Ontario Gets A Bath Toy For Canada Day

The Ontario government brings in The World's Largest Rubber Duck to tour the province for Canada Day

giant rubber duck ontario
Publicist

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giant rubber duck ontario

In celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday, the Ontario government has appointed The World’s Largest Rubber Duck as the celebration mascot. This colossal bath toy is intended to as a tourist attraction for Ontario, and is being marketed as the ultimate Instagram selfie.  

This six-storey ducky will be brought to Toronto by the Redpath Waterfront Festival from July 1st-3rd, and will continue its journey around Ontario until August 13th. The 13,600-kilogram toy will not be the only attraction at the festival, however, as patrons can enjoy a series of family-oriented activities such as: musical performances, a lumberjack show, and a tour of a navy warship.

But, this attraction has many quacking about, as the Ontario government has offered a grant of $120,000 to the giant duck.

The Progressive Conservative party has been especially critical of the matter, questioning the amount of money invested in bringing in the novelty attraction. The Tories have also questioned the significance of the duck, citing that the bath toy has no significance to Canadian identity.

Tourism Minister Eleanor McMahon was quick to defend the giant rubber duck, stating that the attraction is intended to be fun and quirky, and will bring visitors to smaller areas around Ontario. Co-producer of the festival, Lea Parrell also said a more patriotic display would have cost an astronomical amount to create, and a gigantic novelty toy is a unique display for Canada Day.

The giant ducky is a replica of Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s original masterpiece. The colossal bath toy is owned by an American man, and has been on a worldwide since 2007, although it has yet to make its way to Canada.  

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