Just Try

Photo AP

That’s Trafalgar Square. Yes, the famous one, with Nelson, the pigeons… and the Canadian Embassy.

WOW! Can you believe the change? It’s just staggering. They’ve actually had the nerve to cover the pride of the British Empire in grass! But don't worry, it'll be gone in two days.

Talk about creativity. Who on earth could have come up with the crazy idea, it’s just beyond belief. Isn’t it just so cool! Imagine walking down The Strand to have a chat with Nelson and ending up… on a big green field covered in lawn chairs!

Imagine how nice it would be to pull off something like that in Ottawa. The possibilities are just endless. We could construct a giant swimming pool on Wellington St. (more likely a giant hockey rink), or put up a roller coaster on Majors Hill Park, and maybe we could even dump some colouring in the Canal to make the water pink (it’s not like any fish would be harmed, they’re already all dead).

But don’t count on it. After all, Ottawa is Ottawa, and the city would far prefer staying a “happy and modest” little capital to a dirty, dangerous and mean place like London. Well, maybe they’d consider painting a sidewalk or two dark Grey, if the federal government paid, but not much more.

I don’t totally disapprove of this modest mentality. After all, Canada is a modest little country so it’s fitting that its capital should try to reflect this temperament. But Ottawa just takes it too far, I mean, they won’t try anything! Sure, turning the Canal pink may offend a few people , and building a giant swimming pool on Wellington may disrupt traffic, but what about the fun and excitement it would generate, what about the culture, the buzz.

Ottawa shouldn’t try to become a world class city, because it will fail. But it should still aim to generate a minimum of excitement, some youth and vigour. It should make people curious and interested. It’s not about being bold for the sake of being bold, only contemporary artists believe in that. It’s really about creating a capital that reflects the Canadian reality, not only by being friendly, modest and green, but also by being progressive, enterprising and creative.