Canada 150 at a glance

Participation from coast to coast to coast

  • 38 pan-Canadian Signature projects and 636 Community projects focused on the four Canada 150 themes: Diversity and Inclusion, Engaging and Inspiring Youth, Indigenous Reconciliation and the Environment.
  • Over 7,500 applications for use of the Canada 150 logo were approved, half of which were issued for commercial purposes bringing benefits to local economies.
  • Through our partnership with the Community Foundations of Canada, $8 million was invested in over 2,100 micro-grants, which leveraged almost 110,000 volunteers, and reached 85% of Canadian communities and 22.5 million Canadians.
    • 39% of all community projects that received grants celebrate Indigenous communities or Reconciliation amongst Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.
    • Micro-grants have led to $23.9 million in municipal, provincial/territorial and private sector contributions, $20.4 million in-kind contributions (i.e. volunteer hours, etc.) and $8 million from community foundations and local organizations.
  • 75,000 people discovered Canada 150 events and activities through the Passport 2017 App.
  • Over 100,000 people, mostly youth, in 180 communities experienced Innovation and STEM with Innovation150
  • 18% of Canadians got moving with ParticipACTION’s 150 Playlist, completing over 2.3 million activities!
  • 655 communities joined in National Canadian Film Day 150 with 1,844 screening events.
  • Themed around 3 Port Aberni icons in British Columbia, an accessible triathlon including athletes of all abilities was held. The race was complemented by cultural sessions led by local Indigenous groups.

Celebrations across the country all year

  • 3.3 million joined in Celebrate Canada Days events in the 19 major cities; a further 32.1 million viewers joined in on multiple platforms. In addition, the government supported more than 1,700 community led celebrations.
  • 120 missions conducted an estimated 1,000 events involving 900,000 people globally.
  • 50,000 people participated in the Walk for Reconciliation in Vancouver as part of Reconciliation Canada’s initiative on exploring and celebrating reconciliation and encouraging future action.
  • Dozens of volunteers organized the Inummariit Festival in Arviat in August which included concerts, a writing contest, a gospel show and lip syncing contest. 2,200 people participated!

Encouraging Canadians to explore Canada

  • 27.3 million people visited a National Park, a National Historic site or a Marine Conservation Area in 2017.
  • 16% increase in the number of Canadian millennials who vacationed within the country this year (Destination Canada: Millennial Travel Program).
  • Canada was named the Travel + Leisure magazine’s Destination of the Year 2017.
  • Lonely Planet also named Canada as their pick for the top country to visit in 2017.
  • As of September 30, 2017, Parks Canada had distributed more than 6 million Discovery Passes marking an increase of 12% compared to 2016.
  • The Conference Board of Canada reported that Ottawa topped the list for tourism increases in 2017, with a 5.5% increase in overnight visits. 
  • VIA Rail pass holders travelled nearly 18 million km in one month (July 1 – 31)
  • Canada C3 ran for 150 days touching upon 3 coasts, 15 legs, over 12,000 nautical miles and 7 ecozones.
  • MosaïCanada 150 welcomed 1.3 million visitors.
  • The St. John River Society in New Brunswick worked with 38 partner organizations to provide opportunities for Canadians to connect with 35 heritage rivers across the country.
  • Canada had its biggest tourism year ever in terms of international visitors.

Other interesting facts

  • More than 150 partners (federal, provincial, municipal, non-governmental, philanthropic and private sectors) contributed to Canada 150 celebrations.
  • Some interesting social media statistics:
    • Marketing campaign reached 5.8 million and had nearly 20 million impressions on social media.
    • Canada 150 Ambassadors had a combined social media reach of more than 115 million impressions.
  • Reconciliation with Indigenous People: $28.6 million has been invested in 248 projects that contribute to celebrating Indigenous communities or Reconciliation amongst Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.
  • Engaging and Inspiring Youth: 71% of youth surveyed (18-24) said that participating in Canada 150 has made them feel like they are a part of something important.
  • Celebrate Canada Days Participation:
    • National Aboriginal Day (June 21) - An estimated 1.3 million people watched the festivities in person or on television and online. The Prime Minister also announced an important step forward for reconciliation, the government’s renaming the day National Indigenous Peoples Day.
    • Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (June 24) - 200,000 francophones and francophiles participated across the country. An estimated 160,000 people participated in the festivities in Montreal.
    • Canadian Multiculturalism Day (June 27) - 40,000 Canadians attended celebrations.
    • Canada Day (July 1) - An estimated 3 million people attended Canada Day festivities in 19 cities.
  • On December 31, 2016, Canada 150 kicked off with events in Canada’s Capital Region and 18 major cities that attracted more than 750,000 people. With over 1.3 million visits on Facebook and nearly 2.45 million viewers tuned in to the national broadcast, the event broke CBC and Radio-Canada viewership records for New Year’s eve.
  • Canada was a forest of a new kind of maple leaf! In July 2017, 83% of surveyed Canadians knew about the Canada 150 logo. With nearly 10,000 applications for its use, 15,000 downloads of the electronic artwork files and tens of thousands of uses across Canada and around the world, the Canada 150 logo has reached Canadians in every corner of the country.
  • Parks Canada issued 6 million free Discovery passes in 2017.
  • The #OnThisDay campaign – highlighting 365 significant events that shaped our society – has brought more than 55,000 unique visitors to Library and Archives’ website and reached an average of nearly half a million people per month through their social media channels. (Source: Library and Archives Canada)
  • The Signature project Innovation150 was a nationwide celebration of Canada’s innovative past, present, and future. The collaborative program engaged more than 100,000 Canadian youth, families, and communities across the country. The tour came to more than 100 communities and 5 innovation festivals. There are more than 600 innovation stories in the crowdsourced digital storybook that serve as a useful and versatile platform for Canadians to share their stories of innovation that have influenced the shaping of Canada and the world.
  • Canada 150 took part in the commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in France and in Ottawa. In France, an estimated 25,000 people honoured in person the Canadians who died in the fighting.
  • For Canada 150, Toronto was selected to host the 2017 Invictus Games, welcoming more than 550 competitors from 17 nations competing in 12 adaptive sports during eight days of transformative competition.
  • In partnership with the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC), Canada 150 three-dimensional signs were installed in 16 iconic locations across the country to create vibrant gathering spaces for Canadians and tourists alike to celebrate Canada 150.
  • Canadian missions and embassies abroad organized 200 Canada 150 themed events.

Funding

The Government of Canada invested a total of $610 million in incremental funding for Canada 150:

  • Canadian Heritage was initially allocated $210 million to support Canada 150. Of this total amount, $169 million was allocated for grants and contributions for Community and pan-Canadian Signature projects. 674 of these projects were delivered to Canadians from coast to coast to coast by non-governmental organizations. Of this amount, Canadian Heritage allocated $3.5 million to other Government organizations and Canadian Heritage programs for 9 Canada 150 activities.
    • One of those projects, led by Community Foundations of Canada, provided small-scale grants to 2,124 projects by local organizations, leveraging approximately $52 in total investments.
  • An additional $20 million was allocated by Canadian Heritage to deliver Major Events (Opening Events and the Celebrate Canada period) in 19 cities across the country that brought Canadians together in record numbers.
    • Of this amount, $7 million in direct funding was used to enhance Canadian Heritage-led activities in the National Capital Region, including the Canada 150 Opening Ceremonies, Winterlude and Celebrate Canada days.
  • Through the six Regional Development Agencies (ISED), the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program invested $300 million in nearly 3000 local projects to renovate, expand and improve existing community infrastructure such as recreational facilities, libraries, theatres and arenas.
  • $100 million has been allocated for free admission throughout 2017 to all sites operated by Parks Canada, as well as enhanced and expanded programming.

A legacy for future generations

  • The Rick Hansen Foundation’s Access4All project activated 55 large-scale infrastructure improvement projects and awareness building events in communities across Canada.
  • Many community projects are leaving lasting legacies such as Tree Canada which led 150 tree-planting initiatives in communities in every province and territory.
  • The Canada 150 Rink to be donated to a local community and will serve as a lasting legacy for the next 25 years.
  • Through Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program, $300 million invested in nearly 3,000 local projects to renovate, expand and improve community infrastructure, including rinks, libraries, theatres, community centres, hiking trails and arts centres.
  • $2,084,000 in funding was provided to the Royal Canadian Geographical Society to support its Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada project which will highlight the history and the communities of Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada. The Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada will build capacity for intercultural understanding, dialogue, empathy and mutual respect and act as a powerful educational tool that will help facilitate the renewal of Canada's relationship with Indigenous Peoples.

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