Who will win this year's Great Places in Canada contest? The nominations are in and the race is on

TORONTO, Sept. 4, 2013 /CNW/ - There are 68 locations competing to be one of this year's Great Places in Canada. With nominations now closed, voters across the country have another three weeks to vote for their favourite contenders.

One winner in each category - Great Neighbourhoods, Great Streets and Great Public Spaces - will be selected by a panel of experts based on both popularity and planning excellence. As well, three People's Choice Awards will be decided strictly on the number of online votes.

British Columbia has the highest number of nominations at 27, followed by Ontario with 13, New Brunswick and Alberta each with 8, Nova Scotia with 3, Northwest Territories, Quebec and Saskatchewan each with 2, and Manitoba, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador with 1 nomination each.

So far in the Great Public Spaces category, the leading vote-getter is Riverside Park in Cambridge, ON. In second spot is McAdam Train Station in McAdam, NB, narrowly ahead of third-place St John City Market in St John, NB.

In the category of Great Streets, Lacombe's Historic Main Street in Lacombe, AB is ahead in votes, with Bernard Avenue in Kelowna, BC not far behind. Courthouse Square in Goderich, ON is currently third.

Old South/ Wortley Village in London, ON is currently dominating the Great Neighbourhoods category with the greatest number of votes. St. Jacobs, ON is second, and Cookstown, ON is in the third spot.

Voting will remain open until 12:00 midnight, Pacific Standard Time, on September 23, 2013. Go to www.GreatPlacesInCanada.ca and vote before the deadline.

Here are the nominees for the 2013 Great Places in Canada competition:

Great Public Spaces	Kootenay Lake, Nelson, BC	Great Streets
Riverside Park, Cambridge, ON	Penticton Downtown Market, Penticton, BC	Portage and Main, Winnipeg, MB
Rideau Canal, Ottawa, ON	Granville Island, Vancouver, BC	Lacombe's Historic Main Street, Lacombe, AB
Withrow Park, Toronto, ON	Kalamalka Lake, Okanagan, BC	104 Street Promenade, Edmonton, AB
The Distillery District, Toronto, ON	The International Summer Night Market, Richmond, BC	Saint Catherine Street, Montreal, QC
Civic Square, Kitchener, ON	Lake Koocanusa, Lake Koocanusa, BC	Malahat Drive, Vancouver Island, BC
Mary Lake / Port Sydney Beach, Port Sydney, ON	Nanaimo Harbour, Nanaimo, BC	Bernard Avenue, Kelowna, BC
Prince Arthur's Landing, Thunder Bay, ON	Seawall, Nanaimo, BC	Beacon Avenue, Sidney, BC
Riverside Park, Guelph, ON	Manuels River Trail and Hibernia Interpretation Centre, Conception Bay South, NL	224th Street and Peace Park, Maple Ridge, BC
Ramsey Lake/Bell Park, Sudbury, ON	Somba K'e Civic Plaza, Yellowknife, NT	Courthouse Square, Goderich, ON
River Landing, Saskatoon, SK	Blanchett Islands, Great Slave Lake, NT	King Street, Fredericton, NB
Meewasin Valley, Saskatoon, SK	Victoria Park, Truro, NS	Great Neighbourhoods
English Bay Beach, Vancouver, BC	Port Hood Beaches, Port Hood, NS	St. Jacobs, ON
Rocky Point Park, Port Moody, BC	Saint John City Market, Saint John, NB	Wortley Village, London, ON
Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, BC	McAdam Train Station, McAdam, NB	Cookstown,ON
A-Maze-ing Laughter Sculptures at Morton Park, English Bay, BC	Carleton Park, Fredericton, NB	Steveston Fishing Village, Richmond, BC
Victoria's Inner Harbour, Victoria, BC	Cape Jourimain Nature Centre, Bayfield, NB	Lynn Valley, North Vancouver, BC
Confederation Park, Port Coquitlam, BC	Parlee Beach Provincial Park, Pointe-du-Chene, NB	Kitsilano, Vancouver, BC
South Dyke Trail, Richmond, BC	Ministers Island, Chamcook, NB	Clare, Digby County, NS
Fraser River Heritage Park, Mission, BC	The Plain of Six Glaciers, Lake Louise, AB.	Lachine, Montreal, QC
Rotary Seawalk, Campbell River, BC	Muskoseepi Park, Grande Prairie, AB	Old Strathcona, Edmonton, AB
Emery Barnes Park, Vancouver, BC	The Red Deer Public Market, Red Deer, AB	Kensington Business Revitalization Zone, Calgary, AB
The White Rock Pier, White Rock, BC	The High Level Bridge, Edmonton, AB	Keswick Ridge, Frederiction, NB
Centennial Way, Peachland, BC	Greenwich National Park, PEI

"Canadians are passionate about their favorite places, and votes are coming in from every part of the country. This is when the race really gets exciting as communities get behind their nominated locations, each vying to be named one of Canada's Great Places," says Michael Gordon, President of the Canadian Institute of Planners which hosts the annual contest.

The winners will be announced on World Town Planning Day, November 8, 2013.

Follow Great Places in Canada on Facebook and @GreatPlacesCA on Twitter for regular updates.

 

SOURCE: Canadian Institute of Planners

For further information, visit www.GreatPlacesInCanada.ca or contact:

Nathalie Khouri
[email protected]
416-777-0368