The
Centennial Flame is a symbolic flame that forms
the central element of a fountain, itself
located symmetrically in the walkway between the Queen's Gates and the Peace Tower
on Parliament Hill
, in Ottawa
, Ontario
.
Lit by then
Prime Minister of
Canada Lester B. Pearson on
New
Year's Eve 1966, to officially inaugurate the
Canadian Centennial celebrations, the
flame is fed by a natural gas jet that sits under a metal dome
depicting the centennial year logo: a stylised
maple leaf. The flame, however, is not
an eternal one, as it is routinely
extinguished during inclement weather or for cleaning, and
relit.
The fountain's water runs from beneath the
coats of arms for each of the
provinces and territories of
Canada as they existed in 1966, into a moat surrounded by a
wall that lists the year each province and territory joined the
Canadian Confederation in Canada.
References