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NCCN-06-10-08-PR
October 18, 2006
Canada's Capital Region — During a tulip bulb planting ceremony this morning on Parliament Hill, the Chairman of the National Capital Commission (NCC), Marcel Beaudry, along with the Chairman of the Board at Canada Lands Company Limited, Marc Rochon, announced that 18,000 tulip bulbs will soon be planted at the foot of the CN Tower, in Toronto.
This agreement between the NCC and Canada Lands Company’s CN Tower was made possible due to both organizations’ involvement with Communities in Bloom and the Communities in Bloom Gardens at the CN Tower.
Representatives from the NCC, Canada Lands Company, and Communities in Bloom dug the ground with their trowels to plant the first of the 30,000 tulip bulbs in the flower beds located at the base of the Peace Tower.
“With more than 60 years of experience in planting and maintaining millions of tulips in the Capital, the NCC is pleased to team up with Canada Lands Company to bring tulips to the CN Tower,” said Mr. Beaudry. “In the Spring, thousands of beautiful tulips will bloom at the Peace Tower and the CN Tower as a reminder of this new partnership.”
“Visitors to the CN Tower next spring will be delighted to experience the spectacular entranceway to the Tower that the NCC’s 18,000 tulips will provide,” said Jack Robinson, Chief Operating Officer of the CN Tower. “As Canada’s National Tower, we are pleased to encourage tourism to Canada’s Capital Region through this showcase of the annual tulip gardens that the region is so famous for.”
On November 10, 2006, NCC experts in landscape architecture and horticulture will head to the CN Tower to take part in the official planting ceremony, during which they will present the design of the flower beds and the varieties of tulips that will be planted, and will share some useful planting tips.
Each year, the NCC receives a total of 20,000 tulip bulbs from the Dutch Royal Family and the International Flower Bulb Centre. Of these, 17,000 are displayed in the Queen Juliana Tulip Bed, located in Commissioners Park, in Ottawa, and 3,000 bulbs are given to the Ottawa Civic Hospital, where Princess Margriet was born when Queen Juliana and her family took refuge in Canada during the Second World War. Each fall, the NCC replaces 500,000 of its one million tulip bulbs. In the Spring, a beautiful display of one million tulips is in full bloom and offers a colourful back drop to residents and visitors to the Capital Region.
About the NCC
As the official gardener of Canada’s Capital, the NCC is responsible for designing and planting impressive floral displays throughout Canada’s Capital Region. The most spectacular displays are found in Commissioners Park, on Parliament Hill, along Confederation Boulevard, the historic Rideau Canal, the Capital’s scenic parkways and gateways into the Capital, along the recreational pathways, and at national museums and institutions.
About Canada Lands Company
Canada Lands Company is an arms-length federal Crown corporation reactivated in 1995 to optimize the financial and community value obtained from properties no longer required by the Government of Canada. The company is self-financing, pays applicable taxes at all levels of government, and implements innovative property solutions to enhance the quality of life in communities where it operates. Since its inception, the company has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to the government as dividends, cash acquisitions and payments for properties.
About The CN Tower
Defining the Toronto skyline, at a height of 553.33 m (1,815 ft., 5 inches), the CN Tower is the World’s Tallest Building, a Wonder of the Modern World, Canada’s national icon, an important telecommunications hub, and Toronto’s “must see” attraction. Visited by approximately 2 million people each year who enjoy breathtaking views and all the CN Tower has to offer: three observation levels including the world famous Glass Floor and the Sky Pod, attractions, shopping and three restaurants including 360 The Restaurant at the CN Tower with award-winning cuisine and ambiance, a revolving view overlooking Toronto and a selection of over 550 international labels from a wine cellar in the sky. Canada’s National Tower salutes Canada’s Communities In Bloom with enhanced green spaces representing Canada’s natural beauty and the distinct charm of its communities.
About Communities in Bloom
Co-founded by the NCC in 1995, Communities in Bloom is a Canadian non-profit organization committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility, beautification and to improving quality of life through community participation and the challenge of national competition. The program now involves more than 500 municipalities across Canada along with municipalities from the United States, Europe and Japan through an international challenge.
For more information on tulips, the public can contact the NCC at
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