Top 10 Largest Canadian Landmarks: The Good, the Big & the Ugly.
Editor’s note: this post originally appeared in May 2017, as part of our Canada 150 blog posts in celebration of our nation’s sesquicentennial.
The largest landmarks in Canada are wonderful, weird, wacky and whopping! Whether they’re worth a visit, is up to you.
We “big up” Canada with a whimsical look at its massive monuments across our great land.
1. Totem Pole, Alert Bay, BC
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At a soaring 52.7 metres (173 feet) tall, this totem pole, located in the small town of Alert Bay, is something to behold. You wouldn’t expect its illustrious title to be so contentious, but towering totems Stateside also lay claim to the being world’s tallest. The figures on the pole represent the various tribes of the Kwakwaka’wakw people, indigenous to the Pacific Northwest coast and the traditional makers of totem poles. (This is not to be confused with college basketball player Jakub Kusmieruk from Poland, who is, in fact, the world’s tallest Pole.)
2. Tyrannosaurus Rex, Drumheller, AB
The T-Rex once ruled what is now Alberta. As the undisputed World’s Largest Dinosaur, it stands at a mighty 6.1 metres (35 feet). Drumheller also features a whole herd of dinosaurs (we had to Google what to call the collective noun!) There are about 30 of them scattered across Drumheller, after the attractions park they belonged to closed down. She was unveiled on July 1st, Canada Day, 1960. The Dinosaur Capital of the World, Drumheller is also worth a visit to experience its unique Badlands scenery. Make sure you T-Rext all your friends the photos you take.
3. World’s Largest Paper Clip, Kipling, SK
The town of Kipling may be small, but it keeps it together with a big claim to fame. According to Guiness World Records, Kipling is home to the “World’s Largest Paper Clip.” At 15′ 2″ tall, over 45 feet long and weighing 3043 lbs of steel, this landmark certainly holds it together and stacks up to the rest.
Honourable mention: Giant Honeybee, Tisdale SK.
Tisdale is the honey capital of Saskatchewan, producing 10% of Canada’s honey. So what better way to commemorate the town’s economic contributions than with a huge honey bee? Honey, comb through a map and grab your hive to visit this un-bee-lievably big monument that’s created quite a buzz.
4. Van Gogh’s Sunflowers on Easel, Altona, MB
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This giant version of the famous painting is 7.3 metres (24 feet) wide and 9.8 metres (32 feet) high. The massive easel it is perched on is an incredible 24.4 metres (80 feet) tall and weighs a whopping 30,000 pounds. Altona is the Sunflower of Canada, making it the perfect home for this installation by Cameron Cross.
5. Big Nickel, Sudbury, ON
Probably the country’s most well-known giant icon, the Big Nickel is a giant replica of a Canadian 5-cent coin. The Big Nickel is located at Science North, outside its Dynamic Earth exhibition. To make your visit there more worthwhile, stop in for a visit. Dynamic Earth is devoted to Sudbury’s main industry, mining. Step into the boots of a miner and delve down deep into the earth’s core where minerals like copper, and of course nickel, are mined. Since we can no longer give you our two-cents worth, take our five-cents and visit.
6. Orange, Montreal, QC
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What else do you think of, when you think of Quebec’s biggest city, other than a giant orange? While the connection is not exactly obvious, it’s a nostalgic icon for Montrealers. The 12.2 metre (40 feet) Gibeau Orange Julep sits along the highway, serving fast food since 1932. Orange-you glad we told you about this?
7. Lobster, Shediac, NB
The New Brunswick fishing village of Shediac is known as the Lobster Capital of the World. It also boasts the esteemed title of home to the World’s Largest Lobster. This lifelike (apart from size, of course) creation is a whopping 11 metres (35 feet) long and weighs 90 tonnes. Unfortunately, there is no giant butter or lemon monument nearby, which might make hungry visitors crabby.
8. The Big Fiddle, Sydney, NS
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Another Canadian monument that boasts the title of World’s Biggest. Famous for its traditional fiddle music, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia is home to the World’s Largest Fiddle. We’re not stringing you along. It’s a title that is music to the ears of Nova Scotians.
9. World’s Largest Axe – Nackawic, NB
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The soaring, 15-metre, 55-tonne axe is the world’s biggest and while it doesn’t have a Guinness Record, we think it should make the ‘cut.’
Honourable mention: Potato, O’Leary, PEI
Speaking of making the cut, this one almost did so PEI could appear on the list. Prince Edward Island is known for many things: Anne of Green Gables, red sand beaches, and potatoes. So what better place to showcase a giant potato, than at Canada’s only potato museum? Their towering tuber stands 4.3 metres (14 feet) high and 7 feet (2.1 metres) in diameter. That’s a lot of potato chips. When in picturesque PEI, the Potato Museum’s giant russet is sure to catch your “eye.”
10. Mac The Moose, Moose Jaw, SK
Just call him “Big Mac.” Located at Moose Jaw’s visitors’ centre, he lost his title as World’s Largest Moose, but it’s still believed he’s North America’s biggest and most beloved. Find him at the corner of E Thatcher Drive and the Trans-Canada Highway. Mac stands at 9.8 m (32 feet) tall and weighs approximately 10,000 kg (10 tonnes.) Wow!
Honourable mention: Giant Moose, Newfoundland
Or should we say, “meese”? There are two giant moose statues in Newfoundland, erected n the towns of Howley and Goobies, respectively. The first moose introduced to the island of Newfoundland was released in Howley around 1904. This 3.5 metre tall (11.5 feet), 10-tonne moose commemorates this. Newfoundland has the highest moose population density in North America, so the fine folks in the town of Goobies erected a mighty moose, as both a tourist attraction and to bring awareness to drivers of these gentle giants crossing highways.
There you have it folks, we are a big country filled with big monuments. Not to mention, big-hearted people as well.
Isn’t it time to focus on Canada? Or, focus yuor gaze outward on its larger-than-life offerings!
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About the Author
Alyssa Daniells Equipped with good grammar, a laptop and sense of humour, Alyssa curiously explores the world, whether it involves traversing oceans to anything historic, artistic or beautiful, or crossing the street for a dark roasted coffee refuel. Curating and creating compelling content (and the occasional alliteration!) is something she loves. Her phone storage is almost at capacity due to countless photos of Toronto, her toddler and other people's pets.
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