Bric-a-brac to last 150 years
Feds spent $1.4M on glow sticks, cellphone cleaning cloths and more
OTTAWA— How many temporary tattoos does Canada need to celebrate 150 years of Confederation?
About 5.12 million, or 34,125 a year since the Fathers of Confederation united the colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick into the idea of modern Canada.
Federal procurement documents show Ottawa bought 25 different kinds of commemorative swag for the country’s sesquicentennial celebrations — everything from lapel pins to beach balls, from the aforementioned tattoos to foam “number one” fingers.
Because it wouldn’t really be a Canadian party without knick-knacks and bric-a-brac — the kind of curio that sits on aunts’ shelves or is found among thrift stores’ kitchenwares, letting future generations imagine what it was like to be alive in that magical year “2017.”
But federal bureaucrats’ imaginations pale in comparison to the marketing firms that won the contract. Cotton Candy Inc. of Mississauga and Brymark Promotions in Ottawa, both tapped to deliver the promotional material, turned around and offered a host of commemorative items themselves.
Perhaps you can celebrate Sir John A’s premiership with a tasteful body flag? Meditate on George-Étienne Cartier’s legacy with a commemorative paddle? Muse about Joseph Howe’s reservations about Nova Scotia joining Canada with “Canada 150” pint and shot glasses, something the former newspaperman would no doubt appreciate?
With typical Canadian modesty, both Cotton Candy and Brymark declined to be interviewed for this arti- cle. Instead, they deferred questions to Public Works and Government Services — another proud Canadian tradition.
According to the department, Ottawa has spent $1.423 million since late 2015 on promotional items for Canada 150. That includes: 1.44 million plastic lapel pins. 200,370 foam glow sticks. 16,300 silicone bracelets. 370,900 cellphone cleaning cloths. 87 unisex fleece jackets, the most exclusive item on the list.
It’s likely some of that swag will accompany the 400,000 people expected to flood into Ottawa for the Canada Day weekend. For context, that’s almost half the capital city’s population.
Denis Racine has been organizing the main Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa for 14 years. In an interview earlier this month, Racine told the Star that the greatest challenge is putting together a show that appeals to all Canadians.
“We aim to have something that will reflect all Canadians. So, for example, we have two linguistic communities, so it’s quite important to have our two official languages celebrated throughout the day. But also we have our First Nations, Métis, Inuit, all the communities that make Canada the diverse Canada we know today,” Racine said.
The main stage on Parliament Hill will feature legendary Canadian folksinger Gordon Lightfoot, Ontario’s Walk Off the Earth, Quebec singer Marie Mai, Serena Ryder and Lisa LeBlanc. Oh, and one half of a band called U2 will make an appearance, with Bono and guitarist the Edge set to perform a song during the afternoon.
In the evening, revellers will be treated to a one-time-only performance from Cirque du Soleil to mark the sesquicentennial.
But the festivities extend beyond July 1. Organizers have planned performances at three locations in Ottawa and Gatineau over three days, with 628 individual performances expected from Friday to Sunday.
The main event, as always, will be the fireworks display, which gets underway at 11 p.m. Racine called this year’s light show a “360-degree” experience, with fireworks set off at five different locations around Parliament Hill.
Security is expected to be tight, given the sheer number of people expected. Much of the parliamentary precinct will be completely closed to traffic from June 30 to July 2, although public transit in both Gatineau and Ottawa will ferry people downtown for free.
CBC will broadcast live from multiple locations July 1, with the main show on Parliament Hill streaming live at cbc.ca/2017