Canadian Rivers Day
Encyclopedia
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to honour and commemorate the important sustaining role of rivers in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and globally. Participating in rivers day helps to spread the message that rivers are vital to maintain a healthy ocean and a healthy earth. Canadian Rivers day helps raise awareness of the splendor of rivers and their value to our land.
History
On June 21, 2002, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Sheila CoppsSheila Copps
Sheila Maureen Copps, PC is a former Canadian politician who also served as Deputy Prime Minister of Canada from November 4, 1993 to April 30, 1996 and June 19, 1996 to June 11, 1997....
, signed a Ministerial Proclamation to declare that the second Sunday of June would be celebrated annually as Canadian Rivers Day.See the article In British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canadians had already been celebrating BC Rivers Day(founded by Mark Angelo
Mark Angelo
Mark Angelo, hails from Burnaby, British Columbia and is an internationally-celebrated river conservationist, writer, speaker, teacher and paddler. He is the founder and chair of both BC Rivers Day and World Rivers Day, an event now embraced by millions of people in more than 60 countries...
) for over two decades and the day is now the largest rivers-related event in North America.http://www.riversday.bcit.ca/ In fact it was such a hit in BC that there is now a World Rivers Day
World Rivers Day
is a global celebration of the world's waterways, observed every last Sunday in September. Established in 2005, it highlights the many values of rivers and strives to increase public awareness while encouraging the improved stewardship of rivers around the world...
See the website which was first announced on June 29, 2005 and is now celebrated annually on the last Sunday of September.
Among the groups calling for an annual Canadian Rivers Day was the Canadian Heritage Rivers Board, comprising representatives from the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
and all the provincial and territorial governments. Delegates to the 2001 Canadian Rivers Heritage Conference unanimously endorsed the same concept.