Since then, the slight souvenir has assumed the mantle, according to the city’s website, of Ottawa’s “highest and most prestigious honour … bestowed upon distinguished persons and honoured guests of the City of Ottawa.” It has been presented to dignitaries, celebrities, a touring South African lawn bowling team, a conference on statistics that was hosted in Ottawa, and a building: the latter the HMCS Carleton at Dow’s Lake, which, a trip down the rabbit hole reveals, was so honoured in 1976 on the 200th anniversary of the battle victory by its namesake British schooner, HMS Carleton, during the American Revolutionary War.
