At the start of the year, many Canadians were excited about the Canada 150 celebrations.
They were looking forward to the events that would be happening throughout the country, and they speculated how the milestone would further boost our Canadian pride.
It’s safe to say that Canada’s 150th birthday lived up to expectations.
Sure, there are things that people would have done differently if they had the chance. Perhaps they would have spent more money or less money. Or they would have wanted to see more Canada 150 projects, similar to what was done in 1967 for Canada’s centennial, which resulted in new arenas being built across the country.
But in the end, these were relatively minor quibbles.
Local residents in particular had multiple opportunities to celebrate. We all know that Bienfait does a great job of hosting Canada Day festivities each year. So do Carnduff and other communities. And they held great celebrations this year, too.
In Bienfait’s case, the parade was fantastic and the fireworks were outstanding. It was great to see so many people turn out for Bienfait’s Canada Day bash. Hopefully it will continue to draw large crowds moving forward, and that this year won’t be a flash in the pan.
It was also great to see a big community event in Estevan. Many people who are new to the city wonder why Estevan doesn’t do more for Canada Day each year. And the simple reason is Bienfait does a great job with their celebrations each year, so why compete with Bienfait?
It would have looked bad if Estevan didn’t have a big community event. We might have been the biggest city in the country to not have a Canada 150 bash. So rather than compete with Bienfait, the Energy City held a pre-Canada Day bash in the central part of the city, with events and activities for people of all ages.
And with festivities that took place just after midnight on July 1, it meant that Estevan did have something on Canada Day.
Hopefully the city will continue to have a pre-Canada Day event moving forward.
The Canada 150 celebrations were designed to make us feel better about our country and our place in the world, and they did that. Yes, there were those who tried to derail those festivities and thrust their politics and ideals into the spotlight.
But most of us know how fortunate we are to live in our country.
Look around the city, and you’ll still see lots of wooden Canada 150 flags created by the woodworking division of Estevan Diversified Services. It’s just one example of the local pride stirred by the 150th birthday milestone.
There are always improvements that can be made in our country, but we live in Canada. We’ve hit the jackpot.
The Canada 150 celebrations reinforced that.
