H1N1 immunity—without the shot

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 12:31 PM - 0 Comments

Scientists at the La Jolla Institute Center for Infectious Disease in California have found that previous seasonal flus may have primed our bodies to combat H1N1. This may explain why the pandemic flu hasn’t been as deadly as health authorities originally anticipated. The researchers discovered that some of the cells responsible for attacking the flu virus in our bloodstream recognize H1N1 because they’ve been exposed to other influenzas. The cells then create antibodies to fight the virus before we become sick. But the scientists aren’t sure how immune to the pandemic flu this makes us, so they are still encouraging people to get vaccinated against H1N1.

Healthy Day

The Interview: Gary Bettman

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 12:23 PM - 52 Comments

In 16 years as NHL commissioner, Gary Bettman has shaped pro hockey in numerous ways—U.S. expansion, two lockouts, rule changes, the salary cap, the participation of NHL players in the Olympics. The past year, however, counts among the most troubled of his tenure. The league’s tug-of-war with billionaire Jim Balsillie for control of the Phoenix Coyotes put Bettman at odds with many fans, highlighting the combative side of the commissioner’s personality. Earlier this week, he discussed the fallout of Phoenix, fan antipathy toward him, and other hockey-related matters with the Maclean’s editorial board.

Q: It’s been a tumultuous couple of years for you, at least publicly. Do you still enjoy your job?

A: I love the job. I’m passionate about the game, and the people around the game, the way we as a sport connect with our fans. Every job has challenges, things that make the job interesting. I’m not exactly sure, by the way, that I buy into your characterization of tumultuous. That seems to be a little dramatic, perhaps media-centric, as opposed to the reality. But every business has day-to-day challenges, and that’s part of what gets those of us who work going every day.

Q: We want to give you a chance to respond to the broad perception here in Canada that you feel the future of the game lies in the United States—and that the real reason the NHL was in court this summer was to keep Canada from getting more teams.

A: I’ve got to ask you a question about your question. Where does that perception come from? What is it based on? Give me any factual basis and I’ll answer the question. Continue…

The new gay politics

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 12:13 PM - 10 Comments

An interesting tangent near the end of John Lorinc’s piece this week on the current generation of gay politicians.

Still, there are subtle but significant differences between serving as an openly gay MP, MPP or city councillor, and holding a prominent political leadership role. Though most people take them for granted, the habits of high public office are steeped in the symbols of heterosexual marriage. At official functions, the prime minister or premiers are often seen with their spouses (typically wives), and greet visiting leaders with their other halves in tow. “I do think that’s a barrier,” Prof. Rayside says.

… With same-sex marriage now commonplace, some gay politicians – such as Mr. Brison, who has run and lost in two national leadership contests – have allowed their marriage ceremonies to become quasi-public events, thus giving voters a glimpse of customs that turn out to be familiar to most. Yet, in so doing, they may also face even greater expectations to maintain long-term monogamous relationships than do their straight colleagues.

It's a very vertical DonOLO

By Paul Wells - Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 12:11 PM - 126 Comments

It’s Peter Donolo day here on the Hill — pasta and vintage movies for everyone! Especially the vaguely-familiar names on the org chart the Liberal Opposition sent out this morning. Meet the hardy band of scrappers who move on to the next episode of Survivor: Fourth Floor, Centre Block:

Now I’m going to make some general comments on this crew and the way they’re organized. Continue…

This is perhaps getting personal

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 12:00 PM - 10 Comments

Liberal MP Michelle Simson twitters from committee.

In committee this morning. M.P. Del Mastro should grow up (not out)

Gosh, I hate to see a grown M.P. pout. Smile, Dean!

After a perfect 6.0, Craig Simpson crowned figure skating champ

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 11:43 AM - 1 Comment

He did it: without all the usual padding, and in a pair of bona fide figure skates! And though his elegant crystal trophy lacks the weight of a Stanley Cup, it seems that for Craig Simpson, it carries the same sweet victory. On Monday, former Edmonton Oiler Craig Simpson was crowned the winner of CBC’s Battle of the Blades, which paired eight former figure skaters with ex-NHL players in a figure skating championship. Simpson and his partner, Olympic gold skater Jamie Sale, scored consistently high throughout the seven-week competition. A favourite performance was the Austin Powers-esque routine that the pair danced two weeks ago. [Simpson played the part in a blue crushed velvet suit.] But the pair set the bar with the “Simpson-Sale Jugular,” in which Sale swung freely from her partner, with only her skates wrapped around his neck. In his finale performance, Simpson, who beat out hockey legends like Claude Lemieux and Stephane Richer, scored a perfect 6.0. His prize earnings, totaling $100,000, will go to the Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Centre.
Toronto Sun

And the word of the year is…. “Unfriend”

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 11:35 AM - 1 Comment

Unfriend (verb): To remove someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site such as Facebook. Yes, one of 2009’s most repeated buzzwords, “unfriend,” has moved beyond the realm of teen jargon; it’s now a bona fide Oxford English Dictionary-approved word. Oxford University Press announced that “unfriend” is its word of the year. Past choices include Hypermiling (2008), Locavore (2007), Carbon Neutral (2006), and Podcast (2005).
But not everyone is in agreement with Oxford U.S. dictionary senior lexicographer Christine Lindberg, who stresses that “unfriend” has great “currency and potential longevity.” Gawker writes: “These are all just hacky trend pieces from that year,” enforced by “journalists and bloggers (ahem) looking for some excuse to take another dip in the honeypot and reuse those novel widgets and gizmos we’ve been hypnotically waving in front of your faces for the past year.” The site summarizes: “ ‘Word of the Year’ = ‘Scam of the Year.’ ”

Gawker.com

Mammograms at 40? No more!

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 11:32 AM - 0 Comments

The days of yearly mammograms beginning at age 40 might be numbered. An American health panel that guides doctors, insurance companies and policymakers says breast cancer screening should begin at age 50—and that when it does begin, mammograms should be conducted every two years instead of every year. What about self exams? Doctors should stop teaching women to do them, the group insists. The new recommendations by the United States Preventive Services Task Force represent a startling about-face. Just seven years ago, the group pushed for yearly mammograms beginning at age 40, and remained neutral on the issue of breast self-examinations. The reason behind the switch, says task force vice chairwoman Dr. Diana Petitti, is new data on the harm of overscreening, which can lead to further tests, unnecessary biopsies, and extreme anxiety. Nearly two thirds of American women in their 40s had mammograms in the last two years.

New York Times

Italy becomes world leader in smart meter technology

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 11:29 AM - 1 Comment

Imagine being able to make decisions about when to do laundry or run the dishwasher based on time-of-day energy pricing. In Italy, where smart meters have been rolled out to 85 per cent of the population, homeowners can make informed choices on their energy consumption—and the benefits are adding up. The Italian utility Enel, which is in turn able to base its energy production on consumer energy consumption data, estimates that it is reaping an annual savings of $750 million from smart meter technology. In just four years, the company has been able to recoup the infrastructure costs. Other countries are looking to Italy as a leader in smart meter technology.

Der Spiegel

U.K. wants Taliban in Afghan govt.

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 10:56 AM - 0 Comments

U.K. foreign secretary David Miliband told a NATO parliamentary assembly that “high-level (Taliban) commanders that can be persuaded to renounce al-Qaeda and pursue their goals peacefully,” would be included in future Afghan governments. This plan is meant to encourage Taliban soldiers to stop fighting and will be implemented as part of a political move to restore Afghans faith in their corruption-tainted government. Miliband’s announcement comes after Prime Minister Gordon Brown hinted at establishing an exit strategy for his troops and asked for a January 2010 NATO meeting to establish a timeframe for transferring full control of Afghanistan to the country’s government.

CBC

Does regulating guns result in fewer murders?

By John Geddes - Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 10:54 AM - 94 Comments

In the debate over the federal registry for rifles and shotguns, the strongest argument on the side of those in favour of scrapping it has always been that imposing rules on law-abiding gun owners doesn’t work and isn’t fair. After all, criminals are not about to register their guns, so why inconvenience good citizens?

Although my instinct is to defer to police who say the registry is useful to them, I have always thought there was something to the case against, as the Prime Minister has said, “attacking farmers or duck hunters.” I grew up in a small town where rifles and shotguns were everyday items and I can see why a hunter might feel slighted by having to register.

Still, when you think it through, if gun regulations that only peaceful citizens comply with don’t actually work, then the inherent uselessness of these rules should be evident by now in the historical data on gun offences. In other words, decades of laws that by definition only the lawful obey should have had no measurable impact on violent crime.

But that’s not what the record suggests. Continue…

Canadian questioned in regards to Nazi murders

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 10:54 AM - 0 Comments

A former member of the Hitler Youth, now living in Canada, is being interviewed in connection to murder charges against a 90-year-old former member of the Nazi SS. The accused man, who lives in Austria, has been identified as Adolf Storms. He, along with other SS accomplices, are alleged to have murdered at least 57 Jewish slave labourers near the Austrian village of Deutsch Schuetzen on March 29, 1945. Storms allegedly shot another Jew himself during a forced walk the following day. Three former members of the Hitler Youth, who helped oversee the walk, have given witness statements in Austria. A fourth former Hitler Youth, the unnamed Canadian, is being interviewed this week.

AP

Canada least corrupt in Americas, says honesty index

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 10:51 AM - 4 Comments

Don’t try telling Montrealers, but in relative terms, Canada is seen as having little corruption and a high degree of government transparency, according to a Berlin-based watchdog. Transparency International ranked the country first in the Americas and eighth world-wide on an index that ranks 180 countries based on international perceptions. We scored 8.7 points out of 10, versus basement-dwelling Somalia at 1.1. New Zealand ranked highest (9.4), while the U.S. (7.5) came in 19th, primarily because of the influence of monied interests on Congress.

Vancouver Sun

Transparency International

Maclean’s

Q & A: Will Ferguson

By Philippe Gohier - Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 9:21 AM - 11 Comments

The Ulster Way is advertised by tourism officials in Northern Ireland as “the longest waymarked trail in the British Isles.” But as Will Ferguson discovered when he attempted to walk all 900 km of it, “waymarked” and “trail” can be relative terms. Ferguson’s new book, Beyond Belfast, is a thoughtful travelogue chronicling his arduous journey across Northern Ireland (or Ulster) in a bid to uncover his grandfather’s long-buried Northern Irish roots. The Calgary-based author recently sat down with Macleans.ca at an Irish pub in Toronto to discuss his trek, the religious violence that has pockmarked Ulster’s history and its people, and why it’s easier to make fun of Canadians than anyone else.

Q: It’s a tremendously lonely book.

A: Which I didn’t expect. For days on end, I’d be up in the hills. Because it’s Ireland, I thought it was going to be hill-valley-pub, hill-valley-pub, but it wasn’t. It was hill-bog-bog-bog-valley-pub. I was a cheap drunk, though. I’d have a pint and it would just hit me.

Q: You mention falling asleep at a table.

A: It happened more than once. They’d think I was some drunk, some lush.

Q: For a good portion of the book, the politics of Northern Ireland take a backseat to the landscape—especially in the Glens.

A: That’s a very peaceful area, even at the height of the Troubles. The choice was to go south or north from Belfast and I wanted to start, not easy, but you know, coast-walking. The Glens were quite steep, but coast-walking is almost like strolling.

Q: It seems like it gave you time to soak in the mythology of Ireland—the banshees, the mist, the ghosts.

A: I don’t believe in banshees, but I got scared. There’s something that happens in the bog. The wind whistles low along the ground and I’m sure that’s where the myths come from. You hear these moans. You hear it all the time and it starts to get in your brain. You’re hiking and the mist comes in, and you’re like, “Oh, God.”

Q: There’s a recurring tension throughout the book whenever you get into the cities and are trying to sort out people’s political affiliations.

A: The scariest was in Portadown. There were Union Jacks flying all down the street. And it’s a street that’s maybe the width of these two booths—barely a street. So there’s a little stream and a little bridge, and on the other side there’s tri-colours [Irish flags] and IRA signs. I remember thinking, “Oh, shit. This can’t be good.” And this is Portadown, which is a really violent city anyway. An old pensioner came and said, “You shouldn’t be down here.”

Q: Was it sometimes a challenge to figure out whose turf you were on?

A: It was easier than I thought. They let you know. They want you to know. If there are fewer flags, it’s usually Catholic. It’s the Protestants who go whole-hog with Union Jacks everywhere. They say the River Bann divides it, but it doesn’t really. It’s like saying the Quebec border is the division between French and English Canada.

Q: But if you go to Ottawa, you know that’s not true.

A: Or if you go to the West Island of Montreal, or the Eastern Townships. That’s what the River Bann is like—it’s kind of the border.

Q: Was there an element of bravado in choosing Ulster? Were you looking for trouble?

A: No, I was very worried. The bravado was that I was just going to be able to stride across the landscape. I had all this gear. I thought it was going to go oh-so-smoothly. By the end, I was dragging my packs into pubs, covered in rain, and muttering to myself. But I never really felt in danger because I knew instinctively that they really don’t care if you’re Catholic or Protestant—they care if their neighbour is Catholic or Protestant. They almost go to the other extreme to prove that they’re tolerant. If I was in a Catholic B & B in a Catholic town and they of course realized I was Protestant, instead of shunning me, it was the opposite.

Q: You say, “of course they realized.” Why “of course”?

A: Well, the name, the surname. And they would ask questions, they would fish. I’d always assumed Ferguson is a Protestant name, but there are areas in Fermanagh and Countydown where there is a small Catholic community. And if you look at the deaths in the Troubles, there are Protestant Fergusons who got killed and Catholic Fergusons who got killed. If I know my family, they killed each other. [Laughs]

Q: You seem to have gotten exasperated rather quickly with the sectarian politics.

A: I didn’t want to romanticize it. Whenever somebody romanticizes the IRA, I say go to Enniskillen, where they blew up pensioners. Or when Protestants tell me about their battles—look at the Shankhill Butchers. The two things that stand out to me, looking back, is how kind the people were in an understated way and how beautiful the landscape was. Why they can’t show that same kindness to each other is something I don’t understand.

Q: At the same time, there’s a real sadness that comes through in parts of the book. For instance, you write that, “the alienation of Irish Protestants from Gaelic culture is one of the most unfortunate aspects of the current approach to Irish identity.”

A: The sad thing is that it’s seeped into Protestant thinking that “we’re just visiting,” that “we’re born into exile.” They’ve been there longer than the French have been in Quebec. I don’t think anybody in Quebec says, “We’re not really from here, we’re really from Europe.” And you don’t hear English Canadians saying “England is our home, not this place.”

Q: You make the claim that the Protestants are staking a claim to the past, but leaving the future to the Catholics.

A: That’s exactly what happens. I find the Republican stance completely delusional. I think it’s delusion to think that if you keep bombing someone enough, they’ll become Irish. But it’s optimistic. It’s all about the future glory. The Protestants are all about holding the line and that’s exhausting.

Q: You’ve mentioned the Quebec-Canada relationship a lot. Do you get a sense there’s a parallel there?

A: Roughly, yes. The Québécois are more rational, they’re more reasonable. Imagine if the FLQ was still bombing things for 30 years. The rough parallel is that the FLQ is like the IRA and Sinn Fein is like the Parti Québécois. Bloody Sunday and the October Crisis were roughly around the same time—when the late sixties civil rights movement turned into this 1970s violence. But it never caught fire in Quebec. I think it’s the nature of the culture.

Q: Prince Charles and Camilla can still set foot in Quebec.

A: My gut feeling is their visit doesn’t resonate because the institution of monarchy is really hollow. It’s just a pair of tourists who are here on a junket.

Q: You seem to take Irish/Ulster nationalism a lot more seriously than you take Canadian nationalism, which you’ve lampooned.

A: Well, our nationalism doesn’t blow stuff up.

Q: Did you feel like you had a bit more license when you were lampooning Canadians?

A: Oh God, yes. And Canadians understand that. I would never title a book “Why I Hate Protestants in Ulster.” I would be killed. Canada is one of the only countries where you can write a book titled Why I Hate Canadians and people assume it’s a joke. Civic nationalism in Canada can be more inclusive and it can also be very, very silly, because inclusiveness can rapidly become funny. We were talking the other day about people getting offended on someone else’s behalf. That’s very much a Canadian thing. And, to be honest, Beyond Belfast is a travel book, it’s not a political polemic. I don’t think I’d be comfortable making fun unless I lived there. There are books by the Northern Irish that are very hard on the Northern Irish. They’re very capable of self-critique.

Q: Now that you’ve solved the mystery of your grandfather’s roots, is it over for you? Is that chapter closed?

A: My main thing was to do justice and to introduce him as a person, as a real person, not just as a symbol of something. I always tell people I don’t want to spoil the ending, but the fact we’re sitting here today having an interview and I’m not at my castle drinking Champagne is a clue. If I had found my castle, the book would’ve just stopped. You would’ve turned the page and it would’ve been blank.

Slumdog Prime Minister

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 12:23 AM - 12 Comments

Rick Mercer foresaw this day.

Also, In Honour of Edward Woodward

By Jaime Weinman - Monday, November 16, 2009 at 10:21 PM - 1 Comment

Edward Woodward, best known as the Equalizer, has died at the age of 79. Here’s an audio clip of him singing my favourite song in the 1964 Broadway musical High Spirits, an adaptation of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit (with Tammy Grimes as the ghost of his first wife, who’s trying to get him killed so she can have him all to herself).

Clip O'Th'Day: Some 1990 TV Show Openings

By Jaime Weinman - Monday, November 16, 2009 at 9:56 PM - 0 Comments

Posting will be light for the next week or so, but I’ll keep things updated with some filler clips ™ and some links/posts when possible.

To follow up on the last post, here’s a selection from the 1990 TV show intros, right at the tail end of the golden age of long intros. (Intros shrank dramatically in the early ’90s, due to a combination of shortened running times and network executives who didn’t want people tuning out during the main title.) The clips here include that season’s intro for thirtysomething, the short-lived Flash series with the Danny Elfman/Shirley Walker theme music (which got Walker the job scoring Batman: The Animated Series); the equally short-lived TV version of Baghdad Cafe starring Whoopi Goldberg; the definitive Miller-Boyett/TGIF intro, Going Places; and the first TV version of Parenthood, to be supplanted — NBC hopes — by the new version.

The theme for that season seems to have been “rip off popular movies,” whether it involved doing a Flash series (because of the success of Batman the year before) or just straight-out adaptations of then-recent movies like Uncle Buck:

And in the category of “shows that flopped but that I vaguely remember watching,” Gabriel’s Fire, starring James Earl Jones (who won an Emmy) as a wrongfully-convicted cop who becomes a private detective after he’s released from prison. (I remember him celebrating his freedom by eating a hot dog.) I didn’t see the re-tooled version, Pros and Cons, that the network unveiled the following year.

This segment includes about 97 other Miller-Boyett shows, including The Family Man, a flop about which I knew nothing. Those guys really did own TV from about 1989 to ’91. That’s what TV was like in 1990 — a strange combination of ambitious, experimental hour-long shows (like Twin Peaks) and aggressively unambitious comedies (with some exceptions, like Roseanne and the new show that would take over the TV world within a few years, Seinfeld).

The hunted look, the defensive crouch

By Paul Wells - Monday, November 16, 2009 at 7:11 PM - 80 Comments

Sarah Palin does Oprah:

When Ms. Winfrey pressed Ms. Palin about why she would not mention the names of newspapers or magazines she read when Ms. Couric asked her to, Ms. Palin said she found the CBS anchor’s persistence “annoying.” Still looking annoyed, she recalled how she left a rally “pumped up” and aglow, only to pull back the curtain and discover Ms. Couric waiting with camera and crew, or as she put it sourly, “There’s the perky one again.”

Ms. Winfrey, who didn’t hide her surprise at Ms. Palin’s impolitic wording, came to Ms. Couric’s defense, noting, “You’re pretty perky too.”

Oprah and the other members of the left liberal MSM elite sure will be surprised when the perky Palin rolls over the usual Harvard Trotskyites to get elected president in 2012. By a landslide. Mark my words.

The Commons: Picking up the crisis where we left it

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, November 16, 2009 at 5:42 PM - 27 Comments

The Scene. So where were we? Ah yes, that global pandemic.

“Mr. Speaker, the last time the House sat, the Minister of Health claimed that every Canadian who wanted the H1N1 vaccine would receive it before Christmas,” Carolyn Bennett recapped. “Now, she is saying that the rollout will take up to 12 more weeks and run well into next February.”

So it is for the Health Minister. If not for her having to periodically stand and state things as fact, her critics would likely have little to complain about.

“Why,” asked Ms. Bennett, “did the minister mislead the House and why did she not tell Canadians the truth?”

The Prime Minister, the Transport Minister and the Industry Minister were all away this day, so Leona Aglukkaq was offered the chance here to answer the question herself.

“Mr. Speaker, again, we have said all along that we would try and complete the vaccination program by December,” she said.

Her use of the term “try” was perhaps notable, at least in so much as it was not employed two weeks ago when the Minister told the House that, “every Canadian who wants the vaccine will be able to receive the vaccine by Christmas.”

But close enough. Continue…

Winter Travel '09: When the snow flies

By Susan Mohammad - Monday, November 16, 2009 at 5:00 PM - 2 Comments

In February, around the time many Canadians head south in search of warm beaches and tee times, the world is coming to Canada. The 2010 Winter Olympics will be one of the biggest parties in our nation’s history, especially if Team Canada ends its gold medal drought on Canadian soil. While the Vancouver Games are the most high-profile event, it’s far from the only thing to see and do in Canada this winter. So, to help with your travel plans, Maclean’s compiled a list of 50 attractions and activities, from the wildly popular to some lesser-known gems.

British Columbia
Alberta
Saskatchewan
Manitoba
Ontario
Quebec
New Brunswick
Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia
Newfoundland & Labrador
The North

Winter Travel '09: Nova Scotia

By Susan Mohammad - Monday, November 16, 2009 at 5:00 PM - 2 Comments

IN THE DEAD OF WINTER MUSIC FESTIVAL/HALIFAX (Jan. 26 to 30)
The East Coast, and Halifax in particular, is known for a vibrant independent music scene. Since 2006, the IDOW festival, organized by a group of local musicians, has featured artists from Canada and the U.S. performing a series of acoustic sets at venues throughout the city. Past festival performers include Matt Mays, Joel Plaskett and Buck 65.

SHEFFIELD MILLS EAGLE WATCH/SHEFFIELD MILLS (the last two weekends in January)
Every year, bald eagles make this Annapolis Valley community a favourite winter retreat between late November and early March. The best viewing opportunities are said to be mid-morning. On the weekends of Jan. 23 and 30, a naturalist is on hand to answer questions, and there’s a related art exhibit at the community centre. Guests can also partake in a pancake and sausage breakfast.

NOVA SCOTIA WINTER ICEWINE FESTIVAL/ANNAPOLIS VALLEY (Feb. 4 to 14)
Icewine isn’t the first thing to come to mind when planning an East Coast getaway, but the Nova Scotia Icewine Festival is proof that there are plenty of award-winning vintners in the region. The 10-day event, hosted by the Winery Association of Nova Scotia, will be the third annual celebration and features vineyard tours, wine tastings, gourmet dinners and cooking classes.

KEJIMKUJIK NATIONAL PARK AND NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE/ANNAPOLIS COUNTY
Covering 400 sq. km of inland lakes and forests, Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site is a ruggedly beautiful all-season woodland with over 50 km of groomed trails for backcountry skiing and a perfect site for winter camping. The park is home to centuries of Mi’kmaq history, and boasts one of the largest collections of rock carvings in North America. Kejimkujik is said to mean “tired muscles,” which is exactly what to expect after strapping on snowshoes and traversing the natural trails that snake through the park. But the natural beauty of the place makes it all worthwhile.

SKIJORING/BADDECK (November to March)
In what has to rank as one of the stranger sports, skijoring involves wearing a pair of cross-country skis and becoming attached, by a bungee cord, to the harness of an Eskimo dog (another variation of the sport includes a horse). This wild winter ride is best suited for the experienced cross-country skier. For something a little more traditional, climb aboard a dogsled that’s hitched to a team of Eskimo dogs and hurtle through a winter wonderland.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.novascotia.com

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British Columbia
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Winter Travel '09: Saskatchewan

By Susan Mohammad - Monday, November 16, 2009 at 5:00 PM - 0 Comments

Credit: Tourism Saskatchewan/Calvin Fehr

2010 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP/REGINA AND SASKATOON
(Dec. 26 to Jan. 5) Hockey fans won’t want to miss any of the action when Canada tries to win its sixth straight World Junior Championship crown. This year, Hockey Canada announced players will forgo their traditional red and white jerseys during some of the games in exchange for green ones, in honour of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and the province. So pull on your Team Canada jersey—be it red and white or green—paint your face, and prepare to cheer on the future stars of the NHL.

SASKATOON BLUES FESTIVAL (Feb. 25 to 28)
The eighth annual Saskatoon Blues Festival will feature two main stages, as well as a musicians’ swap (a huge garage sale of used instruments) and guitar, boogie piano and harmonica workshops. The Hilton Garden Acoustic Room is a more intimate venue, while the Odeon Electric Blues Room is plugged in and always a party. Highlights include Paul Oscher, who gained fame as Muddy Waters’ harmonica player, and slide guitarist Sonny Landreth, whom Eric Clapton described as “the most underestimated musician on the planet.”

DICKENS VILLAGE FESTIVAL/CARLYLE (Dec. 4 to 5)
For two days every winter, the streets of Carlyle in southeastern Saskatchewan become a stage. Locals don authentic period clothing to partake in a traditional English high tea or sell crafts and food from charming wooden carts. Enjoy a dusk parade, the making of old-fashioned Christmas decorations, and listen to carolers and fiddlers fill the crisp night air with music from another era. This year marks the seventh anniversary of the festival, modelled after a similar Victorian Christmas celebration in Garrison, N.D.

ICE FISHING (until mid-March)
By late December, the ice on most lakes is usually thick enough to support vehicles, allowing winter anglers a chance to try their luck at snagging some of the 65 freshwater species—including walleye, northern pike, perch, whitefish, burbot and trout—lurking in Saskatchewan’s lakes. Tobin Lake is said to be where the biggest walleye can be found. Other popular spots include Lake Diefenbaker, Rafferty Reservoir and any of the bodies of water along the Churchill River System.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.sasktourism.com

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British Columbia
Alberta
Manitoba
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Quebec
New Brunswick
Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia
Newfoundland & Labrador
The North

Winter Travel '09: Alberta

By Susan Mohammad - Monday, November 16, 2009 at 5:00 PM - 0 Comments

CANADA OLYMPIC PARK/CALGARY
Another way of celebrating the Winter Games this year is to check out Canada Olympic Park, where many of the big events were held in ’88. In addition to still being a training facility—and the site of the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame and Museum—the park is also open to the public. Nearly 300,000 skiers and snowboarders come every year to try out the slopes. Many guests also give the luge a shot, and take a turn on a bobsled—a 60-second thrill ride, piloted by a pro, that features 14 hair-raising turns and a top speed of 120 km/hr.

WINTERSTART FESTIVAL/BANFF AND LAKE LOUISE (Nov. 28 to Dec. 6)
Start off the ski season by watching the best alpine racers in the world tear down the mountains in Lake Louise (Men’s World Cup racing on Nov. 28 and 29; Women’s World Cup racing on Dec. 5 and 6). Then, cap things off by getting festive in Banff, which plays host to a Christmas tree decorating competition, children’s face painting and a Santa Claus Parade of Lights on Dec. 5. And while you’re there, carve a few of your own skiing and snowboarding trails in some of Canada’s best powder or relax in the hot springs.

CANADIAN BIRKEBEINER SKI FESTIVAL/EDMONTON (Feb. 12 to 13)
In 1206, as civil war raged in Norway, the heir to the throne (an infant prince named Haakon Haakonsson) was in danger and hiding near Lillehammer. He was rescued by two Birkebeiner warriors, the story goes, and carried over two mountain ranges, on skis, to safety. Today, this event is celebrated in Norway, the U.S., Japan and Canada. Participants can choose from five different recreational skiing events, including a 13-km mini “birkie” and a full 55-km route carrying a 5.5-kg pack to represent the weight of an infant. The festival, the largest of its kind in North America, culminates in a Vikings’ Feast, which is all the wild salmon and wine one can consume.

ICE CLIMBING/CANMORE (November to April)
One hour west of Calgary lies the small town of Canmore, with a reputation for having some of the finest ice climbing sites in the world. Climbers of any skill level can enjoy a guided ascent of any of the hundreds of paths deep in the heart of the Ghost River Valley. Canmore became recognized as a world-class climbing site during the 1988 Calgary Olympic Games and has since lured climbing buffs from all over the world.

ICE ON WHYTE FESTIVAL/EDMON-TON (Jan. 14 to 24)
Brandishing chainsaws, a group of international artists converge on Festival Park in Old Strathcona to show off their sculpting skills on 130-kg blocks of ice. Last year, more than 25,000 attended this winter festival, which, in addition to the ice-sculpture competition, includes an ice castle, live music, ice slides and an ice-carving workshop for children.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.travelalberta.com

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Winter Travel '09: Ontario

By Susan Mohammad - Monday, November 16, 2009 at 5:00 PM - 0 Comments

Credit: Ottawa Tourism

WINTERLUDE/OTTAWA (Feb. 5 to 21)
Once this family-friendly festival is in full swing, it seems like the entire city is out enjoying a beaver tail (Barack Obama’s favourite Canadian delicacy) and a hot chocolate while gliding down the Rideau Canal. Concerts, a light show and an ice-sculpture competition line the 7.8-km stretch of canal. And some of Ottawa’s top restaurants celebrate by offering special prix fixe menus.

ALIGHT AT NIGHT FESTIVAL/MORRISBURG (Nov. 28 to Jan. 3)
More than 250,000 white lights are strung up in historic Upper Canada Village (modelled after a small village in the 1860s), attracting 40,000 visitors to the town located 75 km south of Ottawa. Take a stroll under the stars, book a romantic horse-drawn wagon ride, or hop aboard a life-sized toy train for the full experience. This year’s event will also feature a life-sized gingerbread house.

KENSINGTON KARNIVAL/TORONTO (Dec. 21)
During the city’s month-long Cavalcade of Lights, now in its 43rd year, celebrate the longest night of the year by donning a silly mask, bringing along a homemade instrument and lighting candles at the annual winter solstice celebration in one of Toronto’s funkiest neighbourhoods. Weave in and out of Kensington’s narrow streets, where you can watch fire breathers, rooftop theatre and giant puppets dancing in a procession during this celestial carnival. Revellers light up the night in a glowing parade before heading to a local park to party around a bonfire.

BON SOO WINTER CARNIVAL/SAULT STE. MARIE (Feb. 5 to 14)
No winter carnival would be complete without an outhouse race or a goofy-looking mascot, and the Bon Soo Winter Carnival delivers both. Northern Ontario’s largest winter carnival, which attracts more than 100,000 to the Soo every year, has been celebrating Franco-Ontarian culture since 1964. The carnival features more than 100 fun events, including celebrity look-alike contests, art exhibits, dart and curling tournaments, sleigh and snowmobile rides, a polar bear swim, and competitions in which dogs compete to pull the most weight. And be sure to get a picture with the Bon Soo mascot, a slightly less refined version of his cousin from Quebec City.

NIAGARA ICEWINE FESTIVAL/JORDAN AND NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE (Jan. 15 to 31)
It might sound crazy to wish for the bitter cold, but the Niagara Icewine Festival depends on it. During the 10-day event, the main streets of Jordan and Niagara-on-the-Lake are lined with ice bars and tents featuring wine tastings, live music and art. And visit the boutiques that dot the streets of both idyllic towns. Of course, before heading home, remember to pick up a bottle of your favourite icewine.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.ontariotravel.net

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