By Laurie Thompson

Anyone who has ever driven across Canada can tell you this is one gigantic country. Although our population is comparatively small, Canada is the 2nd largest country in the world by area. Our country is rich in diversity: our landscape, our people, our history.

As researchers and strategists, we regularly pore over consumer information looking for insights and trying to identify those things we all have in common and those things that set us apart. It’s that magic formula of similarity and difference that makes this work, and this country, so interesting. From small towns like Nanaimo, Prince Rupert, Tofino, and Saltspring Island on the Pacific Ocean to villages like Twillingate, Cavendish, Chester, Peggy’s Cove, and Lunenburg on the Atlantic Ocean, our clients’ passion for understanding consumers is a gateway to Canada and all the communities that make it up.

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, a port town on the Atlantic Ocean is one of those communities. Our client, High Liner Foods is proud to call this picturesque and historic community home and for many good reasons; with a population of only 2,260 people, it punches way above its weight in terms of its history, people and geography:

  • Lunenburg yards specialized in building fishing schooners until the 1920’s canada 10 cents
  • The Bluenose was built in its yards in 1921 (that’s the ship on our Canadian dime)
  • During WW I and II, it was used as a port for repairing smaller warships
  • Lunenburg has preserved skills and technology from the sailing era and are leaders in building large sailing ship replicas, sometimes for movies!
  • It was named a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995 for being the best example of a planned British colonial settlement in Canada
  • Lunenburg has a distinct dialect known as ‘Lunenburg English’

Of course, Lunenburg also has a rich fishing heritage, spawning (sorry, couldn’t resist) great brands like High Liner that have fed generations of Canadians with great tasting seafood. As we approach Canada’s 150th birthday, we think about the vastness of our beautiful and varied landscapes, and celebrate what makes the 35,151,728 of us similar and unique. Happy Birthday Canada!