This story is featured in our Episode 40
They radiate energy and enthusiasm – two friends who created a unique idea which they conceived of three years ago and which has found so much support and interest in Canada that it became a reality. There are three of them – two Polish Canadians Ela Kinowska and Peter Sobierajski and the red couch with the Canada 150 logo on it. The three will travel across our vast country which this year celebrates its 150th birthday. Those who are invited to sit on it, share their stories which reflect the incredible mosaic of the Canadian society from coast to coast to coast. I sat on the red couch in the Polish Consulate in Toronto sharing my story and then the roles reversed – Ela and Peter told me the story of the Red Couch Tour.
The Red Couch Tour is a Canada 150 Fund Signature Initiative led by ELPIO Production.
The Tour is a cross-country road show that in 2017 will invite Canadians, wherever they live, to sit down on our red couch and, with cameras rolling, and say what Canada means to them. Guests will include the famous and not-so-famous, and will number in the hundreds.
It started rolling in March 2017, with a trip through the Canadian North, and continue in June and July with an eight-week national tour from Newfoundland to British Columbia in an RV. The general public will be able to track our progress live online.
THE NORTH:
The result – a video of the Red Couch Tour testimonies – will be posted on YouTube and promoted on social media. The project’s website will also host a digital mosaic of photographs taken during the tour, showcasing people we met on the journey, a portrait of contemporary Canada.
The Red Couch Tour is one of 38 signature projects selected by the Federal Government of Canada, out of 387 expressions of interest, to create opportunities for Canadians to participate in celebrations that will help build a sense of pride and attachment to Canada on its 150th anniversary.
The Red Couch Tour on Facebook