A record number of municipalities, cities and towns will participate in the 2001 Communities in Bloom (CIB), Canada’s contest of the improvement of quality of life through beautification, community involvement, environmental awareness and heritage conservation.

     Over 100 Canadian municipalities, the largest number of entries in CIB’s seven-year history, will prepare for the National Judges’ visit this summer. An additional 14 municipalities entered the International Challenge, with cities, towns and villages from Japan, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, (including a special International exchange with Japan). The provincial CIB program will also see participation this summer from hundreds of communities of all sizes in the provinces and territories across Canada.

     Qualified CIB judges visit and evaluate each entrant on its overall tidiness, urban forestry, landscapes, floral displays, turf areas, environmental effort, heritage conservation and com­munity involvement.

     Winning CIB communities will be recognized at the National Awards Ceremony, to be hosted this year by Greater Saint John, NB, September 21 to 22. The National Symposium on Parks and Grounds will be held in conjunction with the CIB awards ceremony on September 20 to 21, with educational presentations and workshops on topics of interest to participants.

     The Bloom and Garden Tours of Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Tourism Commission and Tours Chanteclerc, combine the worldwide interest in gardening with the growing demand for travel to Canada. Four exciting and educational Bloom and Garden Tour Itineraries feature “Canada’s Most Beautiful Sights,” including public, private, botanical gardens and natural locations. Four to five CIB communities are featured on the Bloom and Garden Tours.

     Winter Lights Celebrations, CIB’s newest program, will be launched at the National Awards Ceremony. Based on a similar participation formula as the CIB program, judges will visit Winter Celebrations across Canada and provide evaluations on the visual presentations of creative lighting and adornments, and community festivals and exhibits. Winners will be announced at the National Capital Commission’s Winterlude Festival in Ottawa, February 2002.

     For further information on CIB, America In Bloom, The National Parks and Grounds Symposium, The Bloom and Garden Tours of Canada and Winter Lights Celebrations, please call 514-694-8871, or visit the Website at: www.communitiesinbloom.ca.