British Columbia celebrates province’s 150th anniversary
Published 10:55 pm Sunday, August 3, 2008
VICTORIA, B.C. — British Columbia, Canada’s youngest and westernmost province, home of the Spirit Bear and the birthplace of Greenpeace and Joni Mitchell, is celebrating its 150th anniversary.
Parties and fireworks displays are planned today throughout the province with a concert on the lawn of the Legislature, the annual B.C. Day holiday.
“I think that everyone that lives in British Columbia, hopefully, will take a moment to think about how lucky we are to live here,” Premier Gordon Campbell said Sunday. “I can’t think of a place in the world where I’d rather live than British Columbia.”
On 1849 the colony of Vancouver Island was established with Victoria as its capital. On Aug. 2, 1858, the English Parliament expanded that to the mainland with “An Act to Provide for the Government of British Columbia.”
Over the years the province became known as the home of turn-of-the-century Pacific Northwest artist Emily Carr, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, Native American actor Chief Dan George, actress Pamela Anderson and athlete Terry Fox.
British Columbia is the birthplace of the environmental group Greenpeace, established in 1971. Wildlife includes the Kermode bear, also known as the Spirit Bear, a rare white subspecies of black bear found on the north coast.
The town of 100 Mile House in the interior claims the world’s largest pair of cross-country skis, and Duncan on Vancouver Island to the largest hockey stick and puck.
The celebration actually has been going on all year with artistic, cultural and other events running through Dec. 31.
In one of the most popular, a 20-foot western cedar log salvaged from hundreds of blown-down trees following a windstorm that devastated Stanley Park in Vancouver in December 2006 was hauled to 51 communities over 95 days. Under the guidance of Coast Salish carver Carey Newman, more than 10,000 people helped make it what is now known as the Cowichan Spirit Pole.
The final carving took place a week ago in Cowichan Bay for the opening ceremonies of the North American Indigenous Games near Duncan.
The largest celebration today is outside British Columbia Legislature and includes a 15-minute aerial show by the Canadian Forces’ Snowbirds; musical performances by Dal Richards, Colin James, Burton Cummings and Sarah McLachlan; and a fireworks show over the harbor.
