maple Leafs are part of Canada Post's stamp program for 2017". Yahoo! News. PR Newswire. December 28, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  20. ↑ "'I'm on a high': Habitat 67 architect proud to see his creation on a stamp". CBC News. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  21. 1 2 Thomas, Sandra (February 1, 2017). "Canada 150: Let the celebrations begin". Vancouver Courier. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Free 2017 Discovery Pass". Canada Parks. Government of Canada. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  23. ↑ NCC: The official tulip for Canada's 150th anniversary is unveiled
  24. ↑ CTV News: Maple leaf tulip unveiled to honour Canada's 150
  25. ↑ The Weather Network: See new 'maple leaf' tulip unveiled in Ottawa
  26. ↑ "Queen wishes Canada a happy 150th anniversary". Global News. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  27. ↑ Office of the Governor General of Canada (April 18, 2017). "Royal Tour 2017". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  28. ↑ Chinta, Puxley (June 13, 2017). "Many Indigenous people see little reason to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  29. 1 2 3 4 "How you can celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary". Maclean's. December 21, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Canada 150 Mosaic". canada150mosaic.com. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  31. ↑ Takeuchi, Craig (February 21, 2017). "NFB launches online Canadian film series 1 Nation. 4 Lenses. for Canada's 150th anniversary". Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  32. ↑ "1 NATION 4 LENSES". National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  33. ↑ "National Canadian Film Day 150". National Canadian Film Day. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  34. ↑ "Concordia prof looking to find 'lost' stories about Canada's past". Montreal Gazette. June 30, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  35. ↑ "Lost Stories". Lost Stories. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  36. ↑ Clancy, Claire (February 2, 2017). "University of Alberta launches website for Canada's 150th birthday". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  37. ↑ "13 histoires pour le 150e du Canada". L’actualité (in French). 14 July 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  38. ↑ "B.C. marks Canada 150 with cultural legacies | BC Gov News". BC Government news release. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  39. ↑ "Celebrate Canada’s 150th with a commemorative #Canada150 Compass Card!". The Buzzer blog. June 22, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  40. ↑ "canada150nb.ca". Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  41. ↑ "Mulgrave Road Theatre receives Canada 150 funding". The Chronicle Herald. February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  42. 1 2 Langley, Alison (January 27, 2017). "Niagara launches Canada 150". Niagara Falls Review. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  43. ↑ Rushowsky, Kristin (January 25, 2017). "Ontario's 150 anniversary logo cost taxpayers $30K". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  44. ↑ "Ottawa 2017". Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  45. ↑ "Ottawa 2017". City of Ottawa. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  46. ↑ http://www.blogto.com/city/2017/01/toronto-sign-gets-major-addition-2017/
  47. ↑ Harris, Robert (January 20, 2017). "Canada Mosaic: An imperfect but important cultural program". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  48. ↑ Littler, William (January 16, 2017). "Canada Mosaic puts Canadian music on the map | Toronto Star". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  49. ↑ "TSO Canada Mosaic". Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  50. ↑ "Canada Rocks 150". Canada Rocks 150. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  51. ↑ "Toronto Blue Jays unveil red uniforms for Canada's 150th anniversary". National Post. Postmedia Network. January 20, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  52. ↑ Schmidt, Doug (January 14, 2017). "Windsor's biggest flag to help mark Canada's 150th anniversary". Windsor Star. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  53. ↑ "Glasgow Film Festival to shine spotlight on Canada". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. January 30, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  54. ↑ Ubelacker, Sheryl (January 14, 2017). "Beaver's genome mapped out to help celebrate Canada's 150th birthday". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  55. ↑ Jan Klimaszewski; Reginald P. Webster; Adriano Zanetti; Caroline Bourdon (May 2017). "First Canadian records of genera Apimela Mulsant & Rey and Gyronycha Casey from New Brunswick: description of two new species and new provincial distribution records (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae)". ZooKeys. 672: 35–48. doi:10.3897/zookeys.672.12488.
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