Viewpoint: Canada 150 celebrations left a lot to be desired

By Maureen McEwan

At long last, the Canada 150 juggernaut will soon grind to a halt. The Department of Canadian Heritage announced that a temporary skating rink will be constructed on Parliament Hill as the big year’s closing attraction. The NHL-sized outdoor ice surface will be open from Dec. 7 to Dec. 31 as a kind of last call for Canadians celebrating the country’s sesquicentennial.

The ice pad will host smaller events and activities, with viewing for about 1,000 spectators. Ironically, the government rejected the NHL’s proposal to have a game there. Apparently, 30,000 Sens fans could cause unparliamentary disruption if they descended on the lawn – so our home team might just practise there instead. If the year has taught us anything — remember the July 1 fiasco? — it’s that we have little spatial understanding of the Hill.

The rink is being lauded as a fitting, oh-so-Canadian way to close out the milestone year. But let’s ponder this final act of our $200-million anniversary party – the “events” portion of the overall, $500 million in spending on Canada 150 nationally.

Canada 150’s estimated budget for events included $100 million for “community” festivals and what not, $80 million for so-called “signature” events (e.g. Canada Day), and $20 million on “major” events. It’s unclear where everything falls exactly, but recall the classic Gordon Lightfoot performances and the battling robots of La Machine.

That leaves about $300 million for infrastructure.

So while it was great to catch up with Charles and Camilla, what lasting impact has been made on the country?

Two administrations – the Harper and Trudeau governments – were responsible for Canada 150 budgeting, allowing for some bipartisan bashing. The proposals were tabled in the Harper era and executed after 2015 in the age of Trudeau II. The Conservatives had allocated $150 million for infrastructure – a figure the Liberals doubled. Infrastructure here refers to building or renovating cultural and recreational spaces.

For our 1967 centennial, landmark institutions such as the National Arts Centre and monuments such as the Centennial Flame were built in Ottawa. Libraries and hockey arenas were built or restored across the country.

One of the main legacy projects for Canada 150 was to restore the NAC for $110 million. There goes a huge chunk of the total. If you deduct those renovations from the infrastructure total, we actually spent more on events. And other noteworthy infrastructure projects barely come to mind.

So, the sesquicentennial spending seemingly favoured flash-in-the-pan events over more lasting contributions to community development. Our attention was typically diverted to the sideshow of the day — whether a six-storey rubber duck drifting along the Toronto shoreline or the arrival of Irish rockers U2 on Canada Day.

Canada 150 organizers have said the year gave Canadians opportunities to engage and create memories. After hundreds of millions, let’s hope we bought more than memories – especially for those who weren’t lucky enough to be in the capital to watch a dragon battling a spider or Canadian celebrities take the stage.

And instead of turning it around at the 11th hour, the Parliament Hill rink is sadly symbolic of what will be left behind at most celebration sites after this anniversary year: nothing.

That leaves about $300 million for infrastructure.

So while it was great to catch up with Charles and Camilla, what lasting impact has been made on the country?

And instead of turning it around at the 11th hour, the Parliament Hill rink is sadly symbolic of what will be left behind at most celebration sites after this anniversary year: nothing.