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Canadian National Exhibition

Coordinates: 43°38′0″N 79°25′0″W / 43.63333°N 79.41667°W / 43.63333; -79.41667
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Canadian National Exhibition
The CNE on August 31, 2008
GenreAgricultural and entertainment
Datesmid-August to Labour Day
Location(s)Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario
Years active133
Founded1879
Attendance1.3 million
Websitewww.theex.com

Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the 18 days leading up to and including Labour Day Monday. With an attendance of approximately 1.3 million visitors each season, it is Canada’s largest fair and the fifth largest in North America. Established in 1879, the CNE’s roots are in agriculture, which still plays a key role in the fair today.

About the CNE

The CNE is held at Exhibition Place, which is a 192-acre site located along Toronto’s waterfront and minutes from downtown. The site features several buildings—many of which have been named significant under the Ontario Heritage Act -- roads named after the Canadian provinces and territories, parks, fountains, plazas, a rose garden, statues and parking lots. The fair itself consists of a variety of pavilions, exhibits, shows, concerts, a working farm, horse show, casino, and a large carnival midway with rides, games and food. To many people in the Greater Toronto Area and the surroundings communities, the CNE is an annual family tradition.

2011 CNE programs included: Aerial Acrobatics & Ice Skating Show, Bandshell Stage concerts, President's Choice SuperDogs Show, FLOWRIDER Splash Zone, At Home Pavilion Celebrity Stage, Kids' World, Kiddie Midway, Rising Star Youth Talent Competition, Horse Show, International Stage, The Garden Show, Ken Jen Petting Zoo, costumed characters, The Farm, rock sculptures, butter sculptures, sand sculptures, daily Mardi Gras parade, RibFest, the Food Building and the Canadian International Air Show.

Economic Impact

An Economic, Education and Social Benefits study conducted by Enigma Research Corporation in 2008, reports that the CNE generates an estimated $52.5 million for the city of Toronto and $71.4 million for the province of Ontario each year. The study also reveals that the 2008 CNE attracted more than 160,000 out-of-town visitors to the city and that fair-related hiring creates an equivalent of 579 full-year jobs in the region.

This national research initiative, commissioned by the Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions (C.A.F.E.), was conducted at 20 fairs of varying sizes throughout Canada in 2008. A total of 1,200 people were interviewed during the 2008 Canadian National Exhibition alone.

Other highlights of the research include:

  • Local residents spend $45.7 million related to the CNE
  • The CNE is an important cultural and community tradition to attendees
  • Visitors recall and appreciate the support of the CNE’s corporate sponsors
  • Agriculture and farming heritage are important to attendees
  • The CNE provides attractive offerings for all ages

The CNE works with several organizations to promote tourism to the Greater Toronto Area and the province of Ontario, including: Festivals and Events Ontario, Tourism Toronto, Attractions Ontario, the American Bus Association and the Ontario Motor Coach Association.

Environmental Initiatives

“Overall, the Canadian National Exhibition can likely be cited as the greenest fair in North America, having re-cycled 77.3% of solid waste (1,228,120 kg or 558, 236 lbs was diverted) during the 18 days of the 2009 fair.”[1]

In 2010, the Canadian National Exhibition became the first fair in North America and the first large-scale event on the continent to receive EcoLogo certification, one of North America’s largest and most respected environmental standard and certification marks. EcoLogo certification is based on stringent criteria that examine the entire lifecycle of a product and the CNE’s success in achieving this honour formally recognizes the fair as an environmental leader. (Canadian National Exhibition is EcoLogo™ - Certified to Events CCD-095.)

Governance and Organizational Structure

The Canadian National Exhibition is governed by the Canadian National Exhibition Association (CNEA) and its volunteer Board of Directors. The CNEA is governed and operated under the jurisdiction of the Canadian National Exhibition Association Act of 1983 as amended by the Statutes of Ontario in 1999 and the Province of Ontario Agricultural and Horticultural Organizations Act of 1988.

The CNEA is a provincially chartered association that resides on a municipal site. Through various agreements with the City of Toronto, including the current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the CNE receives administrative, financial and operational services from Exhibition Place. The MOU provides for the use of the buildings and grounds for the annual CNE.

The CNEA has over 125-member individuals and associations representing each of the following sectors: Municipal, Manufacturers and Industry, Agriculture, and General and Liberal Arts. Member associations appoint a representative to the CNEA and approximately 15 members are appointed directly by the CNEA from the community-at-large. Each year a Board of Directors is elected from this membership, giving equal representation to each section. Six representatives of the Municipal section are appointed by Toronto City Council.

History

CNE poster for Canada's Victory Celebration, 1919

Prior to the CNE, a major agricultural fair was held in a different city every year in the province of Ontario. In 1878, Toronto hosted the fair, and it was a major success with over 100,000 visitors. Based on the success, local politicians and business groups lobbied for a permanent summer fair to be held yearly in Toronto. This was fought by other Ontario communities that feared the loss of business from having to compete with a major fair. The travelling fair allowed rural communities to get exposure that they would not normally have had.

The Toronto operators won and the first "permanent" fair was held in 1879 as the Toronto Industrial Exhibition at what is now Exhibition Place. The current grounds from the Gardiner Expressway (north end), to Lakeshore Boulevard (south end), and from Strachan Avenue (east end), to the Dominion Gates (west end), Exhibition Place covers 196.6 acres (0.796 km2) of land. During the CNE, when all parking areas are included, such as the Gore Lot, Marilyn Bell Park, Coronation Park and Battery Park, the size of Exhibition Place swells to 260 acres (1.1 km2).

Early CNE midway sign

In 1937 Patty Conklin of Conklin Shows was awarded the contract for the CNE midway and his company continued to provide this service to the CNE until 2004, at which point it merged with other leading midway operators to form North American Midway Entertainment (NAME). Thomas and Doris Green were responsible for introduing cotton candy and ice cream on stick rolled in nuts to the CNE. The Green Family operated several refreshment stands throughout the CNE until 1987. Doris Green provided the funding to put the electricity under ground to the middle of the midway for refreshment stands outside the horse palace.

The CNE was not held between 1942 and 1946, when the land and its facilities were turned over to the Department of National Defence as a training ground. After World War II, it was used as a demobilization centre.

On August 22, 1952 at 2:30 PM local time, the CBC tested television broadcasting by airing the opening of the 73rd Canadian National Exhibition. This was the first ever (unofficial) broadcast in Canadian television history.

Over the years the CNE has changed extensively to meet the needs of the growing and changing demographics of Toronto and Southern Ontario.

The Post-War Years and Modernization of the Fair

The CNE resumed in 1947, as the Canadian military returned the grounds back to its civilian administrators. Soon, the CNE turned away from a provincial, agricultural focus, and moved towards an increasingly modern, cosmopolitan look and feel.

Images

Recent history

Having celebrated its 125th anniversary in the summer of 2003 (even though hampered by the 2003 blackout), "The Ex" - as it is also popularly known — offers a wide variety of entertainment and events, midway rides, a working farm, parades, sports, international food and shopping, Kids' World and a three-day air show, Canadian International Air Show. The CNE is a provincially incorporated Agricultural Society and also fulfills a key program of Exhibition Place, a local board of management of the City of Toronto. The fair traditionally operates during the 18 days leading up to and including Labour Day Monday (the first Monday in September).

In the 1990s the annual fair suffered from deficits, but since 1999 it appears to have rebounded in popularity and has returned to financial stability. A 2003 Economic Impact Study conducted by Festivals and Events Ontario and the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership (OTMP) revealed that the CNE attracted more than $48 million to the City of Toronto and more than $66 million to the province of Ontario.

List of buildings at the CNE

Main article: Exhibition Place

See also

Other annual fairs

Notes

  1. ^ Matt's Carnival Warehouse: http://www.carnivalwarehouse.com/brnews/newsarticle.asp?ID=243

References

  • Avigdor, Jeanine. 1994. The Scadding Cabin, 1794: Toronto's Oldest House. The York Pioneer and Historical Society. ISBN 0-9698404-0-3.
  • Once Upon a Century: 100 Year History of The "Ex". 1978. Ed: John Withrow. J.H. Robinson Publishing Ltd.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to CNE.
Wikinews has related news:
Multimedia
  • CBC Archives Patty Conklin gives a tour of the CNE with CBC Radio (1958)
  • CBC Archives CBC Television story about Patty Conklin in 1971 as he helps setup the CNE.
Webpages

43°38′0″N 79°25′0″W / 43.63333°N 79.41667°W / 43.63333; -79.41667

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