Moose in the City

McDonald's Canada founder and senior chairman George Cohon conceived of moose statues being placed across Toronto in June 1999, after seeing Chicago's Cows on Parade.

[12][13] Daljit Sing Birak of Brampton was arrested by Toronto police in June, when caught with four antlers, after a 911 call to report the crime in progress.

[14] Another letter writer suggested it was either a "frustrated naturalist" correcting the bull moose, who have no antlers during the summer, developing them partway through August, or perhaps feminists, angry there were no cows.

[15] Endorsing the moose mutilation, globalization critic Naomi Klein dubbed Antler Watch "a group of corporate vigilantes.

[2] One guest columnist claimed "squads of municipal employees apparently work throughout the day to ensure that they are clean and unharmed by vandals.

"[1] Lost Moose, one of the statues sponsored by BMW, was moved to Whitby to avoid the vandalism in Toronto, stationed at the entrance of Iroquois Park.

[18] During the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Aline Chretien officially opened a bar on Cockle Bay Wharf, to try and shake "Canada's reputation as a slightly dull—if clean and safe—place."

[21] On 7 September, the United Way held a Running of the Moose event where the sculptures were raced up and down Bay Street,[22] raising $39,600.

"[24] Cohon and Lastman were dressed as matadors at the event,[25] and the moose in the race were solid red, yellow, green, blue, or purple, not the actual ones on display.

An Ipsos-Reid poll for the Globe and Mail and CFRB asked agreement to the statement "I like the 'moose in the city' campaign and think something similar should be repeated next year' drew 57% yes response, 39% no, and 4% "don't know".

[30] In response to suggestions the moose were no more than corporate billboards, Cohon noted no more than 10 have logos on them; Christopher Hume questioned the validity of that assertion.

Hume noted irony in the fact that, during the Art Gallery of Ontario launch of the moose in March, Lastman touted "what exposure ... five months of advertising for your business.

[31] When endorsing Tooker Gomberg for mayor, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union Region 5 highlighted what they felt was Lastman's choice of moose over the homeless.

Globe columnist John Barber saw Toronto's attitude towards the moose as a sign of their complacency,[25] while a Star guest writer suggested that the city has become "a place that cares more about spectacle and cheap visual thrills than it does about its citizens.

[33] By October, city officials were considering what they'd present the next year, with unicorns, air hockey tables, and UFOs on their list.