2a) Proposal/Event Description
The Canadian Canoe and Kayak Festival is a
revival of an otherwise lost tradition called ‘The Canada Canoe Festival’. The
Canada Canoe Festival was an event in the Ottawa area held from 1979 to 1985,
and led by the region’s National Capital Commission. Over its 7-year lifespan,
The Canada Canoe Festival had become an extremely popular event with canoe
races, an expedition in the voyageur canoe, heritage displays such as birchbark
canoe building, Aboriginal arts and crafts and various performing arts
activities. It was a ten-day event held at the end of June and would conclude
with fireworks that would mark the start of the Canada Day celebrations. By
1985 The Canada Canoe Festival had reached an astonishing nearly 200,000 in
attendance – bigger than almost every festival in the region today. However, in
1985, The Canada Canoe Festival was unfortunately halted because of the
National Capital Commission’s inability to finance it any further, in an era of
unprecedented federal deficits and government cutbacks.
Last summer, with the help of corporate and government
sponsorship and inspired as a Pierre Elliott Trudeau commemorative, The Canada
Canoe Festival was indeed reborn. The Canadian Canoe and Kayak Festival began
informally in early 2001 and our incorporation as a provincial not-for-profit
organization was in May 2001. Our inaugural festival date was August 10th
to 12th, 2001 and our location historic Victoria Island in the
Ottawa River.
The mandate of The Canadian Canoe and Kayak Festival, as
per our objects of incorporation, is
-
To foster
appreciation and celebration of Canadian heritage elements, including those
most closely related to the Voyageur period.
-
To promote, support and encourage the sports of canoeing
and kayaking in Canada
-
To develop and implement a broader cultural program as part
of a general interest aspect to the Festival event, including performing arts
and other artistic and heritage activities.
b) Needs to be met and process used to identify needs
The Canadian Canoe and Kayak Festival aims to
fill the gap that currently exists in the community in the areas of canoeing
and kayaking, the environment and especially Canadian heritage. The Ottawa
community has been overwhelmingly supportive of festival events, with a
particular growth experienced since the early 1990s, and it is felt that a
festival with a character filling these identified niches would win broad
support. The process used to identify and meet the needs will be one of the
discipline of marketing, where activities will be honed over time to achieve
the balance that speaks to community interest, while maintaining the festival’s
character.
c) Project Implementation
N/A
d) Target Group and Geographic area served
The target group of The Canadian Canoe and Kayak
Festival is the local community at large. The reason for a mainstream,
broad-based approach towards target market is because of the festival’s intent
to focus primarily on its heritage theme, in which it is felt most anyone could
have an interest. Otherwise, the event will hold an obvious particular appeal
to the paddling community with its many on-water activities. Those interested
in environmental issues will also be a target group, but this is at the same
time a group that cuts across demographic and socioeconomic barriers.
Geographically, the area served will be all of the National Capital Region,
with a balance between Anglophones and Francophones that is proportionate to
the population, including advertising in English and French media. Eventually,
once The Canadian Canoe and Kayak Festival has had a chance to grow and
capacity to advertise, it will increase its geographic focus to other
metropolitan areas such as Toronto, Montreal and the northeastern U.S. states.
e) Identify Target Group involvement
Target group involvement implies festival participants in
our event last year and those who are anticipated at our event this year. In
spite of having only formally come together as an organization in May 2001,
three months before the event, and having had virtually no budget for
advertising, the festival in 2001 drew nearly 1000 participants. This year,
with the assistance of government programs at the federal, provincial and
municipal levels, it is anticipated that the budget for marketing and
advertising will be significantly augmented.
As such, our expectation is to be able to reach the community at large
through advertising and with messaging that conveys the character of a new
signature heritage event in the National Capital Region. As a result,
attendance is expected to increase exponentially – targeted attendance in 2002
is between 3000 and 5000. Participants in 2001 were from the paddling community,
but also in a large degree were families interested in the various performing
arts activities. The program for 2002 will again seek to achieve this balance
of participants.
f) Similar Services or events
Upon initial consideration of undertaking a revival of The
Canada Canoe Festival, it was realized that there was no heritage festival
in the National Capital Region. Various festivals may in some ways come close,
such as the Tulip Festival originating from World War II and gifts bestowed by
the Netherlands government, or Winterlude, being a winter carnival celebration,
however no festival was celebrating Canadian history as markedly as The Canada
Canoe Festival once did.
This
realization presented itself as an opportunity and perhaps an encouraging indication
of the viability of a renewed heritage festival. It is our hope that
stakeholders will share the vision of rebuilding a heritage festival, unique to
the nation’s capital.
In terms of other activities, some sporting events in the
canoeing and kayaking community are held throughout the summer and around the
region. The Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association (CRCA) has held an
annual ‘Symposium’, attracting approximately 250 people, which is focused on
the more honed elements of the sport, such as instructor certification and
paddling skills workshops and seminars (NOTE: as of this year the CRCA, due to
low attendance and the difficulties in drawing participants to a location one
hour from Ottawa, has decided to cancel it’s annual symposium).
Also, the village of Maniwaki hosts an annual “Festival
d’eau vive”, which is a robust whitewater event held in the upper rapids of the
Gatineau River. Some competitions also occur in the rapids of the Ottawa River
west of Ottawa near Beachburg, though these appeal to the more experienced
paddling enthusiasts. It merits repeating that The Canadian Canoe and Kayak
Festival is primarily and uniquely developing as a heritage festival,
focusing on the voyageur period and, in terms of its sporting element,
targeting beginner canoeists or kayakers.
g) Community Support for the event
In its inaugural year The Canadian Canoe and Kayak
Festival managed to secure sponsorships from many groups. Those included
cash sponsorships from private sector industry players, such as Mountain
Equipment Co-op, Trailhead and TD/Canada Trust Friends of the Environment
Foundation, and fees for exhibits from approximately 15 groups, including 5
wooden canoe builders, 3 environmental organizations and other miscellaneous
exhibitors. In-kind product contributions were secured in our first year from
Storm Internet Services, Clearnuet/Telus and Carrefour Nissan. Two government
programs only were approached in 2001: the federal Canada Wordmark Program of
the Department of Public Works and Government Services and the Provincial Youth
Services Bureau summer student subsidy program.
In 2002, support is anticipated from all the organizations
above, as well as from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Ontario Cultural
Attractions Fund and the federal Department of Canadian Heritage. An
application for $2,500 has also been made to the City of Ottawa’s Community
Environmental Projects Grants Program for support towards costs associated with
environmental activities and related marketing expenses of the environmental
theme.
In general, experience has been that as word gets out to
the public about The Canadian Canoe and Kayak Festival it is met with
great enthusiasm. Local paddling clubs, of which there are approximately 7
principal ones, have been contacted and all strongly support the idea of one,
unifying celebration in an otherwise fragmented calendar of paddling events.
Also, membership has been taken out and a full presentation recently made to
the Council of Heritage Organizations of Ottawa/Conseil des organismes du
patrimoine d’Ottawa (CHOO-COPO), an umbrella association for some 60 local
heritage organizations. Support from this group is also strong, as it is
recognized that there is a gap in community events with respect to heritage
celebrations.
h) Collaboration
The Canadian Canoe and Kayak Festival works
with many other organizations, given especially its three themes as well as its
location.
Three
themes:
-
Under its “Heritage” theme, the festival works with Turtle
Island Tourism Company (an aboriginal experiences company already present on
Victoria Island and represented on our Board of Directors), The National Film
Board of Canada (providing heritage films on the voyageur period) and the
Council of Heritage Organizations of Ottawa, an umbrella organization for some
sixty local heritage groups.
For the coming year, contact has also been made with The
Canadian Museum of Civilization, given their Canadiana heritage exhibit and
just across the river from Victoria Island, and The National Gallery of Canada,
also just across the river and which will next summer be showing a Group of
Seven Tom Thomson exhibit. The festival will also be hosting various performing
arts activities falling under its heritage theme, such as professional
performances given by Salamander Theatre Company, Vintage Stock Theatre, Yuk
Yuks Comedy and, on an amateur level, students of the Algonquin College Theatre
department who will be providing an original ‘voyageur animation’.
-
Under its “Sports” theme, the festival counts on support
from many outfitters and camping goods companies, such as Mountain Equipment
Co-op, Trailhead, Langford Canoe and numerous wooden canoe builders. Both the
Rideau Canoe Club and WhiteWater Ontario (kayaking) are represented on our
Board of Directors and several other local clubs are contacted for our
festival, including coordination of dates, such as the Coureurs des Bois, Club
de canot camping Kabec and the YMCA Canoe Club. Docks are loaned by the Ottawa
Rowing Club and water safety and rescue are provided by the HMCS Carleton
(Dept. of National Defence), as well as the Gatineau Police water safety unit.
-
Under its “Environment” theme, the festival in 2001 worked
with such organizations as the Paddling Puppeteers, the Climate Change Caravan
and exhibitors such as the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and Parks
Canada. Believing that a festival with an environmental focus can be
interesting, viable and unique, the festival next year intends to significantly
build upon this element through, in part, hosting a significantly increased
number of environmental organizations of both a local and national character.
Location:
Victoria Island in
the Ottawa River is the most historic location in the City of Ottawa. It is the
site of at first Algonquin peoples, then a trading post with French voyageurs
who stopped before the portage of the Chaudière Falls, then of English,
Scottish and Irish settlers working in logging and milling. The location holds
emotive ties to First Nations’ people in particular of the Weskarini and
Onontcharonon bands.
As such, while the National Capital Commission is the legal landowner of Victoria Island, a festival event held on Victoria Island must also obtain the support of the local Odawa Native Friendship Centre and, more specifically, the Victoria Island Council of Grandmothers therein. Odawa was approached to obtain approval to run our inaugural event and they remain supportive, provided that the no-alcohol ban is respected and the overall environmental integrity of the island is maintained.
Given the intra-provincial
location of the Victoria Island, residing in Ontario though in a river between
Ontario and Quebec, the festival is also required to obtain permits and
approvals from many jurisdictional bodies. Those include the Canadian Coast
Guard, local RCMP, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ottawa Police
Department, Parks Canada and the Ottawa Locks, The City of Hull and The City of
Ottawa. Private groups contacted, more for logistical coordination, include the
Ottawa-Hull Naval Association, Vertical Reality, Paul’s Boat Lines, the Canal
Ritz and the Dow’s Lake Pavilion.
i) Scope of Service
Attendance in our 2001 event was
approximately 1000 participants. However, given that our organization only came
into existence informally in the spring of 2001 and incorporated officially by
May 2001, much of the time prior to our inaugural event was preoccupied with
organizational setup. This year, with the foundation now laid and liaison
established with local heritage groups and paddling clubs, as well as an
increased budget for advertising thanks to government support, much more time
can be dedicated towards marketing the event. In a sense it can almost be
considered that 2002 is the first measurable edition of The Canadian Canoe
and Kayak Festival.
Attendance at our 2002 event
is projected at between 3,000 and 5,000 participants. Our intention is to
market the ‘voyageur’ aspect of our event, therefore we anticipate a high
turnout amongst francophones with whom this may hold appeal (est. 30%).
Otherwise, we intend to market significantly to ethnic minority groups,
including for example the City’s embassy community, as an experience in
‘Canadiana’ (est. 15-20%). The remaining 50-55% of our attendance is
anticipated to be anglophones.
j) Hours of day and operation of the proposal
The Canadian Canoe and Kayak Festival is a
weekend festival event, in 2002 being held on the evening of Friday, August 9th,
the day and evening of Saturday, August 10th and the day of Sunday,
August 11th.
k) Charge for the event
Admission to the festival is $8 for adults, $6 for children
ages 6-13 and under 6 is free. Family passes are also available. All admissions
are for the entire weekend event.
3. Staffing
q Execution of the festival is carried out by one, year-round
full-time staffperson (Executive Director), three full-time temporary, summer
staff (1-Marketing, 2-Artists and Performers Liaison and 3-Logistics), six
volunteer Board members (overall coordination, canoeing activities, kayaking
activities, safety and security, historic interpretations and accounting) and
various contractors for tasks such as website maintenance and design,
translation, printing and security.
q Volunteers in 2001 numbered approximately 80, who were in such
positions as water safety, parking management, gate reception, first aid and
programming for film and music. Up to 125 volunteers are anticipated for our
2002 event, for an estimated total of 1000 hours.
4. Evaluation Reports
The success of the second edition of The Canadian Canoe
and Kayak Festival will be determined through a number of means. Chief
amongst them will be formal surveys conducted at the time of the festival
(where participants are encouraged to respond by having their names entered for
prizes) that will gather participants’ feedback, as well as other demographic
data that may help in determining future programming.
Informal means will also be used extensively as festival
staff and voyageur animators will take on an engaging manner to both make
participants feel included as well as gather any feedback. Participants in
activities such as races, the Rideau Canal Treasure Hunt and the Voyageur Canoe
Tug-of-War will be engaged in a friendly manner as they check in at the
registration tent.
In terms of post-festival followup, meetings did occur this
part year and will occur again with sponsors, exhibitors and other stakeholders
to solicit their feedback. The sum of this information will be reviewed by the
Board of Directors in a post-festival meeting to determine results and provide
direction to future programming.
5. Financial
PROJECTED BUDGET
REVENUES
|
||
|
Corporate Sponsorships §
Mountain Equipment Coop §
Trailhead §
TD/Canada Trust |
5,000 2,500 5,000 |
|
|
Govt. Sponsorships §
Trillium Foundation §
Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund §
City of Ottawa, CPGP §
City of Ottawa, CEPGP §
Canada Wordmark Program §
Canadian Heritage §
Youth Services §
Community Foundation of Ottawa |
25,000 13,500 7,500 2,500 15,000 7,500 2,000 4,000 |
|
|
Public Participation §
Gate receipts §
Merchandizing §
Events |
22,000 1,500 2,500 |
|
|
Exhibitors |
2,500 |
|
|
In-Kind Contributions §
Volunteer time (est. 125) §
Sponsors product contributions |
(4,500) (3,500) |
|
|
Total Revenues |
115,500 |
|
|
EXPENSES
|
||
|
|
CPGP
Contribution |
|
|
Marketing §
Advertising (Ottawa Citizen, CHUM Radion Network,
Voir Magazine) |
2,000 |
21,500 |
|
Promotion §
Printing, Banners & Signs, Website |
|
4,500 |
|
Artists Fees |
|
5,500 |
|
Infrastructure §
Tents, Equipment rentals, Carpentry, Toilets,
Electrical |
2,000 |
8,500 |
|
Logistics §
NCC Lease, Insurance, Water Safety, Security, Transport |
|
7,000 |
|
Administration §
Salaries and Staff §
Office rental, Communications, Office Supplies,
Membership dues, Audit |
3,500 |
67,000 11,500 |
|
Total Expenses |
7,500 |
125,500 |
|
Net Loss (Revenues –
Expenses) |
(10,000) |
Given its late start in
2001, The Canadian Canoe and Kayak Festival was not able to secure
public funding that it might have otherwise been able to had it come into
existence earlier and made applications within programs’ deadlines. Festivals
typcially derive a good portion of their initial startup revenues from public
sources, which give way to support by the corporate sector and the public as
the event grows.
At the same time, all
efforts required were undertaken in 2001 to establish the organization and lay
the foundation, legally, logistically and otherwise, for an event that can now
go on indefinitely. The approach of creditors is a long term one, with a view
to the event eventually reaching into hundreds of thousands if not millions of
dollars, as has been the experience of so many other events. From this
perspective, an initial deficit as experienced will become less and less
consequential.
December
31, 2001
The
Canadian Canoe and Kayak Festival Statement
of Revenues and Expenses – 2001
|
REVENUES
|
||
|
Corporate Sponsorships |
7,500 |
|
|
Govt. Sponsorships |
8,000 |
|
|
Public Participation |
5,250 |
|
|
Exhibitors |
5,100 |
|
|
In-Kind Contributions §
Volunteer time (75) §
Sponsors product contributions |
6,000 2,000 |
|
|
Total Revenues |
25,850 |
|
|
EXPENSES |
||
|
Marketing |
8,100 |
|
|
Promotion §
Printing, Banners & Signs, Website |
5,575 |
|
|
Performers |
600 |
|
|
Infrastructure §
Tents, Equipment rentals, Carpentry, Toilets,
Electrical |
3,400 |
|
|
Logistics §
NCC Lease, Insurance, Water Safety, Security,
Transport |
2,900 |
|
|
Administration §
Salaries and Staff §
Office rental, Communications, Office Supplies,
Membership dues, Audit |
60,975 4,700 |
|
|
Total Expenses |
86,250 |
|
|
Net Loss (Revenues –
Expenses) |
(60,400) |
|
Annex A
Activities of The Canadian Canoe and Kayak Festival
Activities of the festival, according to each
of its three theme of Sport, Heritage and the Environment, are:
Heritage
- Turtle
Island Tourism Company, already existent on Victoria Island and offering
to the tourist such experiences such as an
aboriginal village, teepees, wigwams, longhouse, arts and crafts, drumming
and dancing, tanning hides, birch bark canoe building and award-winning
aboriginal foods.
- National
Film Board heritage films, such as the Bill Mason classic ‘Paddle to the
Sea’, ‘The Voyageurs’ and ‘Kanata’ – shown in the Turtle Island Tourism
longhouse.
- Performing
arts activities by local theatre companies Vintage Stock Theatre
(performing ‘Tales from the Valley’), Salamander Theatre (heritage
vignettes) and voyageur animation by local theatre students from Algonquin
College.
- Lineup
of local bands of a folk and soft rock genre (16 local bands were hosted
in our 2001 event).
- Rides
in the Voyageur Canoe, by local heritage tours company ‘Expedition Eau
Vive’. A one-hour tour down the Ottawa River where local history and
legends are told.
- Displays
of the voyageur canoe, including 90 lb. burlap packs and rum casks.
- Paddling-making
workshops by local artisan Lloyd Stonehouse.
Sport
- Seakayak and canoe races on the Ottawa River. Two
categories of races are held; Sprint races (1.5 km) and Endurance races (6
km).
- The Rideau Canal Treasure Hunt, where participants
paddle the length of the Rideau Canal from the Dow’s Lake Pavillion to the
top of the Ottawa Locks, portage the locks in the spirit of the voyageurs,
then paddle the last link to Victoria Island. Participants stop at
approximately 10 points along the way at signs posted by the festival
where multiple-choice questions are posed on Canadiana – each correct
answer is an entry for prizes. Participants can then take advantage of a
free shuttle service including canoe or kayak to Dow’s Lake where they
parked.
- The Voyageur Canoe Tug-of-War, where two Rabaska class
voyageur canoes with 11 participants in each are tied end-to-end and
facing in opposite directions - in a paddle to the finish contest.
- The Freestyle Flatwater Kayaking Rodeo, a spectator
event where top Canadian kayakers, this year from the renowned company
Liquid Skills, manoeuvre the kayak in dips, ‘stalls’, rolls and spins,
according to a point system.
- Becky Mason, daughter to canoeing legend Bill Mason
and local artist and canoe instructor will perform ‘The Art of Classic
Solo Paddling’.
- Canoeing and Kayaking lessons, conducted by local
outfitting companies (Trailhead and Liquid Skills, respectively).
Environment
- The Paddling Puppeteers, an interactive,
children’s-oriented puppet show where spectators learn about the
importance of shoreline protection and environmental conservation in
general.
- Environmental exhibitors such as Parks Canada, the
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Ducks Unlimited and Canadian
Heritage Rivers.