Floating to success on Canada Day
BMO has a long history of supporting local communities and participating in community events. Parade floats have been an opportunity for the bank to celebrate with communities and showcase products and services that help community members make real financial progress. The Corporate Archives has a small collection of parade float sketches that were designed in the mid-20th century for various parades across the country, including Canada Day.
This sketch shows a float with a large bank passbook behind a large, kite-shaped banner that reads: “Soar to Success with a growing B of M Savings Account.” Passbooks were featured in advertising in this period, to encourage saving in a Bank of Montreal Savings Account. The float was used in July 1962, in Spryfield, Nova Scotia.
Prior to this design, an earlier iteration of this float was used on Canada Day 1960 in Raymond, Alberta, as featured in the bank’s Staff Magazine. The float featured a smaller, triangular kite with the same phrase as the later float. A few branch employees are sitting on the float, ready to celebrate Canada Day.