Throwing a party for 36 million people sounds like a daunting task, eh? That's why Canada got started early.
The Canadian government began preparations in 2013 for a program to celebrate the country's 150th anniversary this year. By early 2015, it had set up a CA$210 million Canada 150 Fund. That early work allowed planners to make tweaks when a new administration came to power later that year and sought some changes.
The result of all this planning is a series of national and local celebratory projects. Uxbridge Township, Ontario will host a fitness challenge, and the city of Peterborough, Ontario will stage a music festival in July and August. “If everybody is thinking locally at the same time and connecting through Canada's 150 secretariat, then all of it … connects together eventually,” Kathleen Powell, a member of a local Canada 150 committee, told the Toronto Star in January.
The program can look back on the country's 100th anniversary for inspiration, but this time around, planners are making an effort to include a broader range of stakeholders: One of the program's themes is reconciliation with Canada's indigenous people. —Jessica Boden
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FLAG SHOP
