CIRA (Canadian Internet Registration Authority) has turned Canada’s role in OneWebDay (onewebday.ca) – a global celebration of the Internet – into a cross-country grassroots promotional event lasting nearly two months. September 22 has been designated as OneWebDay around the world, a day to build awareness of the Internet and its positive impact on individuals, businesses and communities.

Because Canada is one of the world’s most connected countries, it’s fitting that the celebration is being extended beyond just one day. The OneWebDay Tour began earlier this month with Tour Ambassador, video/film writer and producer Gavin Michael Booth heading to 12 communities across the country to shoot video of his conversations with Canadians about the value of the Internet to everyday life, their online experiences, and the answer to the question ‘What are you doing online?’ Results of the poll and video of the tour will be posted online (onewebday.ca, journeeweb.ca) as part of the celebration. Creation of the tour and websites are the work of Toronto’s Fuse Marketing Group.

A number of companies have already signed on to support the event and help cover the costs. These include comScore Media Metrics, Puretracks, Second Cup, Workopolis and Westmount Properties, which is handling the tour’s hotel stays in many of the cities. Sponsorship opportunities are still available until September 22, such as, for example, branded entertainment opps in the video and editorial, in addition to presence in PR and promotional material.

CIRA (cira.ca) is the not-for-profit organization mandated by Ottawa to operate the dot-ca top-level domain for all Canada, with responsibilities for setting policy and managing the dot-ca registry.