Photos: Canada Day 2010

Everyone rose for the singing of the Canadian National Anthem at the re-dedication of the Memorial to Chinese Railway Workers in Toronto, Ontario on 1-July-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Coverage of summer in Toronto, Ontario on my photo site begins with Canada Day. The re-dedication of the Memorial to Chinese Railway Workers opened the day and fireworks over Lions Park in the Weston Neighbourhood ended the day on 1-July-2010. Also included are aerial shots of Toronto and scenes near the Canada Day sites.

Holiday: This Year, Weston Fireworks

The fireworks at Weston Lions Park in Toronto, Ontario were short but enjoyable on 1-July-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Since moving to Toronto in 2006, I've made a point of attending a different fireworks display on each Canada Day. There are so many to choose from here that it didn't seem appropriate to settle on one and make it a tradition until I had sampled at least most of them, if not all of them.


Canadian band "Cuff the Duke" performed at North York Civic Centre before the fireworks display on 1-July-2006

I started the tour in 2006 with the North York fireworks. In terms of an overall show, the event at Mel Lastman Square probably provides the best experience I've seen, as one can take a chair and find a place with a view of the stage which has live acts right up to fireworks time. The fireworks themselves are all set off above the building, making for a less than spectacular show compared with other offerings around town, but still not something that can be seen every day. The adjacent subway station made it relatively easy, if crowded, to exit after the event.


The fireworks display was second-to-none at Ashbridge's Bay in Toronto, Ontario on 1-July-2007

In 2007, I decided to attend the Ashbridge's Bay fireworks on Toronto's eastern beaches. This may be the most traditional of the displays, with people playing on the beach until it gets dark, followed by fireworks that would rival a display anywhere. However, being at the outer reach of the city, transportation leaving the event was a nightmare--the best route out is probably to walk all the way north to the Bloor-Danforth subway.


Fireworks lit up the sky above Downsview Park in Toronto, Ontario on 1-July-2008

Next on my tour was Downsview Park on 1-July-2008. Downsview may be the best place to take children, as the carnival rides and busker performances keep them occupied in the long wait as the skies darken. The fireworks rival Ashbridge's Bay, but public transport leaving is pathetic--the TTC doesn't even try to accommodate the crowds. It's probably best to walk around the north end of the airport to the subway station.


The fireworks came right off the building at Mississauga's Town Centre on 1-July-2009

With Toronto on strike in 2009, I headed west to check out the display at Mississauga Town Centre, as I described last year. This display did seem to have it all--a concert to watch before the fireworks start, and a great 25-minute display against a nice backdrop.


A relatively small crowd was gathered at Weston Lions Park in Toronto, Ontario as daylight faded away on 1-July-2010

I went for a very different experience this year. I took a (long) walk to the Weston neighbourhood where I observed the kind of Canada Day celebration that one might expect in a small town. A band played on a stage that fit inside a tent, various local food vendors sold food, and perhaps a few hundred people gathered on sports fields where children kicked soccer balls around until the lights went out and the fireworks began. It was only a ten minute display, but it was an exciting one. When it was all over, the crowds were not terrible to fight, and it was nice to just walk home.

Next year? I still haven't done the large Centennial Park display, or any of several other smaller events that likely resemble Weston. Who knows what I may feel like...

Holiday: Chinese Railway Worker's Memorial

Historian Dora Nipp of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario spoke at the re-dedication of the Chinese Railway Worker's Memorial in Toronto, Ontario on 1-July-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Holidays are a time of tradition, and one of the many Canada Day traditions in Toronto is the annual re-dedication of the Chinese Railway Workers Memorial located next to the Union Station Rail Corridor just west of the Skydome (er, Rogers Centre).


Landy Anderson, a granddaughter of a Chinese railway worker and Executive Director of the Chinese Canadian National Council, served as the Master of Ceremonies for the re-dedication on 1-July-2010

The monument was constructed in 1989 to honour the more than 4000 Chinese workers who lost their lives building the Canadian Pacific in the Rocky Mountains in the 1880's, as well as those that survived but received little recognition for their efforts or welcome to Canadian society. Each year, leaders of a variety of historical and cultural groups gather to tell the stories that at best receive a brief mention in most history textbooks.


A pair of lions danced during the Chinese Railway Workers Memorial re-dedication in Toronto, Ontario on 1-July-2010

While the bulk of the ceremony was speeches from various perspectives, a lion dance broke up the progression, including a fight for lettuce. A wreath laying featured more wreaths than just about any other such ceremony I had ever seen, with wreaths contributed from every conceivable group from Heritage Toronto to the Chinese Consulate.


Only half the wreaths for the laying ceremony during the Chinese Railway Workers Memorial re-dedication were visible in this view on 1-July-2010

Most of the time, though, was taken up by speeches. It seemed everyone had an agenda to present of some kind, whether it be new texts available on Chinese history or the continued plight of Head Tax payers and their families. Perhaps the most politicized talks came from Member of Parliament Olivia Chow and John Cartwright of the Toronto and York Regional Labour Council, both of whom claimed that current temporary visa workers are in an analogous situation to the Chinese railway workers. Karen Sun, a city council candidate who actually avoided mentioning politics and her status while speaking on the behalf of the Chinese Canadian National Council's local chapter, seemed to inadvertently admit how tedious the process was becoming by addressing the crowd with a "good afternoon." It was still well before noon, even if it didn't feel like it.


John Cartwright, the President of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council, spoke at the Chinese Railway Workers Memorial re-dedication on 1-July-2010

After a long eighty minutes, by which time most of the audience had disbursed, the re-dedication was complete. It was time to move on to other Canada Day traditions.

Culture: Closed for Canada Day?

Patriotic colors dominated this scene from the Canada Day fireworks display at Civic Centre in Mississauga, Ontario on 1-July-2009

TORONTO, ONTARIO - As much of the media would have it, Canada's largest city did not celebrate Canada's birthday. Because of the city worker's strike, most city events including those on Canada Day have been canceled. To the rest of the country, this was further evidence that Toronto doesn't care about anything outside of the 416 area code.

Yet, that's not what I saw in the behavior of Toronto residents on this Canada Day. The city-sponsored events, most notably the fireworks displays over Ashbridge's Bay and Mel Lastman Square in North York may not have been taking place, but there are multiple layers of government in this country and provincial, federal, and private events went on. The provincial capital at Queen's Park hosted its normal suite of day-long events. The federally-administered Downsview Park went about its entertainment including a fireworks display. The privately-sponsored Festival of Fire at Ontario Place went on with its fireworks display, and the Toronto Blue Jays held some Canada Day-related events at their game, including after-game fireworks. All of these events were well-attended by Torontonians and tourists alike.

Admittedly, though, I chose to venture outside Toronto for my Canada Day fireworks fix. Having seen the Downsview Park display last year and with two other dates to see the Festival of Fire, I decided this was a good year to venture to neighbouring Mississauga--the sixth largest city in Canada that nobody outside of Ontario seems to have heard of. The inducement of free rides on Mississauga Transit--normally expensive at $3 a ride--was another reason to give it a try.

The diversity of faces at the Civic Square was a nice reflection of Mississauga itself--all the races of the world mixing freely--quite similar in fact to what I've observed in the past on Canada Day at Downsview Park in Toronto. The fireworks themselves are set off on top of City Hall, not unlike the North York display. The emcee for the day, made it clear on a regular basis that we were in Mississauga, and that the city was prouder of Canada than its larger neighbour.

The 25-minute display itself was worth seeing; my only real complaint was that Mississauga Transit did not run any extra buses over its normal holiday schedule out of Square One after the display--I guess it's free for a reason.