Olympic medals are all very well, but there were big celebrations yesterday in Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto for something far less athletic.

Each city won its very own spot on the newest version of Monopoly – thanks to worldwide online voting that chose which international hot spots should appear on Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition.

During a six-week period earlier this year, more than five million Monopoly enthusiasts cast their votes for the global cities they wanted to see substituted for those familiar names that have appeared since Hasbro’s board game arrived in 1935. The 20 cities with the most write-in votes faced off in a bonus vote in March.

Thus, when the newest version of Monopoly rolls out around the world beginning next week, Montreal will appear on the dark blue square otherwise known as Boardwalk. Vancouver will be substituted for New York Avenue’s orange square, and Toronto will go magenta in place of Virginia Avenue.

‘We hope that fans of the world’s most popular board game will enjoy trading real estate from around the globe in the new Monopoly game they created with their votes,’ says Hasbro VP of global marketing Helen Martin. ‘We are thrilled that the first-ever global game board includes an interesting mix of cities that showcases the dynamic cultures, sights and history of the planet.’

Yesterday, with a fair amount of news media covering the events, the Canadian victor cities held lighthearted celebrations. Toronto Mayor David Miller played host at Ontario Place, where visitors could virtually travel around the world on a people-sized version of a Monopoly board. His Honour Gérald Tremblay welcomed Monopoly aficionados at a similar event in Montreal, and Vancouver followed suit, making do with the presence of Councillor Suzanne Anton.

To add to the fun, online travel service Expedia.ca offered a trip for two to any destination on the new Monopoly board. Winners were chosen in a random draw.