Sun newspapers in Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, and Winnipeg are reporting this morning that, “A fake lake being built inside the media centre for the upcoming G8 and G20 summits should be called ‘Harper’s Folly’, says the Council of Canadians. The protest group has formally applied to the Geographical Names Board of Canada to make the lake name official.”
“The fake lake, complete with docks, Muskoka chairs, canoes, and a giant television screen which will show the sights and sounds of cottage country, is part of a $1.9-million ‘Canadian Corridor’ project being built inside the Direct Media Centre in Toronto, where up to 10,000 Canadian and international journalists will be housed during the upcoming G8 and G20 summits.”
Council of Canadians Ontario-Quebec organizer Mark Calzavara says, “We have sent an official request to the Geographical Names Board of Canada to have Canada’s newest lake named ‘Harper’s Folly’ in honour of the Prime Minister. We believe that all Canadians – regardless of their political views – will agree that the only thing more outrageous than spending $1.1 billion on a three-day meeting is thinking that an indoor lake next to a big television could possibly compare to the spectacular beauty of cottage country.”
The article concludes, “The Council of Canadians, which is planning to protest the upcoming summits, wants Harper to ’scrap’ these summits as a waste of money.”
The Canadian Press article – which is now in Metro Canada newspapers across the country and the Toronto Star – reports on our concerns about this ‘lake’ and the need to name it appropriately. They add, “The lake project is well worth it, (Industry Minister Tony) Clement said. ‘Calm down. It is a reflecting pool,’ he urged critics. …Despite the presence of canoes, reporters will be discouraged from going out for a paddle between news conferences. The fake lake is quite shallow, and lifeguards will not be on hand.”
And the National Post reports, “The Council of Canadians plans to protest against the G8 and G20 summits and is asking Prime Minister to ‘scrap’ the summits on the basis that they are a waste of money, a disruption to residents and an ‘infringement of civil liberties.'”
CBC ON-LINE POLL TO NAME THE LAKE
CBC.ca says, “Just off the gallery newswire comes this modest proposal, courtesy of the Council of Canadians, to officially name Canada’s newest lake after the prime minister ultimately responsible for its creation. …But why let the CoC have all the fun? Vote for your favourite alternative choice — or come up with your own.”
To vote for ‘Harper’s Folly’, or for a choice listed in their poll, or to suggest another name for the ‘lake’, go to http://www.cbc.ca/politics/insidepolitics/2010/06/g820watch-name-that-lake.html.
WEB-LINKS
The Toronto Star article is at http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2010/06/07/14291091.html. It has also been noted in a Globe and Mail blog at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/g8-g20/blog-local-view/harpers-folley/article1594669/. The Canadian Press report is at http://www.metronews.ca/calgary/canada/article/544330–harper-s-folly-g8-fake-lake-deserves-a-name-protesters-say–page1. The National Post article is at http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/06/07/g20-should-the-fake-lake-be-named-harpers-folly-the-council-of-canadians-thinks-so/.
Our media release is at http://canadians.org/media/other/2010/07-Jun-10.html. For our ‘scrap the summits’ action alert, please go to http://canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3761.
UPDATED MEDIA
VIDEO: ‘Harper’s Folly’ on CTV News with Brent Patterson, Director of Campaigns and Communications, Council of Canadians, June 7, 2010
VIDEO: Tories drowned by calls attacking $2-million fake lake, Global News with Brent Patterson, Director of Campaigns and Communications, Council of Canadians, June 7, 2010
