Big rock leads list of Canada’s ‘wonders’

TORONTO – Canadians have spoken: At the top of their “Seven Wonders of Canada” list is a rock. A rock that some say is shaped like a reclining figure.

“The Sleeping Giant” of Thunder Bay, Ont. – a low plateau with bumps that could resemble human features – won the most votes last week in a countrywide contest sponsored by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp..

The contest, to select natural or manmade features that are “spectacular,” “amazing” and demonstrate “essential Canadian-ness,” attracted more than 1 million votes in this country of 33 million.

The popular voting included picks hardly exclusive to Canada: Niagara Falls and the Rocky Mountains, both shared with the United States, and the northern lights, seen in upper latitudes all around the Northern Hemisphere.

The other choices for the top seven Canadian wonders were Nahanni National Park, a wild park in the Northwest Territories, and the Bay of Fundy and Cabot Trail in eastern Canada.

Other nominations in the contest included hockey players, hockey rinks, the Tim Hortons restaurants (named after a hockey player) and Pamela Anderson, a Canadian.