Thanks to everyone who came, and special thanks to Bob Williams and Dr. Andrew Ross. Thanks to them we have two souvenir albums on Google Photos:
It was a special birthday for Canada and those at the Oak Bay Marina Parking Lot were happy and proud to be part of this cross-Canada celebration.
Choir Master Hilary Coupland leads the singing of O-CANADA
Hopefully three things will emerge in Oak Bay :
1. a permanent performance area around the Salish Sea sculpture as per Barbara Adams vision.
2. Lolita/Tokitae will finally be freed and brought home from Miami to the Salish Sea.
3. A fine future use will be agreed for the end of the Oak Bay Marina parking lot. I support Jacques Sirois’ idea of the L’Kwungen Herring Smoke House : http://www.cattlepoint.org/lkwungen-herring-smokehouse/
As a post script it is worth noting that Hilary Coupland, the Choir Master, in greeting Syrian Violinist Sari Alesh, concluded her welcome with the very first public declaration of the Salish Sea Bioregional Marine Sanctuary Vision :
“Today on July 1, 2017, Canada’s 50th Birthday, we the people of Canada gathered here today, promise to work diligently to Restore Natural Animal Populations throughout the Salish Sea Bioregion to more than 50% of historic levels as soon as possible”
Surely this is one of the major goals for Canada as we begin the next fifty years.
