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City slides another $1.2 million towards 150th celebration

Richmond will be hosting a year of special events to mark the country's big milestone
Photos: 2014 Canada Day Salmon Festival_31

The City of Richmond is adding frosting to its Canada 150 celebration cake after city council approved an additional $1.2 million in spending for a variety of new, special events throughout 2017 to paint the town red and white.

“We’re planning a series of great events our whole community can enjoy and we’re inviting guests from across the region and around the world to join us,” said Mayor Malcolm Brodie, via a news release.

Among the new events will be an enhanced Canada Day Street Festival, a wooden boat festival in late August, a harvest festival in October and a series of five outdoor music concerts in public plazas during the summer.

Those events are in addition to an enhanced $965,000 Ships to Shore event, featuring a Japanese tall ship, the Kaiwo Maru, in May and undisclosed ships in July.

Also, the Richmond World Festival, on Labour Day weekend, will be a two-day affair, instead of one.

Existing annual events, such as the Children’s Festival and Culture Days, will have a distinct Canadian theme. Richmond’s street banners will also be related to Canada 150.

Public art legacies will also be part of Richmond’s Canadian birthday party.

“A number of major civic infrastructure and public art projects are expected to be opened or unveiled in 2017, providing commemorative legacies of Canada’s 150th anniversary,” noted the city.

The city is also planning to hand out small grants to community groups planning to organize their own Canada 150 events. The city claims it surveyed 900 residents about the events.