Ontario City Landmarks Trivia Quiz

Answer: Barrie

The Spirit Catcher is located on Kempenfelt Bay in Barrie, Ontario. It was originally designed for Expo 86 in Vancouver, Canada by sculptor Ron Baird. It is made of COR-TEN steel, weighs twenty tons, is seventy feet wide and sixty-five feet tall. It was moved to Barrie from Vancouver on two flat bed trucks.

It is made up of sixteen quills that move back and forth in the wind. In May 2021 local residents placed children's shoes, clothing and toys on the steps of the sculpture to commemorate the two hundred and fifteen children whose remains were found in the unmarked graves in Kamloops.

Answer: Sudbury

The Big Nickel is exactly that! It is a thirty foot high, twelve sided nickel that sits on the grounds of a science museum in Sudbury. The story of how this landmark came to be is one of perseverance. A twenty-eight year old fireman named Ted Szilva thought of the idea to build a large nickel, mine and science centre as a way to commemorate the city of Sudbury.

His idea was rejected but he kept pushing forward. He was denied land to build the statue and had trouble getting investors but he was a man with big dreams and eventually the Big Nickel officially opened in July 1964.

The Big Nickel became an international landmark.

Answer: St. Thomas

Jumbo the Elephant of P.T. Barnum's "Greatest Show on Earth" has a sad connection to St. Thomas, Ontario. In 1885 the circus was in St. Thomas, Ontario and while there, the beloved Jumbo was struck by a train in an accident that took his life. Jumbo is commemorated with a life-sized statue that was commissioned one hundred years after he died.

The four metre high statue was unveiled in June 1985 and is a major tourist attraction for the town. The statue was built by Winston Bronnum, a Canadian artist known for his large animal sculptures.

Answer: Campbellford

The Giant Toonie is located in Old Mill Park, Campbellford. It stands just over eight metres high and five and a half metres wide. It was created in 2001 as a way to commemorate the artist who created the polar bear on the coin. The Trent River flows behind it and the coin is mounted on a single shaft. Picture takers stand with their arms held over their heads as if they are holding up the large coin.

Answer: Thunder Bay

The Terry Fox Monument is located just on the outskirts of Thunder Bay, Ontario to commemorate where Terry ended his marathon of hope. Terry started his east to west run across Canada to raise both money and awareness for cancer research. His cancer returned and forced him to end his run in Thunder Bay.

The monument, a depiction of Terry himself, opened in 1982, is open to the public and has been a significant stop for other people who embark on similar journeys. It is one of several Terry Fox monuments in Canada.

Answer: Huntsville

The Dyer Memorial is a tall stone monument that is surrounded by trails and a forested area. It was built in 1956 as a monument from a husband to his wife, who had passed away. The story behind the monument is lovely. The couple spent their honeymoon and many summers and winters in the surrounding area, in a cabin they had built.

When the wife passed away, the monument was built as a final resting place for her ashes. Stone steps lead up to the tall monument where a plaque is placed that describes who the monument was built for.

This forty-two foot high monument is considered a hidden gem in the Muskoka area.

Answer: Ottawa

Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney, and Irene Parlby are five Canadian women who fought for women's rights. The "Famous Five" as they came to be called, are immortalized as statues that are situated on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada.

There is an identical set of statues at Olympic Plaza, Calgary, Alberta. The statues were created by Canadian artist Barbara Paterson.

Answer: Kingston

The Gaskin Lion is a black iron statue of a lion that stands in Macdonald Memorial Park, Kingston, Ontario. The lion was built for former Kingston mayor, John Gaskin. He was known for being brave, bold, loud and unafraid to speak his mind. The lion statue was built to represent these qualities of the controversial figure.

The statue originally stood at his house but was donated to the city of Kingston in 1909.

Answer: Cochrane

Chimo the large polar bear is the mascot of the town of Cochrane, Ontario. Cochrane is the starting point for the polar bear express, a train that travels to Moosonee, which is situated on James Bay. Chimo stands in front of the Board of Trade in Cochrane and is made of fibreglass. Chimo means "be welcome" or "we are friendly" in Cree.

Answer: Moonbeam

Moonbeam is a township in Northern Ontario that was named after strange flashing lights that people saw at nighttime. It is entirely possible that these lights were the Northern Lights but whatever the reason, the lights influenced the name of the township. To commemorate the strangeness associated with the lights and the name of the area, there is a large novelty flying saucer built that can be seen from the road.

The UFO is accompanied by a visitor centre.