According to this story from La Presse, L'International des feux Loto-Québec is among a series of major events (along with Les Nuits D'Afrique and DiversCité) which are no longer sponsored by the federal government since the program is managed by Industry Canada:

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/arts/theatre-humour-danse/festivals/200907/2 9/01-888333-des-refus-qui-inquietent.php

Fred

I don't think the Montreal fireworks competition has received any federal sponsorship for several years now. Certainly there is no mention made on the official site and list of partners and sponsors. I believe that there was some interim federal funding available around the 2000 timeframe when tobacco sponsorship was banned in Canada - but I think this was only available for three years. I searched but didn't find much about this, apart from the parliamentary hearings in the late 1990s which talked about the impact of tobacco sponsorship (these make fascinating reading, btw, as the tobacco companies claimed that their sponsorship of high profile events like the fireworks etc. had no measurable impact on their sales!!).

I'll try and find out more about this story but I have a feeling that there has been no federal money for several years now (though the provincial government has provided funding through the ministry of tourism and, of course, Loto Quebec is an arm of the Quebec government).

Paul.

Paul, don't forget that the grandstands are named "Place du Canada". We have to go back in the mid-90s, just after the referendum, to find the origin of this, following a federal sponsorship from Attractions Canada. The Minirail was painted with the name of the Canadian provinces at that time, and La Spirale featured the word "Canada" along the tower as well. Though the name "Place du Canada" is always at the entrance of the grandstands, La Ronde press releases call it "Place de l'Animation" (the original name). It is possible that La Ronde did a new request this year to renew the federal sponsorship.

Another explanation would be a mistake in La Presse story. The competition which has requested this sponsorship may be Hull (Gatineau) one, also sponsored by Loto-Québec and whose website announced Canadian Heritage among its sponsors:

http://www.feux.qc.ca/commanditaires.htm

Fred

Fred,

I think the latter explanation is the most likely. During the mid 1990s the Société du parc des Îles ran La Ronde and needed as much help as they could get to cover the costs (which is why the park was leased to Six Flags). At the time of the "branding" scandal (and the concept is scandalous as I live in a country - not as a consumer of a corporation) various renamings took place - including branding of the boomerang with a Quebec flag and logo.

I believe the paintings of the minirail dated back to Expo 67 and were only updated after Six Flags took over.

I would be surprised if Industry Canada did sponsor La Ronde now as it is the corporate asset of Six Flags whereas the Casino de Lac Leamey is essentially part of a crown corporation (which is just another branch of the governement - in the case of Loto Quebec it is a provincial corporation - though somehow all the lottery companies are linked together).

Incidentally, Pierre Bibeau used to run Société du parc des Îles and now is in the sponsorship department of Loto Quebec - so there is interesting continuity in the relationships at La Ronde and, particularly, the fireworks competition.

The Montreal competition's partners and sponsors list is on some of the press releases. For example:

Sponsors and partners
L'International des Feux Loto-Québec, presented by TELUS, offers heartfelt thanks to their inestimable sponsors and partners: primary sponsor Loto-Québec; presenting sponsor TELUS; collaborative sponsors SAQ, National Bank Financial Group; associate partner Québec Ministry of Tourism; official suppliers Marriott Château Champlain, Belle Gueule, Agropur's Fine Cheeses Division and Thomas Marine Group; media partners TVA and Journal de Montréal; and, official event broadcaster Rythme FM.

“L'International is a community event as popular as it is spectacular. We are indeed proud to include it in our Les Rendez-vous Loto-Québec sponsorship program. For in so doing, we provide Montréalers with premium quality entertainment which most are able to enjoy free of charge!” stated Pierre Bibeau, Senior Corporate Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs with Loto Québec."

Paul.