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As many of you know, Canada is turning 150 this year, so here’s a brief history of Canada. Canada was established in 1534 but this year, we are celebrating the Canadian Confederation. The Canadian Confederation took place when Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were united as the “Dominion of Canada” on July 1, 1867.

With Canada’s sesquicentennial taking place this year, there are a lot of businesses, communities and non-profit organizations commemorating Canada and celebrations taking place across the nation. Here’s a few of our favourites to check out:

The Great Trail (Trans-Canada Trail)

The Great Trail is the longest recreational train in the world that offers a wide range of activities across Canada. The trail stretches across the nation and offers a wide range of activities through a variety of landscapes. You can opt in to hike, cycle, paddle, ride, cross-country ski or snowmobile along greenways, waterways and roadways in urban, rural, or wilderness areas. This trail truly allows adventures to see the vastness of Canada’s terrain and the diversity of people that make up this country. Click here to explore the trail.

Wish150

#Wish150 is an initiative launched by TakingITGlobal that allows Canadians to share their wishes for what they want to see Canada become in the next 150 years. The wishes are being shared online, through art installations and exhibitions and at community events. On March 31st, you can partake by attending Wish150- Collective Storytelling at Artscape Youngplace. The evening will explore what it means to be Canadian and will feature inspirational and thought-provoking stories. With three powerful storytellers kicking the night off, everyone is free to attend and share their wishes. Click here to register for the free event.

Parks Canada

Parks Canada is giving all Canadians a free Discovery Pass in 2017. The Discover Passes gives visitors free access and parking to all national parks for the entire year. The passes were made available starting in December of 2015, but high demand crashed the site, but we were promptly reassured that the passes will be available all year, and that it is not a limited-time offer. You also only need 1 Discovery Pass per group of visitors. To view a list of all parks, click here.

ViaRail’s Canada 150 Youth Pass

Via Rail posted to their site that they were giving Canadian youth between the ages of 12 and 25 a pass for $150 that would let them travel as often as they want and anywhere in Canada for the entire month of July. The high demand for the passes caused the site to break down for a few hours, but once it was back up, the tickets sold within 2 days, showing the excitement for  Canada.

ParticipACTION

ParticipACTION is celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday in a unique way. They’ve created the ultimate Play List to get Canadians moving. The Play List has 150 activities that define Canada and the people in it – that includes hockey, lacrosse, snow fort building and more. As you try the activities, you can track your progress online and earn chances to win some pretty cool prizes.

Canada Rocks 150

Canada Rocks 150 is a not-for-profit organization recruiting musicians from all over the world in anticipation of Canada Day to participate in a massive live rock band performance honouring Canada’s 150th birthday. The goal is to set a new Guinness World Record for the Largest Performing Rock Band. Participants will gather to perform four iconic Canadian songs and all proceeds will go to a musical charity, MusiCounts. The current Largest Performing Rock Band consists of 953 people. To volunteer for the event, click here, and to participate as a musician, click here.

Whatever you plan to do to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday, we’re sure it’ll be awesome.

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