Wear your pride.
Made by the Ottawa-Carleton Association for Persons with Developmental Disabilities.
Show off the patina from decades of exposure to Canada's elements with these brooches. Almost twice the size of the lapel pins, it's easy to see the age and unique characteristics of Parliament's copper roof. Available with either a gold or pewter backing.
Each one is unique and it's expected to see small imperfections and marks.
In the early 1990's Public Works spent $265 million to renovate the Parliament Buildings. After two years clad in scaffolding for repairs, the Center Block on Parliament Hill was finally back in public view, but what to do with the 7,000 kg of the copper that had been on the roof since 1918? On October 7th, 1996 the Hon Diane Marleau the Minister of Public Works announced a project to turn the recently removed south portion of the Centre Block's copper roof into heritage souvenirs. The original roof withstood plenty of wear over the past 80 years and was ready to be replaced. The original brown copper roof turned a pale green colour due to oxidization over time. It's the first time sections of the Parliament Buildings are being used this way, said Louise Proulx, a spokesperson for Public Works.
Under One Roof is a social enterprise founded by the Ottawa-Carleton Association for Persons with Developmental Disabilities. OCAPDD's clients take the paper-thin sheets of copper and clean them with ordinary paint thinner and soap and water. They then take the sheets of copper and cut then to size using a punch and die. The raw material is then ready to be sent out for finishing work. Clients of OCAPDD are also involved in the handling and packaging to fulfill customer orders. Supervised by OCAPDD staff, the process is broken down, resulting in opportunities for meaningful work for people who would otherwise be unemployed.
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