City of Waterloo - Canada Day Community Celebration 2020

The City of Waterloo invites you to celebrate our community with this 30 minute showcase. Listen to music, poetry, the Artist in Residence "O Canada" project and greetings from municipal leadership.

We invite you to join us at 9:30 p.m. tonight to watch the virtual fireworks show. The show will be visible to those who download the free snapd HUB app onto your mobile device. You will be able to hold your device up and see the fireworks show through the screen and over top of your backyard or even in your living room. You can download the free app on a mobile device from the Google Play store or the App Store.

It is important to acknowledge today, and every day, that the land on which the City of Waterloo sits is the traditional land of the Haudenosaunee, Anishnaabe and Neutral People. We acknowledge the enduring presence and deep traditional knowledge and philosophies of the Indigenous People with whom we share this land today.

Video Timestamps:
0:00 : Message from Mayor Jaworsky
0:46 : Elsa Jayne, musical performance
8:10 : Bashar Lulu Jabbour, poet
12:58 : Rufus John, musical performance
20:56 : Message from Waterloo City Council
22:06 : Artist in Residence "O Canada" project
23:42 : 12 Mile Island, musical performance
33:03 : Virtual Fireworks Info

About the artists:
Elsa Jayne (Time stamp: 0:46)
Elsa Jayne is a singer-songwriter, mother, and Anishinaabekwe from Kitchener, Ontario. A multi-instrumentalist and dynamic vocalist, her songs range from folk ballads to synth led anthems. Her melodies and stories are woven with a sense of wonder and disarming truth. Lilting and soaring,
Elsa sings of her Indigenous identity, faith, family, and her personal musings. She addresses the joys and grievances of life in her music with hope and peace. Elsa's career shines with the release of her self titled album, Elsa Jayne, her EP, Heart, and most recent release full-length album, All My Relations. http://www.elsajayne.com

Bashar Lulu Jabbour (Time stamp: 8:10)
Bashar Lulu Jabbour is an immigrant poet! He uses the mundane to give a glimpse of the complexities of leaving one home for another. Bashar is a storyteller, and his stories are deeply personal. His poetry has been featured at many festivals Canada including Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, Naked Heart, Latitudes Storytelling Festival, and Word on the Street, and he was an opening act for as Carlos Andres Gomez. He is the Artistic Director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Poetry Slam and Lead Poetry Editor at Textile Magazine.   / basharlulujabbour  

Rufus John (Time stamp 12:58)
Rufus is an award winning artist who is bringing a refreshing sound to Canadian R&B music. Along with being an artist Rufus is an entrepreneur, a graduated Child and Youth Worker and an Active Youth Mentor in his community. His music has undertones of Jazz, Funk, Soul and Hip Hop but everything he sings is sung with soul. Over the years Rufus has had the opportunity to work with award winning producers Markus Kane (Shania Twain, Serena Ryder), Slakah The Beat Child (Drake), Ian Smith, and has shared the stage with many Canadian Artist such as Jully Black, Tyler Shaw, Divine Brown, Classified, Son Real and many more. http://www.rufusjohn.com

12 Mile Island (Time stamp 23:42)
12 Mile Island is a Kitchener based indie rock band, made up of four friends with diverse musical backgrounds. Rooted in rock, but branching out into blues, pop, and even R&B, 12 Mile Island has been sharing stages around Southern Ontario with a spectrum of artist, from indie-alternative to punk-rocks bands, since April 2018. Whether they are blending the narrative lyrical characteristics of folk music with an indie rock sound, or putting a jazzy twist on the guitar harmonies of southern rock by switching out a guitar for a trumpet, 12 Mile Island has turned a collage of styles and influences into a new yet familiar sounds that appeals to a variety of listeners. http://www.12mileislandband.com

All filming was completed in adherence to physical distancing guidelines.

The Canada Day Community Celebration was made possible, in part by the Government of Canada’s Celebrate Canada program.