Theodore Tugboat to be welcomed to new home in Hamilton with symbolic greeting
Published July 15, 2021 at 12:28 pm
Theodore Tugboat is scheduled to arrive in Hamilton this weekend with plans to herald his arrival at his new home with a special and symbolic greeting.
The beloved 65-foot tugboat is slated to arrive on Sunday (July 18) to the Port of Hamilton and he will be accompanied by a convoy of other tugboats and marine vessels, including some Toronto, Peel, Halton and Hamilton police boats.
The flotilla will also include a birch bark canoe symbolic of Theodore’s reverence for Canada’s waterways and Indigenous leaders who are integrally involved in the mission and stewardship of water education and conservation.
Chief R Stacey Laforme, Chief of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MNCFN) and Chief Kevin Deer of Kahnawake Mohawk will also welcome Theodore TOO with an Indigenous blessing.
“I believe Theodore and the new owner can help connect the Young and the Young at heart to the spirit of water,” said Chief LaForme in a press release.
“I am happy to be a part of the arrival in Hamilton upon the territory and treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Anishnaabe.”
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Theodore TOO set sail from Halifax, his home for more than 20 years, on June 10, 2021, launching his ambassadorship with Swim Drink Fish, which advocates for sustainability and conservation in the Great Lakes region.
“Water is one of the essentials that our Mother the Earth provides to sustain us,” said Rick Hill, Tuscarora Nation, and Indigenous Innovation Specialist at Mohawk College, in the release.
“Our ancestors anticipated a time when the people of the ship and the people of the canoe will need to put their minds together to ensure safe drinking water for all, abundant fish life and the refreshing pleasure of swimming in clean water.”
Theodore Tugboat starred in the CBC children’s show of the same name that ran from 1993 to 2001 and was eventually broadcast in 80 countries.
A public water show is slated for 1 p.m. this Sunday to mark Theodore TOO’s homecoming in Hamilton.
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