Giant rubber duck to appear at Canada's 150th anniversary, and people are mad

Believe it or not, this isn't the duck Canada has planned. This is a different one. (Reuters)

You would think a six-story rubber ducky would make playtime lots of fun for everyone.

Unfortunately, not everyone is celebrating a giant rubber duck installation that is set to visit Toronto’s HTO Park on Canada Day, July 1, for Canada’s 150th anniversary, during the Redpath Waterfront Festival.

The giant duck is not, in fact, the same giant rubber duck sculpture by artist Florentijn Hofman that has been floating around the world, showing up in cities like São Paulo, Osaka and Seoul over the last 10 years.

A statement made by Hofman’s studio claims that the duck that is set to visit Canada is a counterfeit. However, a CBC report claims the design for the quintessential rubber duck that we all remember from our bathtubs is actually public domain.

Other detractors of the duck go beyond artistic integrity. Politicians and the public are criticizing the Ontario government for paying $120,000 CAD through a grant to bring the duck to the province. Many believe this is far too much to pay for a rubber duck.

According to the BBC, Ontario's Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport Eleanor McMahon said the duck was “fun and sort of quirky.”

Love or hate the duck, plenty of visitors will be able to snap a selfie with it come Canada Day.