“A Place to Grow”—but what exactly? At least, that’s what many are asking on social media following a tip about an impending change to Ontario’s licence plate slogan.
On Tuesday, two anonymous sources confirmed to CBC that Premier Doug Ford is ready to make a few changes, including replacing the quippy tagline seen on cars and motorcycles throughout the province. The existing slogan, “Yours to Discover”, has been displayed on passenger vehicles since 1982.
The new tagline, “A Place to Grow”, is a lyric taken from the song “A Place to Stand, A Place to Grow”—the province’s unofficial anthem since played at the Expo ‘67 Ontario pavilion in Montreal. It was written by Canadian composer and pianist Dolores Claman, who also wrote “The Hockey Theme”, which served as the jingle for CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada until 2004.
While B.C. usually gets credited as Canada’s hotbed for weed, the new tagline is generating conversation online about Ontario’s role in the budding cannabis industry.
Hey, @fordnation: why don’t you kill two birds with one stone, follow BC’s lead, and start offering some assistance/incentive to small cannabis. Let’s make this ‘A Place to Grow’ some good weed!
Hey, @fordnation: why don’t you kill two birds with one stone, follow BC’s lead, and start offering some assistance/incentive to small cannabis. Let’s make this “A Place to Grow” some good weed!
Ontario’s new licence plate slogan will be ‘A Place To Grow’ https://t.co/Aha11dBlq2— Damian (@OBCDamian) April 9, 2019
Ontario’s new license plate slogan will be A Place to Grow. I guess we’re just leaning into this legal weed thing.
Ontario’s new License Plate Slogan ” A PLACE TO GROW” @fordnation @JustinTrudeau #weed #Cannabis #cannabiscanada #Ontario #Canada #mariujana pic.twitter.com/wfIPk3kMoW— Scott Simmons (@TheScottSimmons) April 12, 2019
Some are even taking their own creative liberties with the new phrase.
Ontario’s new license plate slogan is “A Place To Grow”.
Crown is being replaced by a pot leaf. Text is still blue but you can get the leaf in green for an extra $44.20+tax. #art #toronto #watercolour #ink #Ontario #onpoli #aplacetogrow #weed #marijuana #ontariocannabisstore pic.twitter.com/Js6xJO8MgF— Stephanie Kervin (@StephanieKervin) April 11, 2019
This is not the first time the tune has been caught in the weeds, either. In 2004, an episode of Rick Mercer’s Monday Report used the cheerful ditty during a report on the province’s large-scale grow operations.
Ontario recently opened it’s first batch of privately-owned legal dispensaries after facing backlash for initially axing them from the retail distribution system. After the federal government legalized cannabis in late 2018, the province opted for an entirely publicly-run model, but later opened up a lottery for 25 private licences—10 of which opened on April 1.
Ontario is also home to some of Heath Canada’s largest licensed producers, including Tweed Marijuana in Smith Falls and Aurora Cannabis’ MedReleaf Corporation in Markham.
Officials have yet to publicly confirmed the change but the minister of government services Bill Walker hinted the announcement is coming soon.
