Canada Day 2018

Here at Westeck Windows and Doors, we want to take the opportunity to wish all of our faithful online readers a Happy Canada Day on July 1! As we have been providing custom window and door products for nearly 20 years – first in British Columbia, then in Alberta, and now Washington State as well – many of our followers are from all over North America as well as throughout the world.

No birthday celebration would be complete without bragging a little, so we would like take a moment to share with you some interesting facts about Canada, as well as the cities we serve!

Canada became a country on July 1, 1867 when the British Parliament passed the British North America Act. The Act was signed by Queen Victoria, who was Queen Elizabeth II’s great great grandmother.

Some famous Canadian celebrities and artists include: Emily Carr, Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, Michael Bublé, James Cameron, William Shatner, Leonard Cohen, Ryan Reynolds, Keanu Reeves, Jim Carrey, Justin Bieber, Seth Rogan, Donald Sutherland, Alex Tribek, Ryan Gosling, Neil Young, Sarah McLachlan, Michael J. Fox, Mike Myers, Pamela Anderson and many, many more.

If you ask a Canadian, they are likely to believe we have more musicians and actors per capita than any other country in the world.

The population of Canada is 36,946,080 people and the country is extremely multicultural, with only 11,135,965 people identifying “Canadian” as their primary ethnicity. Other nationalities that are well represented in Canada include French, English, Chinese, Indian, Ukrainian, and First Nations.

And we’re smart, too! Insulin, the lightbulb, basketball, the zipper, and the pacemaker were all invented by Canadians.

Poutine is a dish originating from the Canadian province of Quebec, consisting of French fries and cheese curds topped with a brown gravy.

Elephant Ears: Also known as fry dough, fry bread (bannock), beaver tails, fried bread, doughboys, scones, pizza fritte, frying saucers, and buñuelos (in the case of smaller pieces), it is traditionally made from leftover bread dough and pan-fried, as opposed to deep-fried.

Nanaimo Bars: Those custardy chocolate squares are so popular and delicious you really need to read more about their history here.

Kelowna: Kelowna is named after the Interior Salish First Nation’s word for “grizzly bear”.

Chilliwack: Patrick Gallagher, the actor from Glee, True Blood and Night At The Museum, graduated from Chilliwack Senior Secondary. Many “Chilliwackians” are also very proud to remember that Bryan Adams’s Summer of ’69 music video was filmed at the now-extinct Chilliwack Drive-In.

Vancouver: Vancouver was recently ranked as the third most “livable place in the world” for its high standard of living and quality of life, while it is also ranked as the 10th cleanest city in the world. Vancouver has the 4th largest cruise ship terminal in the world, and is well remembered for hosting Expo ’86 as well as being a co-host to the Vancouver-Whistler 2010 Olympics.

Victoria: With its perfect growing climate, Victoria is known internationally as the City of Gardens. Friendly is an understatement: Victoria has been named both the Most Romantic City in Canada (five years running) and one of the top 15 friendliest cities in the world.

Nanaimo: Nanaimo is the Bathtub Racing capital of the world, as well as the best place to get those original Nanaimo Bars we mentioned earlier.

So Happy Canada Day from all of us at Westeck!

Whether you find yourself taking in the festivities, or preferring a quiet night at home, we wish you all the best for a safe and fun celebration. And to all our readers across the globe, we hope you’ve learned something interesting and intriguing about our great country!