EDITORIAL – Stop spoiling the fun with arguments over Canada 150 party
An ArmchairMayor.ca editorial by Mel Rothenburger.
ISN’T ANYONE excited about Canada’s 150th birthday? Here we are a month away from 2017, and you’d think it was just any other year.
Canadians, especially City councils, should be generating some fanfare over the fact that our nation is approaching 150 years of confederation. Every civic event that happens next year will take on special meaning, because it will all be in the context of what has made our country what it is.
Canada 150 has a logo, which is to be expected, but it even has its own typeface. How many celebrations can brag about having their own typeface?
The logo, of course, is based on the maple leaf, representing the four original provinces and the other provinces and territories that have come on board since. Of course, some people don’t like it, so it’s predictably controversial.
There are bound to be disagreements, as there were in this week’s Kamloops City council meeting, over how much should be spent on this big birthday party, and who should pay for it, and what it should be spent on. And there are sure to be those who think we should never spend money on fun because it should all go to worthy social causes instead. But, c’mon, surely such a birthday is worth celebrating with some extra-special fireworks and some special events, and dedicating a new facility or planting a bunch of maple trees or something.
A lot of people have been busy brainstorming ideas for this shindig, including ideas on how to generate ideas. During the 100th birthday in 1967, the country found many ways to celebrate, from Centennial flames to the Montreal Expo to the Centennial song — remember singing along to CA-NA-DA?
Every year, thousands flock to Riverside Park because they are proud of their country, and they want to be together to say so. Multiply that feeling of pride a hundred times during the 150th.
So let’s stop hearing all the humbug stuff. Arguing over whether paying for the party is a federal or local responsibility, or whether it should be done at all, will just spoil the fun.
mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca
ArmchairMayor.ca 
1967- Five hundred elementary students stood outside Allen Matthews School (where RCMP are now) as a small sapling was planted. Anthems and songs were sung, speeches were made and the kids were told that we would see this tree grow to provide shade for years to come and our children would play under the tree. In my memory it was the next day, as we sat doing math that the steam roller came and paved it over. There is a parking lot there now :(.
The Centennial Train came to the station and the van came to North Kamloops. We lined up in the snow and spent our allowance on souvenirs. Kids had special fitness badges we all competed for and everyone got at least a participation badge. We knew all the the words to CA-NA-DA.
It would be nice to build some memories for the kids and have a celebration of some sort. Maybe block parties?
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-Man…despite the fact that I had to kinda of laugh at the way you said that part about the poor tree getting -more or less- ‘bent out of shape,’ I think that even the City’s Arborist (Greg Houghton) would have trouble with this one.
…Kinda of funny though your spin on the kid’s excitement on figuring out -‘academically’- the time values of a tree and the way the City viewed then -‘seemingly with pragmatic analysis’- progress in terms of the growth of ‘that’ particular tree, so to speak, “It looked good on paper…by golly.”
(On a good note though: Houghton says a tree is still young at twenty years. [http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kamloops/tree-pruning-tips-from-city-of-kamloops-arborist-1.3010629])
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-Kamloops should build a new City Hall to commemorate the momentous occasion that would include the development section and recreation department all together on one floor (at different ends); new offices for City upper management and councillors (one floor) and may as well include the Venture/Tourism Kamloops (one floor, opposite ends). Four floors total (with regular finance and accounting on another floor); open concept style entrances: big glass furnished window walls with glass door entrances opposite each other into departments; high tech City Chambers, etc.
This would make Kamloops finally succeed in taking itself seriously…
…If it ever wanted to become a bonafide place for quality living, alongside of the Thompson-Okanagan arrangement, et al.
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I have a doozy of an idea, why not open a special fund and make special arrangements and take a specific donation from families as a contribution to purchase a flowering maple and line the center of Columbia street with flowering maples, also North Kam, it would be a beautiful lasting blast of MAPLE trees and people could point to them and say I paid for one of those to mark Canada’s 150th Birthday.
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We can celebrate the fact (hopefully) that we are so not ignorant/racist/naive as to elect someone like Donald Trump. (Take note Kelly Leitch)
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