Port Coquitlam in bloom to honour 80th anniversary of the Netherlands’ liberation
In the next week or so, thousands of tulips will begin to bloom in Port Coquitlam.
The city planted 78,000 tulip bulbs last fall, in honour of 2025 being the 80th anniversary of the liberation of The Netherlands in the Second World War.
“It’s appropriate to have a visual reminder of the significance of this event. It was a very significant piece of World War Two and the victory of the Allies,” said Mayor Brad West.
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It’s meant to serve as a living tribute to the Canadians who served in the war.
“I think we owe a deep debt of gratitude to the members of the Canadian Armed Forces who have served our country, and who are the reason that we live in a free and democratic society,” West said.
In 1944 and 1945, Canadian forces were among the Allied troops that liberated northeastern and western Netherlands from Nazi Germany after nearly five years of occupation. Germany surrendered in early May, and the war officially ended in September 1945 after Japan surrendered. More than 45,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces lost their lives.
Since its liberation, the Netherlands has been known to gift Canada tulips as a gesture of gratitude — inspiring well known festivals like the Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa.
Mayor West said the city procured the tulips from the Netherlands.
There’s several varieties of the flowers planted throughout the city, all with a designation in honour of the Canadian Armed Forces, explained West.
The assortment includes dark red Canadian Liberators, white Liberation 80s, and orange and yellow Liberation 70s, among several other varieties.
West said that while they’ve planted tulips in years past, this year they planted more (and more varieties) in light of the 80th anniversary.
The flowers are planted throughout City Hall, McAllister Avenue, Hyde Creek Recreation Centre, the cemetery, and other planters throughout the city. Residents can use the PoCo in Bloom map to find the tulips.
The city encourages PoCo residents to share photos of the tulips on social media or on the city’s website, where they’ll be entered to win a bag of tulip bulbs they can plant this fall. The contest ends on May 30.
“I hope that people will be able to take a moment and reflect on the sacrifices that were made by so many Canadian soldiers so that we can live in a community like Park Coquitlam today.”
