Canada Day
| July 1, 2012 |
Photo Credit: NCC/CCN
Join us as we celebrate our country’s birthday in Canada’s Capital Region! A myriad of free activities take place throughout the day on both sides of the Ottawa River — including street entertainers, games, ceremonies and performances — all culminating in a breathtaking fireworks show in the night sky. Don your red and white, and take part in the festivities, as we proudly celebrate our country’s history and our Canadian traditions.
Festival Information:
General information: 613.239.5000 ● 1.800.465.1867 ● 613.239.5090 (TTY) ● 1.866.661.3530 (toll-free TTY)
General information email: info@ncc-ccn.ca
Location: Parliament Hill, Jacques-Cartier Park, Major’s Hill Park & Confederation Park, Ottawa, ON
On the Web:
Website: www.canadaday.gc.ca
Map:
View Canada Day in a larger map
Wi-Fi for downtown Ottawa, Gatineau delayed
CBC News
Plans to equip downtown Ottawa and areas of Gatineau with wireless internet are delayed for a few more months as the National Capital Commission scales back the idea.
The NCC has planned to launch free Wi-Fi Friday to help tourists browse the web on their mobile devices.
The original plan had large zones of free internet access but the costs were far beyond the budget, according to the NCC’s director of digital communications.
Instead, the WiFi will only be in small pockets on Parliament Hill, the National War Memorial and other major tourist sites in the nation’s capital. The new launch date is sometime in June.
“When we opened the financial envelope, it was not necessarily in line with our budget,” said Daniel Feeny.
Read more on the CBC News website: Wi-Fi for downtown Ottawa, Gatineau delayed
Lights festivals herald Christmas across Canada
Katrina Heer, Centretown News
When do you know Christmas is just around the corner?
For some, it is opening that first window of the Advent calendar, revealing the stocking-shaped chocolate inside. For others, the first faint notes of Jingle Bells heard over a department store stereo; Michael Bublé crooning a jazzy rendition of It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas. Or, it means watching those first few snowflakes make their way to earth, painting the city with a layer of glittery frost.
For those living in Ottawa, it is the annual Christmas Lights Across Canada festival – where the city scape comes alive with thousands of dazzling Christmas lights – that marks the beginning of the holiday season.
The lights are one of many local public art displays – including the Bank Street bike racks or the fire hydrant sculptures on Wellington– that bring art to the streets.
The Christmas Lights program was first introduced in 1985 by the National Capital Commission to “liven up the winter months,” says NCC spokesperson Charles Cardinal, adding a welcome pop of colour to Ottawa’s snowy Parliament Hill.
Read more on the Centretown News website: Lights festivals herald Christmas across Canada
Hundreds of thousands of Christmas lights to brighten Canada’s Capital Region
[Source: NCC press release]
Magical evening will officially kick off the holiday season
Canada’s Capital Region ─ The National Capital Commission (NCC), in collaboration with Manulife Financial, is pleased to invite members of the public and of the media to the launch of the 27th edition of the Christmas Lights Across Canada program. The official illumination ceremony will take place on Thursday, December 1, 2011 at 6 pm on Parliament Hill.
Russell Mills, Chair of the NCC, Marie Lemay, Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, and Donald Guloien, President and Chief Executive Officer of Manulife Financial, will be joined by special guests as they officially switch on the thousands of light bulbs that will illuminate Parliament Hill as well as many institutions, monuments, and other prominent landmarks located along Confederation Boulevard, in the heart of Canada’s Capital Region.
An important national component of the Christmas Lights Across Canada program: many provincial and territorial capitals are also holding their own lighting ceremonies.
“The NCC is proud to work in collaboration with all the provinces and territories to bring their holiday messages to Canadians,” said Marie Lemay, Chief Executive Officer of the NCC. “This link of lights is a symbol of peace, respect, and hope.”
Take a stroll through literary Ottawa
From Parliament Hill to Poet’s Hill, it’s a city of letters
Peter Johansen, The Ottawa Citizen
What did you do?
I meandered through Ottawa searching for the city’s literary past.
What literary past?
The one stretching back to French explorer Samuel de Champlain, who wrote about the area in bestselling travelogues in the early 1600s. That tradition remains alive. Margaret Atwood was born here; Elizabeth Hay and Frances Itani still live here. But my literary sleuthing focused on the late 19th century, when many expected Ottawa to become a cultural hot spot.
How did you know where to go?
I didn’t. That’s why I called on Steven Artelle – by day, an analyst at Library and Archives Canada; the rest of the time, a student of local literary culture. He did his PhD on the subject and occasionally leads tours for groups such as literature classes and writing clubs. I joined his fascinating trek from Parliament Hill to Beechwood Cemetery, with a few stops in between.
Parliament Hill? The words there may be loud, but I never found them especially literary.
Perhaps. But Artelle says he begins all his tours there, to gaze upon the river where our earliest writers drew their inspiration. “In fact,” he says, “the Chaudière Falls were so inspiring that it was said even atheists found God there.” But Parliament Hill also signals early efforts to build Ottawa into a cultural capital.
Read more on the Ottawa Citizen website: Take a stroll through literary Ottawa
Zombie Epidemic Hits Ottawa
OttawaStart
One of Ottawa’s most anticipated events of the season is upon us. On October 22nd, 2011 dress up in your most ghoulish garb and come join the hordes of undead as they take to the streets for the 6th Annual Ottawa Zombiewalk.
An epidemic of undead will rise in MacDonald Gardens Park, home of four former cemeteries starting at 1:30pm. Zombies will gather to collect non-perishable goods for the Ottawa Food Bank (if they’re going to come after your brains they want them to be well nourished!). Zombies will be able to take Coffin Rides courtesy of RUNAMOK Party Rentals and get their pictures taken with Flynnphoto. At 3:00pm the undead will hit the streets in search of brains and will ultimately end their search by swarming Parliament Hill before returning to their graves (or local pub).
Read more on the OttawaStart website: Zombie Epidemic Hits Ottawa
Last Week to Experience Mosaika
NCC’s sound and light show welcomes post-secondary students to the Capital
[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.
NCC Launches 2nd Season of Mosaika With New Eye-Catching “Cubes”
Award-winning sound and light show begins tomorrow night on Parliament Hill at 10 pm
[Source: NCC press release]
Canada’s Capital Region ¾ The National Capital Commission (NCC), in collaboration with Manulife Financial, today unveiled the first of four large eye-catching “cubes” to promote Mosaika: Canada through the eyes of its people. The second summer season of this award-winning show begins on Parliament Hill July 6th at 10 pm.
The new illuminated marketing tool can be seen on the outdoor plaza of the Capital Infocentre at 90 Wellington Street, with others to follow shortly on the Sparks Street Mall, in the ByWard Market, and at the Ottawa International Airport, all high pedestrian traffic locations.
Today’s unveiling was also the opportunity for the NCC to welcome Manulife Financial as the new exclusive sponsor for Mosaika.
“After a successful first season, the NCC is adding a new dimension to the multiple outreach platforms for Mosaika,” said Marie Lemay, Chief Executive Officer of the NCC. “We are very pleased with this collaboration with Manulife. We expect to reach more residents of and visitors to Canada’s Capital Region, and encourage them to see this award-winning show.”
Canada Day in the Capital: Bringing Canadians Together in Celebration
[Source: NCC press release]
Canada’s Capital Region ¾ An original and breathtaking fireworks display brought to a resounding close Canada’s 144th birthday in the Capital. The largest Canada Day celebration in the country was larger than ever this year due in part to Their Royal Highnesses, Prince William and Catherine, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge who attended the noon and evening events on Parliament Hill.
“The National Capital Commission thanks the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who gathered in the heart of capital,” says Marie Lemay, NCC Chief Executive Officer. “Today the world has seen Canadians coming together in celebration of the 144th birthday of our nation.”
Crowd estimate
The National Capital Commission (NCC), along with its partners and sponsors, is proud to confirm that a crowd estimated at 300 000 participated in the noon celebration in the downtown core.
The evening show on Parliament Hill attracted a crowd estimated at about 100 000 residents and visitors in the same area.
The NCC Invites the Public to Discover Parliament Hill this Summer
[Source: NCC press release]
Canada’s Capital Region – Every visit to Canada’s Capital Region must include a stop on Parliament Hill. The National Capital Commission (NCC) is offering this year the award-winning sound and light show Mosaika: Canada through the eyes of its people and the popular Discover the Hill outdoor interpretation program. The program allows residents and visitors to the Capital to explore the grounds of Parliament Hill during the summer.
INFO-TENT
Until September 5 (daily) – 9 am to 5 pm
Located on Parliament Hill to the right of the Centre Block and behind the East Block.
The Info-Tent should be the first stop for visitors to Parliament Hill. NCC staff of this seasonal visitor service facility will inform visitors of the full menu of summer activities that are available. At this location, visitors can obtain same-day tickets for the free Centre Block, East Block (starting July 2) and outdoor guided tours (starting June 25).
DISCOVER THE HILL
During the hours of operation of the Info-Tent
NCC Discover the Hill interpreters will be on site to invite visitors to explore the buildings, monuments and landscapes that surround Canada’s Parliament. Visitors will have the opportunity to further their discovery of Parliament Hill by chatting with the friendly, knowledgeable staff.
The different facets of Parliament Hill can also be discovered through a free 45-minute outdoor guided walking tour entitled “In the Footsteps of Great Canadians” (starting June 25).
