The proposal, which will go before the finance and economic development committee on Tuesday, includes several initiatives to drum up tourism in the region. These include:
- A tourism brochure highlighting the anniversary and major locations and events ($5,000);
- Working with the BIAs to have local eateries cook food eaten in the time de Champlain travelled, and making a neighbourhood booklet listing these restaurants ($2,500);
- Using the Discover Ottawa app to list events related to the 400th anniversary (no cost allocated);
- Seeking sponsorship opportunities from community groups (no cost allocated).
Other initiatives proposed include art and video contests, adding a 400th anniversary landing page to the City of Ottawa website, and $5,000 to be set aside for any new proposals that might be brought forward from the community.
De Champlain, the city noted, is "an important historical figure of Canadian history. (He) was an explorer, geographer and experienced cartographer who helped colonize Acadia and subsequently founded Quebec City in 1608."
He left Montreal in May 1613 in search of a western sea. His travels took him along the Ottawa River to the present-day location of Ottawa. With assistance of Algonquin guides in the region, he was the first non-aboriginal to map the area. He also returned to the Ottawa area in 1615.
De Champlain is commemorated in several areas of the region, most notably in the form of a statue on Nepean Point and the Champlain Bridge that connects Ottawa and Gatineau.
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