Seven Wonders of Canada

The Seven Wonders of Canada was a 2007 competition sponsored by CBC Television's The National and CBC Radio One's Sounds Like Canada. They sought to determine Canada's "seven wonders" by receiving nominations from viewers, and then from on-line voting of the short list. After the vote, a panel of judges, Ra McGuire, Roy MacGregor and Roberta L. Jamieson, picked the winners based on geographic and poetic criteria. Their seven picks were revealed on The National on June 7, 2007, making the official Seven Wonders of Canada, the Canoe, the Igloo, Niagara Falls, Old Quebec City, Pier 21 Halifax, Prairie Skies, and the Rockies. CBC anchor Peter Mansbridge commented on the top winner, “it’s hard to imagine Canada being Canada without the canoe. Explorers, missionaries, fur traders and First Nations—they’re all linked by this subtle and simple craft. To many, the quintessential Canadian experience begins by picking up a paddle. That’s why the canoe is one of the seven wonders” (Osler 2014). There were over 25,000 nominations and 1 million votes cast, according to the CBC website. The top audience votes were the Sleeping Giant, Niagara Falls, the Bay of Fundy, Nahanni National Park Reserve, the Northern Lights, the Rockies, and the Cabot Trail. The CBC website has a dedicated section for the Seven Wonders of Canada (https://www.cbc.ca/sevenwonders/index.html).

CBC's Seven Wonders of Canada

Image Nominee Location Province or territory Number of votes
The canoe 17,470
The igloo Northern Canada 11,082
Niagara Falls Niagara River Ontario 81,818
Old Quebec Quebec City Quebec 20,880
Pier 21 Halifax Nova Scotia 11,225
Prairie Skies Canadian Prairies 14,836
The Rockies Western Canada Alberta & British Columbia 55,630

Top seven in voting

Image Nominee Location Province or territory Number of votes
Sleeping Giant Thunder Bay Ontario 177,305
Niagara Falls Niagara River Ontario 81,818
Bay of Fundy Atlantic Canada New Brunswick & Nova Scotia 67,670
Nahanni National Park Reserve Northern Canada Northwest Territories 64,920
Northern Lights Northern Canada 61,417
The Rockies Western Canada Alberta & British Columbia 55,630
Cabot Trail Cape Breton Island Nova Scotia 44,073

Full voting results

Short list

Image Nominee Location Province or territory Number of votes
Cathedral Grove MacMillan Provincial Park British Columbia 21,472
CN Tower Toronto Ontario 26,740
Confederation Bridge Northumberland Strait Prince Edward Island & New Brunswick 27,791
Crooked Trees Thickwood Hills Saskatchewan 6,843
Cypress Hills Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park Saskatchewan & Alberta 10,535
Dawson City Yukon 4,846
Dempster Highway Northern Canada Yukon and Northwest Territories 4,538
Drumheller Red Deer River Alberta 31,828
Grand Beach Lake Winnipeg Manitoba 6,182
Gros Morne National Park Western Newfoundland Newfoundland & Labrador 41,034
Haida Gwaii – Queen Charlotte Islands Northwest British Columbia British Columbia 14,501
Hartland Covered Bridge Hartland New Brunswick 11,390
Ice Roads Northern Canada 14,650
L'Anse Amour – Village of Seven Labrador Newfoundland & Labrador 12,111
Library of Parliament Ottawa Ontario 7,411
Manicouagan Reservoir Northern Quebec Quebec 5,550
Manitoba Legislative Building Winnipeg Manitoba 3,650
Manitoulin Island Lake Huron Ontario 25,775
The Montreal bagel Montreal Quebec 3,981
Mount Thor Auyuittuq National Park Nunavut 5,750
Mum's House[1] Toronto Ontario 3,383
Museum of Civilization Gatineau Quebec 15,015
Narcisse Snake Dens Narcisse Manitoba 5,407
Nonosabasut Rock Grand Falls-Windsor Newfoundland & Labrador 8,563
Northwest Passage Arctic Canada 10,117
Number 5 Road Richmond British Columbia 2,343
Percé Rock Gaspé Quebec 10,417
Porcupine Caribou Herd Northern Canada 8,001
Rankin Inlet Inukshuk Rankin Inlet Nunavut 7,531
Rideau Canal Eastern Ontario Ontario 12,163
Saguenay Fjord Laurentian Highlands Quebec 7,590
Saugeen Shores sunsets Saugeen Shores Ontario 7,493
Singing Sands Beach Basin Head Prince Edward Island 8,232
Spiral Tunnels Canadian Rockies British Columbia 8,755
The Stanley Cup 19,581
Trans-Canada Highway 14,753
Tuktoyaktuk Pingos Tuktoyaktuk Northwest Territories 5,987
Vegreville egg Vegreville Alberta 5,444
Vimy Memorial Canada, France 15,462
Wreck Beach Pacific Spirit Regional Park British Columbia 7,143

See also

References

  1. ^ "Mum's House in Scarborough, Ontario". CBC. Retrieved 31 May 2021.

Sanford, Osler (2013). Canoe Crossings: Understanding the Craft that Helped Shape British Columbia. Heritage House Publishing, Victoria, British Columbia.

CBC website, Seven Wonders of Canada. https://www.cbc.ca/sevenwonders/index.html