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The Canadian Tulip Festival, now in its 60th year, has grown to become the largest Tulip Festival in the world. It preserves the local heritage of Canada’s role in freeing the Dutch during World War II, and the symbolic tulip; a gift in perpetuity to the Canadian people for providing a safe harbour to the Dutch Royal Family at that time.

The festival’s mandate is to preserve this heritage and celebrate the tulip as a symbol of international friendship by engaging local organizers, volunteers, artists, performers, tourists and festival-goers in what has become an annual ritual of spring and one of Canada’s best loved and well-known cultural events.

Please continue to check www.tulipfestival.ca for updates!

Festival Information:

General information: 613.567.5757 /1.800.66.TULIP

General information email: info@tulipfestival.ca

Ticket information: www.tulipfestival.ca

Volunteer information: www.tulipfestival.ca/volunteer

Location: Throughout the National Capital area

On the Web:

Website: www.tulipfestival.ca/www.festivaldestulipes.ca

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1209015588&ref=ts

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/canadiantulipfestival

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Présentement dans sa 60e année, le Festival canadien des tulipes est aujourd’hui le plus important festival de tulipes au monde. Il commémore la participation des troupes canadiennes à la libération des Pays-Bas durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. La tulipe symbolise un don à perpétuité offert au Canada en remerciement du refuge que la famille royale hollandaise en exil avait pu y trouver à cette époque.

Le mandat du Festival est de préserver cet héritage et de reconnaître la tulipe comme un symbole d’amitié internationale en amenant les organisateurs locaux, les bénévoles, les artistes, les touristes et les festivaliers à participer à ce qui est maintenant devenu un rituel annuel du printemps et l’un des événements culturels les plus populaires et les plus aimés au Canada.

L’information de festivale:

L’information generale: 613.567.5757 /1.800.66.TULIP

L’information generale de couriel: info@tulipfestival.ca

L’information de billets: www.tulipfestival.ca

L’information de benevoler: www.tulipfestival.ca/volunteer

Sur le web:

Website: www.tulipfestival.ca/www.festivaldestulipes.ca

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1209015588&ref=ts

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/canadiantulipfestival

Ottawa, December 2, 2011 – North America’s premier music festival, Bluesfest proudly announced its long-term partnership with RBC Royal Bank at a media event earlier today. The partnership ensures the music plays on for another five years in the Nation’s Capital and further strengthens RBC commitment to culture in Ottawa.

RBC Royal Bank has always shown a keen interest in cultural initiatives, supporting numerous organizations and events at a grassroots, national and global level. The new five-year partnership with Bluesfest further enhances their rich calendar of cultural and customer driven initiatives in Ottawa and its surrounding communities.

“RBC Royal Bank is proud to partner with North America’s premier music festival because we have two great things in common: we both continue to evolve to provide our customers with the best possible experience, and we are 100 per-cent committed to Ottawa from both a business and cultural perspective,” said Jeff Boyd, Regional President, Ontario North and East, RBC Royal Bank. “This is great news for our customers, for Ottawa and for RBC Royal Bank. We are delighted that RBC Royal Bank and our customers will now be able to benefit from this new partnership and we look forward to growing and enhancing the festival over the coming years.”

“This new partnership will ensure the festival can continue to operate as one of the biggest festivals in North America for many years to come.” said Mark Monahan, Executive Director, Bluesfest. “RBC Royal Bank’s long-term commitment to Bluesfest now allows Cisco to focus its sponsorship on technology enablement.”

Bluesfest was founded in 1994 and remains one of North America’s premier music festivals, continuing to play a prominent role in promoting the Capital Region on a global stage.  The 2012 line-up will be announced on April 24^th at the official launch event.

[NCC press release]

Canada’s Capital Region — With winter fast approaching, November 15 at 10 am will mark the end of the first season of the Capital BIXI bike share service. After this time, users will still be able to return their BIXI bike back to a station, but it will no longer be possible to rent one. The NCC also plans to remove all ten BIXI stations on November 15 for winter storage.

The NCC thanks all Capital BIXI users for contributing to making the bike sharing system a valuable transportation alternative in the region. The use of active modes of transportation has a positive impact on public health, the environment and transportation costs while enhancing the vibrancy of the Capital Region.

From May 18 to November 13, 2011, the Capital BIXI service generated 21,658 cycling trips stemming from 173 monthly and yearly subscribers and 7,384 distinct occasional users.

Capital BIXI Key ― Members can keep their Capital BIXI key for the 2012 season as it can be reactivated for upcoming seasons.

VIA Rail ― Members can also choose VIA Rail for their next trip in Canada and take advantage of a 10% discount on VIA’s best rate. To reserve your trip, visit your personal space at https://capital.bixi.com.

A BIXI for Christmas ― Gift certificates for yearly and monthly memberships are available online at http://boutique.bixi.com/.

The NCC is proud of its partnership with TELUS, major sponsor of the Capital BIXI bike share service, who contributed in the promotion of bike sharing and active transportation in the Capital.

The NCC looks forward to seeing residents and visitors of the Capital Region on a BIXI next season, starting on April 15, 2012.

About the National Capital Commission (NCC)

The NCC is a federal Crown corporation whose mandate is to create pride and unity through Canada’s Capital Region by making the Capital a meeting place that communicates Canada to Canadians. As the steward of federal lands, national landmarks, parks, transportation infrastructures and buildings, the NCC takes great pride in developing and planning a Capital that today’s visitors will enjoy and that future generations will treasure.

About BIXI and the Public Bike System Company (PBSC) Urban Solutions

PBSC Urban Solutions is responsible for the operation of the Capital BIXI service in Canada’s Capital Region. PBSC Urban Solutions offers a highly advanced bike sharing system on three continents, to private campuses and cities, such as London (UK), Melbourne (AU), Minneapolis, Washington and Arlington (USA).

About TELUS

TELUS is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $9.9 billion of annual revenue and 12.3 million customer connections including 7 million wireless subscribers, 3.7 million wireline network access lines and 1.2 million Internet subscribers and more than 350,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services including data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, entertainment and video.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.

For more information regarding the Capital BIXI bike share service, please contact PBSC Urban Solutions at 1-855-CAP-BIXI or 1-855-227-2494 (toll free), or visit the website at capital.bixi.com.

Sarah Brown

Tour the world’s great capitals, and it becomes apparent that they share two key traits. First, their residents are unselfconsciously proud of their culture. Second, these capitals are bold in showcasing art and ideas, in supporting artists who celebrate their nation and in allowing them the stage when they wish to question the “sacred tenets” of what that nationhood means. Great capitals engage their artists and citizens, celebrating the diversity of their creations.

In the past 20 years, the population of Canada’s capital has reached a critical mass that makes it possible for cultural entrepreneurs to develop world-class blues, jazz and chamber music festivals; the National Gallery of Canada and the Canadian Museum of Civilization can count on crowd support for blockbuster international exhibitions; the National Arts Centre has outdone itself with its ongoing “Scene” series of regional artistic exhibitions; and our key cultural buildings are architectural showpieces. Yet, in 2011, our capital city still lacks a certain zing.

Read more on the Canadian Geographic website: Capital culture

Canada’s Capital Region The National Capital Commission (NCC) is pleased to announce that it has won two first place awards in the 2011 National Association for Interpretation Media Competition. The prestigious awards recognize both the quality and creativity of NCC interpretation programs and materials.

The awards are:

• 1^st Place: Web/Multimedia category for Decoding Art

The pilot project Decoding Art offers visitors the opportunity to discover the history and the artists who created national monuments in Canada’s Capital Region, through multimedia clips available on smart phones using the QR code technology.

• 1^st Place: Long Video category for the sound and light show Mosaika: Canada through the eyes of its people

This brings to six the number of awards that Mosaika, the sound and light show on Parliament Hill has won since its launch in July 2010.

“The NCC is delighted to be recognized by the National Association for Interpretation for its expertise in using new technologies in ingenious ways with interpretation projects such as Mosaika and Decoding Art,” said Guy Laflamme, Senior Vice-President, Capital Experience, Communications and Marketing at the NCC. “We are reaching out to all Canadians on multiple platforms to enhance their experience and help them discover their Capital.”

For more information about the NCC, members of the public may contact the NCC at 613-239-5000, 1-800-465-1867, 613-239-5090 (TTY) or 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free TTY), or visit the website at www.canadascapital.gc.ca.

About the National Association for Interpretation

The National Association for Interpretation (NAI) is a not-for-profit professional association for those involved in the interpretation of natural and cultural heritage resources in settings such as parks, zoos, museums, nature centers, aquaria, botanical gardens, and historical sites. For more than 50 years, NAI and its parent organizations have encouraged networking, training, and collaboration among members and partners in support of their mission: inspiring leadership and excellence to advance heritage interpretation as a profession. For more information about the NAI, visit the website at www.interpnet.com.

[Source: NCC press release]

Canada’s Capital Region ¾ The National Capital Commission (NCC), in collaboration with Manulife Financial, wishes to inform the public that, as of Thursday, September 1, 2011, Mosaika: Canada through the eyes of its people, will be presented half an hour earlier, at 9 pm. The current season of the award-winning sound and light show on Parliament Hill draws to a close one week later, on Thursday, September 8, 2011.

Special evening for students

The NCC would like to welcome university, college and CÉGEP students to Canada’s Capital Region. On September 6, students are invited to attend a special presentation of Mosaika to celebrate back to school week. Entertaining and enlightening, with rich educational content, the 30-minute bilingual show explores Canada’s physical landscapes, history, achievements, and values. Mosaika is a must-see attraction and a perfect free evening activity for the Capital’s new or returning post-secondary students.

The NCC has captivated audiences for more than 25 years with its sound and light shows. The current edition has enjoyed great success since being introduced in July 2010, having now been seen by over 430,000 spectators. Mosaika will be presented free of charge each evening until September 8, 2011 (weather permitting), and for the next three summers.

Manulife Financial is the exclusive sponsor for Mosaika.

For more information on Mosaika, the award-winning sound and light show on Parliament Hill, please contact the NCC at 613-239-5000, 1-800-465-1867, 613-239-5090 (TTY) or 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free TTY) or visit the website at

www.mosaika-sl.ca.

This year, over 70 sites in the heart of Canada’s Capital Region provide the perfect backdrop to more than 375,000 dazzling lights.

The Christmas lights that illuminate many museums, historic sites, embassies and other landmarks along Confederation Boulevard – the discovery route that circles the heart of Canada’s Capital Region – were officially switched on during a lighting ceremony held on Parliament Hill on December 12, 2009. Thousands of spectators were on hand to take part in the annual celebration. This year’s ceremony was twinned with arrival of the Olympic Flame on Parliament Hill, as part of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay.

As an important national element of the program, provincial and territorial capitals held their own lighting festivities, creating a link with the nation’s capital and a spectacular display of colour and light all across the country.

For additional information about the Christmas Lights Across Canada program, members of the public may contact the NCC at 613-239-5000, 613-239-5090 (TTY), 1-800-465-1867 (toll-free) or 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free TTY), or visit the NCC’s website at www.canadascapital.gc.ca.

Students in Grades 5 through 8 (Elementary 5 through Secondary 2 in Quebec) are being asked to create and submit a one-of-a-kind banner design to the “Raise Your Voices!” National Student Banner Contest. Designs should represent an issue or topic of importance to Canadian youth. The seven winning banners will be professionally produced by the NCC and flown in Major’s Hill Park from May to October 2010.”The NCC’s mandate is to create pride through Canada’s Capital Region by making the Capital a meeting place that reflects history, diverse cultures and the shared values of all Canadians, including those of our youth,” said Marie Lemay, Chief Executive Officer of the NCC. “Engaging the youth of today through this contest is a great way to strengthen their relationship with the Capital Region, and to help them to express their views.”

Students: Tell your teachers about this contest and start brainstorming your design ideas!

Teachers: Encourage your students to speak up! For all the details about how your class can participate in this exciting challenge, visit canadascapital.gc.ca/bannercontest.

For more information about the NCC’s youth programs, classroom resources or other NCC programs, the public can contact the NCC at 613-239-5000, 1-800-465-1867 (toll-free), 613-239-5090 (TTY) or 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free TTY), or visit the NCC’s website at www.canadascapital.gc.ca.

Classroom Connections is a non-profit organization dedicated to initiating positive societal change by producing progressive educational resources for Canada’s youth. To learn more about its programs and services, visit www.classroomconnections.ca.