We’re well into 2017 and this year Canadians are celebrating our 150th anniversary. But a lot of people living here in Montréal seem to be confused because there are actually two celebrations happening simultaneously. It’s Canada’s 150th anniversary, but it’s also Montréal’s 375th anniversary. As a result, there’s a staggering degree of overlap between events organized to celebrate these dual historic milestones.
The colony of Canada was actually established in 1534, but in 2017 we are celebrating the Canadian Confederation, which is when the colonies of Canada (Ontario and Quebec), Nova Scotia and New Brunswick were united as the “Dominion of Canada” on July 1, 1867.
For all things “Canada 150”, the Government of Canada has a dedicated web page: Canada150 and they’ve even developed an app you can personalize to identify events and activities that matter to you. Check out: Passport 2017. This is an excellent resource that offers culture, food, history, sports and travel.
This year’s Canada Day parade, July 1st, will start off at Ste. Catherine and Fort, at 11:00 am and will finish at Place du Canada, anticipated between 1:30 and 2:00 pm where a giant 4’ x 8’ cake will be cut to feed about 2500 people. Onsite will be inflatable games for kids with everything expected to wind up by 4 pm. All activities, cake and water are free. A map and brief description can be found here: Montreal Canada Day Parade.
Continuing our theme of domestic travel under the current circumstances of a highly unfavourable exchange rate (reference our recent post: Summer Adventures in Quebec), an offering we found quite interesting is that for 2017 all of Canada’s national parks, heritage spaces and national museums are 100% free to enjoy, a gift to all Canadians to celebrate the big 1-5-0. There’s also no charge to use Parks Canada locks on our historic canals, including the Rideau. You can click on the link to register for your free Parks Canada Discovery Pass. And to help you take advantage of our government’s offer, an excellent map of Canada’s National Parks can be found here.
