THUNDER BAY – There are plenty of opportunities for Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontarians to vote for their favourite great places. They include the Prince Arthur’s Landing in Thunder Bay, Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park, and Beauty Bay in Kenora. The voting goes until the end of the month.
Now that nominations have closed, Canadians are turning their attention to the 90 locations vying to be named one of the Great Places in Canada.
Voting continues until February 29, 2012, and then the winners will be announced. The competition among the 90 finalists is already intense with almost 50,000 votes being cast to date.
“It’s really exciting to watch communities get behind their nomination,” says CIP President Andrea Gabor. “We see the numbers changing almost daily, and the race is so close at this point that there really is no way of predicting the winners.”
The Great Neighbourhoods category is the most competitive at this stage, claiming four of the top five in overall voting activity.
The Great Public Spaces category has the most nominations with 52 places. There are less than 300 votes separating the first and second places in the category at the moment with a few others catching up fast.
The Great Streets category has nominations from all over Canada, really highlighting just how many hidden gems there are in this country.
So what are the final nominations?
| Great Streets | Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park, Kakabeka Falls, ON | Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario | ||
| Queen Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON | Parc Regional Educatif Bois de Belle-Rivière, Mirabel, QC | Cathedral Grove, Near Port Alberni, BC | ||
| Icefields Parkway, between Banff and Jasper, AB | Lake Koocanusa, BC | Whistler Olympic Plaza, Whistler, BC | ||
| High Street, Grand Falls Windsor, NL | Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC | Samson Trail, New Glasgow, NS | ||
| Yonge Street, Toronto, ON | Heartland Forest, Niagara Falls, ON | The Grotto, Near Tobermory, ON | ||
| Main Street, Summerland, BC | Mississauga Celebration Square, Mississauga, ON | Le Parc du Mont Royal, Montreal, QC | ||
| Niagara River Parkway, Niagara-on-the-Lake to Fort Erie, ON | Village de Sainte-Jeanne-d’Arc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC | Victoria Park, Truro, NS | ||
| Osborne Street, Winnipeg, MB | Miller Point Peace Park, Dayspring (near Bridgewater), NS | Great Neighbourhoods | ||
| Victoria Row (on Richmond St.), Charlottetown, PEI | Wascana Park, Regina, SK | LaHave River, near Bridgewater, NS | ||
| Main Street, Warkworth, ON | Bowen Park, Nanaimo, BC | Old Montreal, Montreal, QC | ||
| Portage and Main, Winnipeg, MB | Assiniboine Forest, Winnipeg, MB | Town of Creighton, Creighton, SK | ||
| Queen Street, Fredericton, NB | The Dog Park, Kingston, ON | Beauty Bay, Kenora, ON | ||
| Granville Street, Vancouver, BC | City Market, Saint John, NB | Roncesvalles Village, Toronto, ON | ||
| Clare Street, Victoria, BC | St. Victor Petroglyphs, St. Victor, SK | London Road Neighbourhood, Lethbridge, AB | ||
| Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON | Minden Boardwalk, Minden, ON | Plateau Mont-Royal, Montreal, QC | ||
| King Street, Lunenburg, NS | Richmond Olympic Oval, Richmond, BC | Saint-Boniface, Winnipeg, MB | ||
| Victoria Park, Charlottetown, PEI | Bronte Creek Provincial Park, Oakville, ON | Woodfield, London, ON | ||
| Great Public Spaces | Brewer Park Oval, Ottawa, ON | Town of Gravelbourg, Gravelbourg, SK | ||
| The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Vancouver, BC | Liberty Street Linear Park, Toronto, ON | Marysville, Fredericton, NB | ||
| Hecla Provincial Park, near Riverton, MB | Cultus Lake Park, Cultus Lake, BC | Town of Ladysmith, Ladysmith, BC | ||
| Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, ON | Central Memorial Park, Calgary, AB | Osborne Village, Winnipeg, MB | ||
| West Montrose Covered Bridge, Waterloo, ON | Millennium Park, Creston, BC | Chinatown, Ottawa, ON | ||
| Komoka Provincial Park, London, ON | Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, BC | Old Ottawa South Neigbourhood, Ottawa, ON | ||
| Old Port, Montreal, QC | Ducks Unlimited Trail “Miner’s Marsh”, Kentville, NS | St. John’s Ecclesiastical District, St. John’s, NL | ||
| Central Library, Vancouver, BC | Maligne Canyon Hike, Jasper, AB | White Rock Beach, White Rock, BC | ||
| Waterton Lakes National Park, Near Pincher Creek, AB | Rainbow Stage Theatre in Kildonan Park, Winnipeg, MB | Lion’s Head, Northern Bruce Peninsula, ON | ||
| Bois-des-Esprits, Winnipeg, MB | The Lunenburg Heritage Society Bandstand, Lunenburg, NS | Powell River’s Historic Townsite, Powell River, BC | ||
| The South March Highlands, Ottawa, ON | Cape Forchu Lighthouse, Yarmouth, NS | Victoria Park Neighbourhood, Kitchener, ON | ||
| Officer’s Square, Fredericton, NB | Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden, St. John’s, NL | Parkdale, Toronto, ON | ||
| Prince Arthur’s Landing, Thunder Bay, ON | Rails End Gallery and Arts Centre, Haliburton, ON | City of Fernie, Fernie, BC | ||
| Botanical Beach, near Port Renfrew, BC | Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market, Halifax, NS | Town of Churchill, Churchill, MB |
Nominations closed on January 31, 2012, and voting ends February 29, 2012. The judges will then decide on the semi-finalists in early April and announce the winners at the end of April 2012. People’s Choice awards will also be made in each of the three categories. Votes will be monitored to ensure fairness.
Go to www.GreatPlacesInCanada.com where you can nominate, vote, and follow the competition.
If your nomination wins, you’re eligible for some great prizes which include Via Rail vouchers, gift cards from Mountain Equipment Co-Op and Roots Canada, and a write up in WestJet’s inflight up! magazine.
You can also follow us on Twitter @GreatPlacesCA and like us on Facebook Great Places in Canada for the latest updates.
About the Canadian Institute of Planners
CIP was established in 1919 and has a membership of 7,000 professional planners. The Institute sets a Code of Professional Practice and national standards for training, certification and best practices. Please visit http://www.cip-icu.ca/.
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