September 10, 2010
The results are in! After passionate campaigns across the country and more than one million votes from Monopoly fans, Ontario communities are well represented!
Chatham-Kent, Ontario now represents the coveted Dark Blue Boardwalk spot, with Sarnia in Green, Kawartha Lakes in Orange, and North Bay in Magenta, in the popular game invented by Charles Darrow in 1935.
“We are thrilled with this new all-Canadian edition of the world’s favorite family game featuring cities voted by Canadians!” said Michelle Sinclair, Brand Manager of Games & Puzzles for toy and game-maker Hasbro Canada. “We hope that Canadian Monopoly fans will enjoy playing on a game board that includes an interesting mix of our cities featuring all of the dynamic cultures, sights and history of this country.”
Votes were cast during a six-week period in early 2010. The first four weeks of voting determined 20 of the 22 cities featured in the game, picked from 65 pre-selected cities based on the population size of the province in which they resided. The remaining two spots were reserved for a wild-card vote for any city across Canada. Ten cities with the most nominations for the wild-card faced off for two weeks in February 2010 and Beauceville, Quebec and Banff, Alberta earned the brown property spaces on the game board, traditionally occupied by Baltic Avenue and Mediterranean Avenue.
The following 22 cities earned spots on the Monopoly: Canada Edition game board, and are listed with the highest rent properties first:
• Dark Blue: Chatham-Kent, Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu
• Green: Calgary, Sarnia, Edmonton
• Yellow: Windsor, Quebec City, Trois-Rivieres
• Red: Medicine Hat, Gatineau, Shawinigan
• Orange: Kawartha Lakes, Chilliwack, Montreal
• Magenta: Kelowna, North Bay, St. John’s
• Light Blue: Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver
• Brown: Beauceville, Banff
Along with the 22 property spaces featuring great Canadian cities, the game will include updated Chance and Community Chest cards that highlight events and culturally relevant scenarios from Canada. Players may take flight at the International Balloon Festival in Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, skate along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa or win big at the casinos in Niagara Falls. The new Monopoly: Canada Edition also features an Electronic Banking unit with cards instead of cash. Players can collect rent and buy their favourite Canadian cities with the touch of a button!
The new Monopoly: Canada Edition is available in stores across the country, in both English and French for an approximate retail price of $39.99. For more information, please visit www.hasbro.ca