Laflamme negotiated for 18 months to bring French production company La Machine to Ottawa for the 2017 celebrations. "We want to be the hub of national celebrations in 2017," said the executive director of Ottawa 2017, Guy Laflamme. The Ottawa 2017 organizing committee has been working on booking the show for nearly a year and a half. It also involved a Chinese businessman — Adam Yu, an entrepreneur based in Beijing who owns the rights to the dragon for La Machine. "It will generate international visibility for Ottawa and I know for sure hotel rooms will be jam packed for the week they (La Machine) will be here."

Source: CBC News June 01, 2016 18:29 UTC