This topic comes up about once a year and I write a similar reply every time. I really don't understand why so many people want our country to be represented by a coffee and donut shop, even if it is a sort of Canadian cult.
I think a lot of people may be missing the point of World Showcase. It's not to provide an accurate modern day representation of the countries around the lagoon, but rather to replicate the tourist picture postcard idea of the places and histrical architechure and landmarks. I guarantee you that natives from each country complain about their own pavillion and say that the costumes are nothing at all like what they wear at home, the movies are old and the architecture looks nothing like the house they live in. I worked in the Canadian pavillion a number of years ago and I heard this from all my fellow cast members from the other countries about their pavillions.
Think about going into the the Germany, Norway, or France pavillions. Are you upset that they aren't exactly like it would be if you got on a plane today and visited each of those places? Probably not. You probably like the Bavarian village (which is only representative of a particular region of Germany not the whole country), or the castle and wooden buildings (whch aren't what modern people live in in Norway), or the Parisian streets of the past.
What would be interesting or unique about building the pavilion to look like Toronto? Or tearing out the Mexican pyramid and replacing it with a modern day Mexico city in miniature? How about replacing the American Adventure with a
Walmart since that's where many Americans really spend a lot of their time?
For me, I think the pavillion is the right version for Epcot. Epcot is a theme park and it tries to be both give people a flavour of the place while being entertaining at the same time. Buying Tim Horton's coffee and doughnuts under a mini-CN Tower would just not be interesting as a theme park experience or compell people to see more. Almost all areas of Canada are represented in the pavillion in some small way, except the prarie provinces. It's too bad they removed the Boutique store from the upper level since it removed any life from that particular area, but I still think the Canadian pavillion is one of Epcot's best. It's one of the few where you can get deep enough back into it to be totally surrounded by the environment.
Just my opinion, and I know I'll be in the minority.
Darren
P.S. If you think lumberjack shirts are bad, think about what the German male CM's wear or the Norwegian puffy shirts and vests. Lumberjack shirts with pants/shorts aren't really that bad by comparison.
That's how I feel about the swirling rumour of Tim Hortons.
