Английская Википедия:Centennial Flame
Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Use dmy dates Шаблон:Use Canadian English Шаблон:Coord Шаблон:Infobox monument The Centennial Flame (Шаблон:Lang-fr) is a monument on Parliament Hill commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation. First lit in January 1967, the Flame worked with natural gas and as of 2021 uses biogas,[1] presenting a fountain that does not freeze in winter. Money thrown into it is a donation for people with disabilities, some of whom have received over $5,000.
History
The Centennial Flame was first lit as the climax of the centennial celebrations of 1 January 1967 for the Canadian Confederation, in the presence of the Prime Minister, Lester B. Pearson.[2] He was joined on the hill by leader of the Opposition and former Prime Minister, John Diefenbaker, and Secretary of State Judy LaMarsh, as well as thousands of onlookers.[2] The Flame is fuelled by natural gas and surrounded by a fountain whose ledge contains the shields of Canada's 13 provinces and territories—Nunavut was originally absent as it was not created until 1999.[3] On 13 December 2017, a Nunavut plaque was unveiled.[4]
This Flame was erected as a temporary monument, but due to great public support was made permanent. In 2021 it began burning biogas,Шаблон:Sfn[1] near the Queen's Gates (the centre gate). It is located in front of the stairs leading to the Peace Tower and Centre Block,Шаблон:Sfn the latter of which is home to the House of Commons and the Senate.[2] The Centennial was celebrated across Canada in various ways, including a re-enactment of the Battle of the Thames and a building of a destroyer out of match sticks.[2] The government also encouraged the building of a Centennial memorial in each of Canada's 10 provinces.Шаблон:Sfn The provincial and federal governments matched whatever the municipal government spent on their memorial, thereby encouraging the construction of grand buildings such as the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.[2]
Design
The monument is encompassed by a fountain into which many visitors to Parliament Hill throw coins for luck.[3] That change is gathered, washed, dried and sorted by maintenance before it is put into a government bank account.[3] From there the money is given to the winner of the Centennial Flame Research Award.[5] The award, which was begun in 2005, is given "to a person with a disability to enable him or her to conduct research and prepare a report on the contributions of one or more Canadians with disabilities to the public life of Canada or the activities of Parliament."[5] The 2011 recipient, Andrew Morrison-Gurza, received $5,500.[6] The 2012 recipient, Andrew St. Kitts, was a Masters student with cerebral palsy who planned on using the $5,000 he received to research "attitudes of able-bodied Canadians when they see people like him."[3]
Because of the fire that burns above the water, the fountain does not freeze, even in the middle of the winter.[7]
The flame is often confused for an eternal flame; however, it does not burn eternally. It may sometimes be extinguished due to bad weather or for maintenance purposes.[8][9] In 2002, for example, during the G8 protest, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien decided to have the flame extinguished and the monument covered to avoid damage. It was covered by a welded steel lid attached to concrete.[9]
References
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