OTTAWA, July 9, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Great Places in Canada is now entering week seven of its 2015 contest and there are some fantastic submissions so far! The most popular category is Public Space, with 8 nominations, three of which are from London, Ontario; Meadowlily Woods Environmentally Significant Area, Blackfriars Bridge and Labatt Memorial Park which currently leads in total votes. London has an amazing community following and the voting numbers have already entered the thousands! However, we're not even half-way through the contest so it's anybody's race yet.
The Abbey Centre (pictured) in Blackfalds, Alberta is proving itself to be a strong contender in the vote-count, sitting in second place. Bon Accord Memorial Rose Garden, also in Alberta, has a good community behind their nominee.
Grizzly Plaza in Revelstoke and Pemberton Downtown Community Barn represent British Columbia with their great public venues, and our first East Coast nominee, AA Macdonald Memorial Gardens, is located in Georgetown, PEI.
In the Neighbourhood category, there are two contenders to date. The first is Cobble Beach Golf Resort Community in Kemble, Ontario. Quartier Petit Champlain (Petit Champlain neighbourhood) in Québec City, has entered the race again to vie for the title of Great Neighbourhood which it was awarded in 2013.
Remember, with the exception of 2014 winners, places which have won in the past are eligible to be nominated again. Past nominees and finalists from any year are encouraged to put themselves back in contention for the title of Great Place. With free national exposure and an opportunity to re-create the community excitement it garnered the first time they nominated – there's nothing to lose!
The Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP), created the Great Places in Canada contest to engage Canadians in sharing their favourite places and to recognize the work accomplished by professional planners to make these places possible.
There are two ways to win:
1. Grand Prize Winner in each category is determined by a jury of professional planners, based on a variety of planning merits.
2. People's Choice goes to the place in each category with the most online votes.
Nominations can be submitted until September 3rd, 2015, but the earlier nominations are posted, the sooner they can start collecting votes. Voting closes September 24th, 2015. After the finalists are announced in October, the Grand Prize winners and People's Choice winners will be declared November 4th, 2015, in conjunction with World Town Planning Day.
Prizes are being provided by the contest's generous sponsors, VIA Rail Canada and Roots Canada. Communities in Bloom and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) are also providing invaluable support for this year's edition of Great Places in Canada.
Visit greatplacesincanada.ca to nominate and vote!
2014 Winners
Great Street - La rue du Petit-Champlain Québec, QC
Great Neighbourhood - Inglewood Calgary, AB
Great Public Space - Antigonish Town and County Library (The People's Place) Antigonish, NS
People's Choice
Street - La rue du Petit-Champlain Québec, QC
Neighbourhood - Old East Village London, ON
Public Space - McAdam Lake Campground on Waulklehegan Lake McAdam, NB
For winners from past years, visit www.greatplacesincanada.ca.
• Follow @GreatPlacesCA on Twitter #2015GPC
• Like our Great Places in Canada page on Facebook
Great Places in Canada is an annual contest hosted by CIP and it is now in its fifth year. The contest seeks to increase Canadians' awareness about the planning profession and the work of professional planners in Canada. Visit www.greatplacesincanada.ca for more information.
The Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) is the national voice of Canada's planning profession. Since 1919, CIP has been dedicated to the advancement of responsible planning throughout Canada. CIP has a membership of over 7,800 professional planners, and collaborates with provincial planning institutes and associations to promote professional standards, training and certification as well as best practices in planning across Canada. Visit www.cip-icu.ca.
VIA Rail Canada, as the national rail passenger service, provides efficient, environmentally sustainable and cost-effective passenger transportation to Canadian travellers, and service in both official languages. Every week VIA operates 503 intercity, transcontinental and regional trains linking 450 communities across its 12,500 kilometers route network. VIA transports over four million passengers annually. Please visit www.viarail.ca.
Roots Canada - Founded in 1973, Roots is Canada's leading lifestyle brand known for its quality leather goods, athletic apparel, accessories, and natural fiber clothing. In addition to its state-of-the-art factory and design centre in Toronto, Roots has 125 stores in Canada and the United States along with 100 retail locations in Asia. The core values that have always governed Roots are based on a commitment to active, healthy living, respect for the environment, community support and a passion for Canada. For more, visit www.roots.com.
Communities in Bloom is a Canadian non-profit organization committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification through community involvement and the challenge of a national program, with focus on the enhancement of green spaces. The pride, sense of community and feeling of accomplishment generated through participation are visible in communities across Canada. For more information about Communities in Bloom, visit www.communitiesinbloom.ca.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has been the national voice of municipal government since 1901. With over 2,000 members, FCM represents the interests of municipalities on policy and program matters that fall within federal jurisdiction. Members include Canada's largest cities, small urban and rural communities, and 19 provincial and territorial municipal associations. Visit www.fcm.ca.
For higher resolution images or more photos of nominations contact:
Kelly McTavish
kmctavish@cip-icu.ca
613-237-7526 x507
(800) 207-2138
A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=34360
