The Bank of Montreal says the two western provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan will lead the rest of Canada in economic growth this year and next by a wide margin.

The BMO report predicts the two provinces will both record three per cent or more economic growth this year — about one point higher than the national average — and again in 2012.

The report says Ontario and Quebec and the four Atlantic provinces will likely struggle with sub-two per cent growth next year as government austerity and export challenges due to the high dollar weigh on their economies.

On average, Canada’s economy is expected to continue with moderate growth of two per cent in 2012 — not strong but not a disaster given the weak U.S. economy, Europe’s debt crisis and the slowdown in emerging markets.

The western provinces’ benefits are natural resources, which are still much in demand across the world.

The Canadian economy generated 17,000 new jobs a month on average during the third quarter of 2011, down from 29,000 new jobs a month in the second quarter and 33,000 in the first quarter. The CIBC Employment Quality Index (EQI) fell by 0.5 per cent in the third quarter and is down by 1.5 per cent over the past seven months.

“The decline in our quality index over the past seven months is not so obvious when one glances at the headline statistics,” says Benjamin Tal, deputy chief economist and author of CIBC’s Employment Quality Index. “During this period, paid employment rose faster than self-employment and full-time job creation outpaced growth in part-time jobs. The reason for the index’s decline, despite these positive indicators, is the fact that all the fulltime jobs created during this period were in low-paying sectors.

“Looking ahead, the likelihood is that employment quality in the coming year or so will soften. Key here will be softer public sector hiring in general, and public sector construction activity in particular — a factor that will limit growth in high quality construction jobs in the coming twelve months.”

The recent decline in the EQI followed a strong rebound in job quality that began in early 2010. At its current reading, the index is roughly where it was at the eve of the recession.

However, job quality is not uniform across the country. While Ontario, British Columbia and Atlantic Canada weighed down the national number with declines in overall employment quality, Alberta, Québec and Manitoba/Saskatchewan saw improvements over the last seven months.

Full-Time vs. Part-Time Jobs: Full-time employment rose by 1.2 per cent during the past seven months accounting for all of the increase in employment during the period. This factor acted as a positive for the index.

Self-Employment vs. Paid Employment: Paid employment rose by 1.2 per cent vs. only a 0.1 per cent increase in the number of self-employed. This was also a positive contributor to the index over the past seven months.

Compensation: During the past seven months, the number of full-time jobs in high-paying industries fell by 0.1 per cent while the number of jobs in low-paying industries rose by 2.3 per cent. This diverging performance is the sole reason for the recent decline in CIBC’s EQI index. The most notable weakness was in high job quality sectors such as the federal government, heavy and civil engineering construction, telecommunications and computer and related manufacturing. Strong job growth in sectors such as machinery manufacturing and professional scientific and technical services helped to limit the damage.

Percentage Change in EQI by Province 
Q1-2011 vs. Q3-2011

The CIBC Canadian Employment Quality Index (EQI), combines information on:

• the distribution of part-time vs. full-time jobs;
• self-employment vs. paid employment;
• and the compensation ranking of full-time paid employment jobs in more than 100 industry groups

The complete CIBC World Markets report is available at: http://research.cibcwm.com/economic_public/download/eqi-cda-20111102.pdf.

Search for jobs across Canada

With much of the country’s infrastructure seriously underfunded, and governments running deficits, policy-makers are being increasingly tempted by tolls as a way to pay for roads and bridges. The federal government recently announced plans to replace Montreal’s Champlain Bridge over the next decade, with the $5-billion project using a toll system.

Nearly one in three respondents to the survey said they’d read or heard something about the Montreal bridge announcement last week. Of those who do support tolls, eight per cent said they “strongly support” them. That was compared to 15 per cent who said they “strongly oppose” them.

But for most people, opinions on tolls are less extreme. Nearly three-quarters of respondents either opposed or supported tolls, without taking a strong stand either way. That could make for unpredictable debates.

“The strength of the opinion for most people is not strong opinion it’s a weaker opinion,” said Doug Anderson, senior vice-president of Harris Decima.

“I’d say a lengthy public debate would see opinions firm up and that could go either way.”

The poll suggested older Canadians and those with higher household incomes would be most likely to support tolls. Meanwhile, those under age 35 and from a lower-income bracket would be most opposed to tolls as would a majority of NDP supporters.

With regard to the new Quebec bridge project, the NDP has expressed some concern that a privately controlled bridge, combined with user fees, could wind up gouging commuters.

West of Quebec, support for tolls ranged from a low of 42 per cent in Ontario to 51 per cent in British Columbia. In Manitoba and Saskatchewan, support stood at 49 per cent, while Alberta came in at 45 per cent.

Currently, about 30% of Canadian immigrants are economic migrants selected on the basis of their necessary skills or an arranged employment offer. Kenney recently confirmed that while immigration levels won’t jump drastically, immigration had a role to play in off-setting the country’s ageing population and skills shortages. Today, about 70% of Canada’s 34.1 million population is of working age – a figure expected drop to 60% within 25 years.

Kenney said federal government would continue to recognise the importance of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) to help provinces and territories obtain the skilled migrants they need to fill labour shortages. Under the scheme, provinces can choose to sponsor migrants whose skills, education and work experience will have an immediate economic impact.

The top three provincial nominees are the booming oil and gas provinces of Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Last year, Canada accepted 38,428 provincial/territory nominees, including more than 8,600 temporary foreign workers who later became permanent residents.

Canada will accept a record of 40,000 provincial nominee immigrants in 2011 – five times more than Canada’s PNP intake for 2005. The Citizenship and Immigration Department is currently conducting a series of nation-wide consulations about immigration levels and the type of migrants it should accept into the country.

Police reported nearly 2.1 million Criminal Code incidents last year, down about 77,000 from 2009. There were declines in a variety of crimes, including homicide, attempted murder, serious assaults and robbery and other property crimes. But there were increases in some areas, including sexual assault, firearms crimes, criminal harassment, child pornography and drug offences.

The Crime Severity Index reached its lowest point (82.7) since 1998, the first year for which Index data are available. The decline in crime severity in 2010 was seen virtually across the country. The only exceptions were increases in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Violent crime

Police reported just over 437,000 violent incidents in 2010, about 7,200 fewer than in the previous year. Violent crimes accounted for just over 1 in 5 offences.

The violent Crime Severity Index declined 6% in 2010 to 88.9, the fourth consecutive annual decrease. Decreases were reported in every province except Newfoundland and Labrador, where police reported a 13% increase.

There were 554 homicides, 56 fewer than in 2009. The national rate of 1.62 homicides per 100,000 population in 2010 was the lowest since 1966. The 10% decline in the homicide rate from 2009 to 2010 followed a decade of relative stability.

The national decline in the homicide rate was driven primarily by a large decrease in British Columbia, where the rate (1.83) was at an all-time low. However, the rate in this province was still slightly higher than the national average.

The number of attempted murders also declined, from 801 in 2009 to 693 in 2010. This resulted in the lowest rate for this offence in over 30 years.

Police reported more than 22,000 sexual assaults in 2010. This represented an increase of 5% in the rate since 2009, the first increase in sexual assault since 2005.

Non-violent crime

Similar to previous years, most crimes (79%) reported by police in 2010 were non-violent. Theft under $5,000, mischief and break-ins accounted for close to two-thirds of the almost 1.7 million non-violent offences.

The non-violent Crime Severity Index fell 6% in 2010 to 80.3, the seventh consecutive decline.

Police reported nearly 200,000 break-ins last year. The rate of break-ins fell 6% in 2010, continuing a steady decline since peaking in the early 1990s.

Nearly 93,000 motor vehicles were reported stolen in 2010. This represented a 15% drop in the rate since 2009 and a continuation of the downward trend seen since the mid-1990s.

Saskatchewan reported the highest rate of motor vehicle theft in 2010. This is a change from a decade-long trend which saw Manitoba reporting the highest rate among the provinces.

The national rate of impaired driving fell 6% from 2009, following three consecutive years of increase. However, the rate of impaired driving has generally been declining since peaking in 1981.

In 2010, police reported over 108,000 drug offences, about half of which were for possession of cannabis. The rate of drug offences increased 10% from 2009, continuing a general upward trend that began in the early 1990s.

Provinces and territories

Among the provinces, Alberta and British Columbia reported the largest declines in crime in 2010. The crime rate fell by 6% in both provinces, while the Crime Severity Index decreased by 8% in Alberta and 7% in British Columbia.

As in previous years, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories continued to report the highest Crime Severity Index values. Among the provinces, Saskatchewan reported the highest Crime Severity Index, followed by Manitoba and British Columbia. The lowest Crime Severity Index values were seen in Ontario, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.

Metropolitan areas

The volume and severity of crime fell or remained stable across virtually all census metropolitan areas (CMAs) in 2010, including Canada’s 10 largest cities.

In 2010, three CMAs reported an increase in crime severity. St. John’s had the largest increase, up 12%, followed by Greater Sudbury (+4%) and Peterborough (+3%).

As has been the case since 1998, Regina reported the highest Crime Severity Index, followed by Saskatoon and Winnipeg. Calgary was the only western CMA to have a Crime Severity Index below the national average.

Guelph reported the lowest Crime Severity Index for the fourth year in a row, followed by Québec, Toronto and Ottawa.

Youth crime

Police reported that nearly 153,000 youth aged 12 to 17 were accused of a crime in 2010, almost 15,000 fewer than the previous year. The youth crime rate, which measures the overall volume of crime committed by youth, declined by 7%.

Youth crime rates declined for most offences in 2010, including homicide, serious assaults, motor vehicle thefts and break-ins. However, robbery was one of the few offences to show an increase for youth in 2010, up 2%.

The youth Crime Severity Index has also declined over the past 10 years, including a 6% drop in 2010. However, the severity of violent crime committed by youth has not seen the same decrease. Despite a 4% drop between 2009 and 2010, the youth violent Crime Severity Index was 5% higher than in 2000.

“Travellers spent $1 trillion on tourism globally in 2010 — that’s $3 billion dollars a day or $2 million a minute. We want more than our fair share of that revenue,” says Michele McKenzie, the president and CEO of the Canadian Tourism Commission.

McKenzie recently announced the launch of “Signature Experiences Collection” at a tourism conference in Banff, Alta. It’s a compilation of 48 Canadian tourism enterprises from coast to coast to coast. It will be marketed in 11 countries and initially be rolled out in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Australia.

“Tourism is one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world and it’s become a very high stakes game and one in which countries are competing to win and Canada is competing to win,” McKenzie says.

“Winning countries are those that offer exotic experiences, a strong tourism brand, great infrastructure and effective collaboration between government and tourism partners.”

Canada’s Rocky Mountains, skiing and history aren’t enough to attract the international visitors flush with cash, although some tried and true events such as the Calgary Stampede, ice wine tours, Niagara Falls in Ontario and winery tours in British Columbia still make the grade.

Also on the list are the Grand Festival of Winter and the Ice Hotel in Quebec; iceberg viewing in Newfoundland and Labrador; the Plain of the Six Glaciers Tea House Ride in Alberta; dogsled adventures in the Northwest Territories, and a cowboy adventure in Saskatchewan.

“Simply having a positive image as a country does not translate into a compelling reason to visit,” says McKenzie.

“Our challenge was to inspire our customers with a Canada that offered more than spectacular scenery but to offer tourism experiences that rival those of even our most exotic competitors.”

The recession has taken a toll on the travel sector, says Kevin Stanton, owner and operator of Brewster Adventures in Banff. He says the program is needed to win international markets. The concept appears to be working.

“We sent some guests out on an overnight trip and halfway through their trip, a wild horse colt decided to join the people. That horse went all the way to their overnight camp and came back,” he said.

“Those international people will never forget that. It was an experience of a lifetime for them.”

The initiative should encourage the rest of the world to visit Canada, said Maxime Bernier, minister of state for small business and tourism. Bernier admits to having visited only one of the 48 experiences in the campaign — the Ice Hotel in Quebec City.

Canada has benefited from the publicity surrounding the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and more recently the visit by Prince William and Kate, he said.

“It’s something very special and also it was free all across the world in different markets like in the United Kingdom,” said Bernier.

“Experiences like that can also bring other international travellers here.”

An official with the Calgary Stampede estimates that international visitors have dropped off 5 to 10 per cent the past couple of years, but senses that things are beginning to turn around.

Lindsay Galloway said the publicity that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge gave to the Stampede, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2012, is priceless.

Prince William and his bride, Kate, wore western garb, including the famous white cowboy hats, while riding a stagecoach. They also took part in the Stampede parade.

“The coverage we’re receiving around the world is unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable. It’s great for the Stampede, it’s great for Alberta and the country,” he said.

“Them wearing cowboy hats is a lasting image around the world that will just serve our city so well.”

Provinces & Territories

Canada has ten province: Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. It also has three territories: Northwest Territories, Yukon Territory and Nunavut.

The main difference between provinces and territories is their constitution. Provinces exercise constitutional powers in their own right, whilst territories exercise delegated powers under the authority of the Parliament of Canada. Any changes to the constitution in the provinces is voted on, but in the territories it is not.

Capital Cities

The capital of Canada is Ottawa, located in Ontario. But strangely Ottawa is not the capital of Ontario, Toronto is. Each province and territory has its own capital city and some may not be the city you think.

• Alberta – Edmonton
• British Columbia – Victoria
• Saskatchewan – Regina
• Manitoba – Winnipeg
• Ontario – Toronto
• Quebec – Quebec City
• New Brunswick – Fredericton
• Nova Scotia – Halifax
• Prince Edward Island – Charlottetown
• Newfoundland & Labrador – St John’s
• Yukon Territory – Whitehorse
• Northwest Territories – Yellowknife
• Nunavut – Iqaluit

Every province and territory also has its own flower

Flowers

Every province and territory also has its own flower. If you don’t know what these look like refer to the image accompanying the article.

• Alberta – Wild Rose
• British Columbia  – Pacific Dogwood
• Saskatchewan – Western Red Lily
• Manitoba – Prairie Crocus
• Ontario – White Trillium
• Quebec – Blue Flag Iris
• New Brunswick – Purple Violet
• Nova Scotia – Mayflower
• Prince Edward Island – Lady’s Slipper
• Newfoundland & Labrador – Pitcher Plant
• Yukon Territory – Fireweed
• Northwest Territories – Mountain Averns
• Nunavut – Purple Saxifrage

All provinces and territories also have their own provincial birds

Birds

All provinces and territories also have their own provincial birds , again please refer to the images to put a name to a feather.

• Alberta – Great Horned Owl
• British Columbia – Steller’s jay
• Saskatchewan – Sharp Tailed Grouse
• Manitoba – Great Grey Owl
• Ontario – Common Loon
• Quebec – Snowy Owl
• New Brunswick – Black Capped Chickadee
• Nova Scotia – Osprey
• Prince Edward Island – Blue Jay
• Newfoundland & Labrador – Atlantic Puffin
• Yukon Territory – Common Raven
• Northwest Territories – Gry Falcon
• Nunavut – Rock Ptarmigan

Mottos

Did you know that each of the provinces also has a motto? Some are a little odd, but the one which we feel suits the province best is Prince Edward Island.

• Alberta – Strong and free
• British Columbia – Splendour without diminishment
• Saskatchewan – From many peoples, strength
• Manitoba – Glorious and free
• Ontario – Loyal she began and loyal she remains
• Quebec – I remember
• New Brunswick – Hope was restored
• Nova Scotia – One defends the other conquers
• Prince Edward Island – The small under the protection of the great
• Newfoundland & Labrador – Seek ye first the kingdom of God

Only Nunavut of the territories has a motto: Our land, our strength.

Despite the pinch that rising gas and food prices are having on many Canadians’ wallets, the RBC CCO index has risen 3 points to 96, buoyed by modest, across-the-board gains:

• The current conditions sub-index has risen 3 points and now sits at 108 points.
• The expectations sub-index has risen 6 points and now sits at 86 points.
• The investments sub-index has risen 12 points and now sits at 112 points.

Four in ten (38%) Canadians say that they’re confident that they’re managing their debt well, while one in three (35%) think they’re doing OK but know they could be doing a better job. However, two in ten (21%) say they’re just keeping their head above water, 3% say they’re not so good and don’t know where to start, and another 3% admit they’re terrible at managing their debt.

Debt repayment appears to be a priority for many Canadians over the next year. Four in ten (39%) say they intend to pay off as much debt as they can over the next year or so, while three in ten (30%) plan to spend less and one quarter (23%) intend to save or invest more. An additional 25% of Canadians plan to do all of these things over the next year or so, while just one in ten (7%) won’t do any of them.

Thinking about the overall state of the economy, six in ten (61%) would describe the economy as being ‘good’ (4% very/57% somewhat), up 1 point from January. Assessment of the economy is the brightest in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (75%), followed by those living in Alberta (69%), British Columbia (63%), Ontario (61%), Atlantic Canada (61%) and Quebec (55%).

However, job anxiety has risen two points, with 22% of Canadians saying that they or someone in their household is worried about losing their job or being laid off. Ontario, at 28% (an increase of 5 points since January), is considerably more anxious than any other region of the country when it comes to job security. Those living in Quebec (21%), Atlantic Canada (21%), Alberta (18%), British Columbia (17%) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (16%) are less nervous about losing their jobs.

Over the next year, four in ten (42%) Canadians believe the national economy will improve (down 1 point). Those most optimistic about the future of the national economy live in Alberta (50%), while Canadians living in British Columbia (46%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (45%), Ontario (44%), Quebec (37%) and Atlantic Canada (33%) are less optimistic.

Four in ten (39%) believe their personal financial situation will improve in the next year (up 1 point), with Albertans (45%) once again leading the way, along with Quebecers (43%). Those living in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (40%), Ontario (39%), British Columbia (36%), and Atlantic Canada (31%) are less inclined to believe that their personal financial situation will improve in the next year.

Three quarters (74%) of Canadians predict that interest rates will increase in the next six months. If rates increase, four in ten (44%) say they’ll spend less in other areas, while one in three (34%) say they’ll find ways to reduce their interest costs or monthly payments. Others will establish/increase their line of credit (5%), while 5% would find out how they could change their mortgage from variable to fixed. Interestingly, three in ten (27%) see higher interest rates as an opportunity, and would increase their savings and/or investments. Two in ten (21%) wouldn’t do any of these things.

Canadians continue to say that they’re delaying major purchases on account of the current economic conditions. A majority (55%) of Canadians maintain that they’ve delayed a major purchase, such as buying a car or household appliance, or a vacation, due to current conditions (up 3 points), with Ontarians (60%) being the most likely to say so. Looking ahead, two in ten (23%) Canadians say they intend to spend ‘more’ (5% much more/18% a little more) on their major purchases this year than last year. Most (32%) don’t anticipate changing their level of spending, or even intend to spend less (44%, 22% much less/22% a little less).

Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger noted that with Manitoba’s money now on the table, the $10-million the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada originally asked Ottawa to pony up for national trials has been achieved.

“It would be excellent if all the governments participated in a multi-site proposal including the federal government,” Mr. Selinger said when pressed on the timing of the announcement. The Manitoba Premier faces a provincial election in the fall.

“In the absence of that, what’s the Plan B that will move the agenda forward? This is a strong Plan B.”

The Premier said he still hopes others may join in but noted that MS patients don’t want to wait years for answers. Even if the clinical trials get under way this year, it could be at least 2014 before the results are in.

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall welcomed the additional support

“The bigger the sample the better it is,” he said.

“I just think this is a very positive day for MS patients … but also for people who would like to see governments – notwithstanding the stripe of the government – just work together when it makes a lot of sense, especially if they’re neighbours.”

Mr. Wall leads the small-c conservative Saskatchewan Party while Mr. Selinger is a New Democrat.

Arnold Naimark of the Manitoba Health Research Council said the timing is hard to predict, since the studies have yet to be designed. But a call for proposals will go out nationally and patients outside of Manitoba and Saskatchewan could very well be involved, he said.

He also said it’s possible answers could be obtained sooner – either because results are so favourable or because problems turn up which make further testing of the procedure unwise.

Liberation therapy, also referred to as chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency treatment, was pioneered by Italian surgeon Paolo Zamboni.

A balloon angioplasty is used to widen a vein in the neck, which is thought to relieve a buildup of iron in the brain. Many Canadians have been travelling abroad to have the procedure.

Canada has a high incidence of multiple sclerosis. On a per capita basis, the largest number of people with the disease live in Atlantic Canada and the Prairies.

The MS Society was pleased with the announcement, but still focused on the need for national trials.

“On behalf of all Canadians living with MS, we are pleased that the Manitoba government has made multiple sclerosis a top-priority health issue,” spokesman Stewart Wong said in an e-mailed response.

“Scientifically relevant clinical trials in multiple sclerosis typically take place across a broad range of sites. If a nationwide clinical trial is to take place, the Manitoba and Saskatchewan projects will be helpful in ensuring this aim could be achieved.”

Mr. Selinger said the trials will be in several places and the idea is to select the best proposal, not necessarily one from Manitoba researchers, although Manitoba patients must be included.

Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador have set aside more modest amounts to study patients treated elsewhere. New Brunswick is offering $500,000 to help those who want to receive the treatment somewhere else.

The MS Society has been reluctant to put money into clinical trials just yet and is funding other studies on things such as how to screen patients for liberation therapy.

Canada’s fourth quarter population growth was lower than in the same period in 2009 (+55,900). While growth due to natural increase was relatively stable, net international migration declined from 25,400 to 10,900.

This decline in net international migration can be explained by a larger decrease in non-permanent residents living in Canada. Immigration in the fourth quarter (57,700) was similar to the level observed in the same period in 2009 (56,400).

Atlantic Canada

Newfoundland and Labrador’s population remained virtually unchanged in the fourth quarter and was estimated at 509,100 on January 1, 2011.

Prince Edward Island posted a population of 143,500 as of January 1. The level of immigration to Prince Edward Island was, in relative terms, the highest amongst the provinces for the fourth consecutive quarter.

Nova Scotia’s population was estimated at 943,400 at the end of the fourth quarter. The province’s small decrease was mostly due to net outflows in interprovincial migration.

The population of New Brunswick was estimated at 753,200 as of January 1. During the fourth quarter, the province received more than 400 immigrants, the highest level for the fourth quarter since 1979.

Quebec’s population grew by nearly 11,000 (+0.1%) in the fourth quarter to 7,943,000 on January 1. The main factor in this demographic growth was natural increase (+6,700). The province had a slight net outflow from interprovincial migration (-400). Quebec usually experiences higher outflows of interprovincial migration.

In Ontario, the population was estimated at 13,282,400 on January 1, an increase of 13,900 (+0.1%) compared with October 1, 2010. Most of the province’s growth in the fourth quarter came from natural increase (+10,500).

Western Canada

Manitoba posted the fastest demographic growth in the country in the fourth quarter with an increase of over 3,600 (+0.3%). Net international migration (+2,600) was the principal factor for the demographic growth in the province. As of January 1, the population of Manitoba was estimated at 1,243,700.

The population of Saskatchewan increased by 2,300 (+0.2%) in the fourth quarter to 1,052,100. Natural growth (+1,100) and net inflows in international migration (+1,100) were the primary contributors to the demographic growth of the province.

Alberta’s population was estimated at 3,742,800 as of January 1, an increase of close to 7,700 (+0.2%) compared with October 1, 2010. The province’s population growth came mainly from natural increase (+7,200) and net inflows in interprovincial migration (+2,500).

The population of British Columbia had a small increase (+2,200) in the fourth quarter and was estimated at 4,554,100 on January 1. Natural increase (+2,500) was the main factor of the demographic growth in the province.

The territories

While the population of both Yukon and Northwest Territories decreased slightly in the fourth quarter, Nunavut’s remained virtually unchanged. The three territories had net outflows in interprovincial migration. As of January 1, Yukon’s population was estimated at 34,300, compared with 43,600 for the Northwest Territories and 33,300 for Nunavut.

Canada’s population growth in 2010

Canada’s population growth in 2010 was lower than that observed in 2009. The Canadian population increased by 375,600 (+1.1%) in 2010 compared with 394,400 the year before (+1.2%).

Canada received more than 280,000 immigrants in 2010, the highest level recorded since the 1950′s. This was 28,500 more immigrants than in 2009. Increases in immigration were recorded by most provinces and territories.

The increase in immigration in 2010 was offset by a decline in the net inflow of non-permanent residents. The net non-permanent residents was estimated at 12,900, down from 55,400 in 2009. As a result, net international migration in 2010 was estimated at 244,400, down from 258,900 the year before.

There were an estimated 382,000 births and 250,800 deaths in 2010, resulting in a natural increase of 131,200. This was lower than the natural increase of 135,600 recorded in 2009.

Prince Edward Island, Nunavut and all provinces west of Quebec recorded 2010 growth rates above the national average.

But home prices are also on the rise to the point where even moderate-income families — with household earnings of between $44,500 and $70,000 — are being squeezed out of the housing market.

“The cost of housing has risen dramatically and we now have levels that are approaching, or have exceeded at times, the city of Edmonton. And Alberta’s average family incomes are much, much higher than they are in Saskatchewan,” said Alan Wallace, Saskatoon’s neighbourhood planning manager.

“Prices rose so quickly that even somebody who was … able to save a down payment on a $190,000 home, now has to save much more for a $300,000 home. Even some of the entry-level product in Saskatoon starts at $270,000, so it’s a much more difficult thing to do.”

The city has decided to help with the down payment in a move it says is the first of its kind in Canada.

Council recently voted unanimously in favour of an equity building program — a five-year plan to provide low-interest loans to help people switch from rental accommodations to home ownership. The plan will allow eligible households to get about $12,000 for a down payment on a home ranging in value from $220,000 to $280,000. The aim is to help some 250 households over the life of the program.

Wallace said there are provincial programs, such as subsidized housing, to help lower income people. But there was nothing to help people in the middle.

“So a picture starts to form that people are struggling. And if they struggle long enough with inadequate, insufficient, unaffordable housing, a number of things happen which are negative,” said Wallace.

“They’ll maybe move away from the community or they will live in substandard housing — housing that is inadequate for their needs. It could be a large family that is in a two-bedroom apartment.

“The negative consequences are that people just don’t succeed in life. They don’t succeed educationally. They don’t succeed in a healthy way.”

It’s also hoped the program will free up units for lower-income renters.

Wallace said the program won’t cost the city any money if all goes according to plan. Cash for the down payments is coming from the city’s investment portfolio, not from operating revenue, and the loans will have to be repaid over five years.

“It’s not a handout. It’s not a subsidy program whatsoever.” The program will be done in partnership with the Affinity Credit Union.

Credit Union vice-president Serese Selanders said interest has “far exceeded” expectations. There were more than 150 calls in the first few days after the announcement.

“It’s kind of bittersweet,” said Selanders.

“On the one hand, we’re very excited because … this confirms that we’ve done the right thing, that we’re going to be able to meet people’s needs. On the other hand, it is somewhat sobering in that there is a huge need out there.”

The Association of Saskatchewan Realtors calls the initiative a step in the right direction for Saskatoon.

“It’s always good to be able to assist some folks in moving from rental to purchase because of the long-term benefits of home ownership, increases in net worth and those types of things,” said Bill Madder, the association’s executive vice-president. “I think it’s been shown very clearly that home ownership, if it’s attainable, is a very good step in long-term financial health for people.”

Economists and others, however, are skeptical. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says there’s a risk that the public could be on the hook for the money.

“Our concern would be if the people don’t pay the loans back,” said Colin Craig, the federation’s Prairies director. “There have been many instances in government history where the governments have generously loaned individuals and companies money but haven’t seen it all paid back.

“The city should stick to focusing on pipes, pavement and policing.”

Eric Howe, an economics professor at the University of Saskatchewan, suggests making more homes affordable in a tight housing market will increase demand and, in the end, the program will have “no consequence whatsoever.”

“There’s a certain supply of housing in Saskatoon, a certain supply of housing you can buy, and all it will do is drive up the price of that until the mortgage program doesn’t make any difference at all,” said Howe.

“I understand that politicians want desperately to look like they’re doing good things, but I wish they wouldn’t do this sort of thing. It’s just going to somewhat distort the market.”

Howe also said it’s probable that a fraction of the loans won’t be paid back.

“If you couldn’t afford to save the down payment in five years, then why would anybody suppose you could afford to pay the down payment back in five years?

“If you can afford to save the down payment in five years, then just get your house five years from now.”

In Newfoundland & Labrador you can visit Come By Chance to your Heart’s Content whilst having a Happy Adventure at Nameless Cove. If body parts interest you then why not take a look at Barry’s Head, or Robert’s Arm and whilst you’re at it check out Jerry’s Nose. If you are feeling daring then a good place to start is Dildo followed by a trip to Blow Me Down on the way to Paradise.

Not to be outdone other Atlantic provinces also have their share of strange names. For instance in Nova Scotia you can visit the Garden of Eden or the rather worryingly named Malignant Cove or how about some fun in Shag Harbour? In New Brunswick you can visit Burnt Church or the sweet sounding Ripples.

Quebec can offer you a overnight stop in Asbestos, um lovely! Or perhaps you might like the sound of Saint-Louis-du-Ha-Ha better? If you can pronounce it you also might like to visit Aachikaayusaakaasich Portage on the way to see Old Harry.

Alberta also has some great names such as Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo-Jump or Medicine Hat. Then there is Wood Buffalo, Wild Horse, Rosebud and Entrance. Why not get a little reflective in Mirror or have a Stand Off at Dead Man’s Flats?

Whilst over on that side of the country check out British Columbia. There you will find places such as Skookumchuck, Spuzzum and Squamish. As you are in BC you may as well pay a visit to Baldy Hughes or his mate Flathead, but don’t forget to stop off at  Ta ta Creek.

If you are looking for somewhere to visit that is easy to pronounce, then check out Ochiichagwe’Babigo’Ining a First Nations community in Ontario. Other Ontario strangeness includes Bummers Roost, WaWa and Precious Corners. Swastika is also another Ontario must, although it got its name long before Hitler made it famous for not so great reasons. Ontario can also offer Punkeydoodles Corners, Old Womans Bay and Nipissing.

The town of Climax Saskatchewan

As if Saskatchewan wasn’t a weird enough name on its own, the province also has a few oddities. These include Forget, Fertile and Climax. If you are into people watching then why not go to see Old Wives or perhaps Poor Man? You could also take a look at Eyebrow or Elbow or Grizzly Bear’s Head.

Visiting Manitoba may entail trips to Flin Flon or Dropmore. You may also want to take a look at Starbuck or Snowflake whilst on the way to Finger or if you are feeling greedy Five Fingers. Of course you should also have a look at Ebb and Flow, Ripples and Wampum.

The far north also has a few surprises. The Yukon can offer you Champagne and Snag as well as Destruction Bay. Northwest Territories also has Enterprise, The Ramparts and of course Yellowknife.

So as you can see Canada has lots of funny and strange sounding place names and these are just a few of the hundreds to choose from.

Now we want to hear from you – share your funny place names:

If you know of others, let us know by adding a comment or emailing us a photo of the town sign. If your the Mayor of one of these towns drop us a line as we’d love to add you to our “Meet the Mayor” series

Meanwhile, the value of non-residential permits fell 22 per cent to $1.9 billion, the lowest level since January 2010. This decline was due primarily to decreases in the commercial and institutional components in almost every province. The value of permits issued rose in half of the provinces, led by Ontario. Quebec recorded the most important decline.

For 2010 as a whole, the value of building permits issued by municipalities was up 19.8 per cent to $73.1 billion.

The year-over-year increase was largely driven by a sharp rise in residential construction intentions, which jumped 27.6 per cent from 2009 to $44.3 billion.

In the non-residential sector, the value of permits totalled $28.8 billion, up 9.5 per cent when compared with 2009. Permits issued for multi-family units rose 55.3 per cent to $1.6 billion in December, the highest level since April 2008. There were increases in seven provinces, with Ontario accounting for most of the gain.

The value of building permits for single-family units rose 3.6 per cent to $2.1 billion, a second consecutive monthly gain. There were increases in six provinces, led by Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador. Quebec, on the other hand, experienced the largest decline in single-family construction intentions.

At the national level, municipalities approved the construction of 17,893 new dwellings in December, up 27 per cent. Most were multiple-unit projects.

The value of commercial permits fell 21.7 per cent to $1 billion. This marked a second consecutive month of large declines.

In the institutional component, permits totalled $396 million, down 38 per cent from November.

It was the third straight monthly decrease in this sector, pushing it to its lowest level since February 2009. Every province except Saskatchewan recorded a decline in this area, with the largest drops coming in permits for medical facilities in Quebec and educational institutions in Ontario.

After two consecutive monthly gains, industrial construction intentions edged down 0.4 per cent to $450.5 million. Overall in December, the value of building permits rose in five provinces. The largest gain was in Ontario, with substantial jumps in housing permits. Quebec recorded the most important decline, following an 18.2 per cent increase in November. The decrease was due primarily to lower construction intentions for institutional and commercial buildings in the non-residential sector.

What do they mean?

The name Canada is derived from the word Kanata, a Huron-Iroquois word for settlement or village. Jacques Cartier came to the New World looking for a Northwest Passage to the Spice Islands and the promise of exotic goods. He was directed to the village of Stadacona by aboriginals who used the word Kanata. From that time on, Cartier referred to the village as Canada, as well as the entire land mass he was exploring. Many of the territories, provinces, cities, lakes, rivers, parks, and mountains reflect their aboriginal roots.

Provinces

Manitoba – The word Manitou means spirit, and originally referred to the land areas along the Red River. It is likely from the Cree expression maniot-wapow, or Ojibwe’sManitou-bau which means the strait of the spirit. Along the narrows of Lake Manitoba the sound of the pebbles made a noise that was said to be the sound of the spirits, or of the spirits banging drums. It is also thought that the name came from the Assiniboin expression mine-toba or Lake of the Prairies.

Nunavut – This is Canada’s newest territory, having been incorporated on April 1, 1999. The name Nunavut comes from the Inuktitut language of the Inuit, the indigenous peoples of the area, and means our land.

Ontario – There are three accepted theories as to the origin of the name Ontario: kanadario meaning sparkling or beautiful water, onitariio meaning beautiful lake, and Skanadario meaning very pretty lake. In all three cases, the land area was named for the body of water known as Lake Ontario of the Great Lakes.

Québec – The name Québec comes from an Algonquin word kébec meaning the narrowing of the river. The geographical expression likely refers to the narrowing of the river around Québec City.

Saskatchewan – The Cree word kisiskāciwani-sīpiy, meaning a swiftly flowing river, became the name of the body of water (Saskatchewan River) before it became the name of the prairie province.

Yukon – This territory derives its name from the Gwich’in word Yu-kun-ah, which means great river.

Capital cities

Many of the capital cities of the provinces and territories also have names with aboriginal origins:

• Toronto (Ontario) – tkaronto – place where trees stand in the water
• Winnipeg (Manitoba) – win-nipee – muddy water
• Iqaluit (Nunavut) – iqaluit – many fish

Actual (not seasonally adjusted) national sales activity via the Multiple Listing Service^® (MLS^®) Systems of Canadian real estate Boards was down 14.4 per cent on a year-over-year basis in December 2010, which reflects record level sales for the month of December in 2009.  Activity in December 2010 ran slightly ahead of the ten year average for the month

The national trend for monthly sales remained stable in December, with seasonally adjusted sales activity having edged down by less than a percentage point from the previous month.  Led by Calgary, Winnipeg, and Hamilton-Burlington, seasonally adjusted sales activity was up month-to-month in half of local markets. Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal were among the markets that posted a small month-over-month decline in December.

“Overall sales activity has improved in recent months, but the upturn has been uneven among local markets,” said Georges Pahud, CREA President. “Housing market trends often differ due to a number of local factors, so buyers and sellers should consult their local  expert to understand how trends are shaping up in their market.”

National home sales activity improved steadily over the second half of 2010, with seasonally adjusted sales up 18.3 per cent in December compared to the recent low reached in July. As a result, seasonally adjusted activity in the fourth quarter of 2010 rose 12.1 per cent from third quarter levels, and was up less than a percentage point compared to second quarter activity.

“The hand off to 2011 for sales activity in the fourth quarter suggests that the continuation of low interest rates will further support the housing market,” said Gregory Klump, CREA’s Chief Economist. “Sales may be starting to plateau in some of Canada’s most active and expensive housing markets.  Combined with a pickup in new listings and further interest rate increases, the stage is being set for smaller price gains and a further deceleration in the growth of mortgage debt.”

Some 447,010 homes traded hands over Canadian MLS^® Systems in 2010, down 3.9 per cent from 2009. Annual sales activity was higher than CREA had forecast previously due to stronger than projected sales activity in the fourth quarter.

The number of new residential listings on Canadian MLS^® Systems held steady in December, rising by less than one percentage point on a seasonally adjusted basis. New listings remain 14.2 per cent below the recent peak reached in April 2010.

The housing market remained in balanced territory on a national basis in December, with sales as a percentage of new listings amounting to 55.2 per cent. Just over half of local markets in Canada were in balanced territory in December.

Three-quarters of the remaining local markets are sellers’ markets.  “With activity having returned to healthy levels and a firm floor under prices, many sellers who shied away from the market heading into the summer are expected to list their properties heading into the spring,” said Klump. “Sales in the months ahead are not expected to continue trending upward as steeply as they have in recent months, so an increase in new listings may return many sellers markets to balanced territory.”

The number of months of inventory represents the number of months it would take to sell current inventories at the current rate of sales activity, and can be used to gauge the balance between housing supply and demand. The seasonally adjusted number of months of inventory stood at 5.8 months at the end of December on a national basis. This was unchanged from November, and remains 1.4 months below where it was in July.

The number of months of inventory in December rose compared to November levels in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and was down from the previous month in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Prince Edward Island.

The national average price for homes sold in December 2010 was $344,551, up two per cent from the same month last year, and stable compared to average price in October and November. About 60 per cent of local markets recorded year-over-year gains in December. Average price was down on a year-over-year basis in 30 per cent of local markets, and remained stable in the remainder.

The annual average price for homes sold via Canadian MLS^® Systems rose 5.8 per cent to $339,030.  Much of the increase reflects compositional factors within and across housing markets that caused average price to be skewed downward in 2009.

And the conclusion is that anywhere is a good place to be if you’re a kid on Christmas morning — but some places are clearly better than others.

“We thought we’d have some fun and check out what are the cities in North America that are the best place to be a kid on Christmas,” said researcher Jim Millway. “Saskatoon is one of the top 10 places in North America — and dare I say, the world — to enjoy Christmas or be a kid at Christmas.”

Saskatoon ranked eighth among all North American cities. Regina ranked 60th, but was still considered the second best Canadian city to be a kid at this time of year. The community with the highest percentage of youngsters under 14 was Laredo, Texas, at 38 per cent.

Ocean City, N.J., turns out to be the sweetest place in North America with 23 candy stores for every 100,000 residents.

Not surprisingly Canadian cities dominate the top 10 places most likely to see snow — with six cities having more than a 95 per cent chance of a white Christmas. Sadly, there were 110 cities across the U.S. and Canada with only a 2.5 per cent chance of having white stuff at Christmas.

When the researchers pulled together all the data, with two candy stores, six toy stores, 26 per cent of the 125,000 residents under 14, and an 82 per cent chance of having a white Christmas, Logan, Utah, ends up being crowned the best place to be a kid at Christmas, followed by Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Fairbanks, Alaska, Billings, Mont., and Ogden, Utah.

While reluctant to tag any one city the “worst place to be a kid on Christmas morning,” researchers suggested kids might want to stock up on goodies and snowballs before being dragged to visit grandparents in places such as Bradenton, Fla., Pine Bluff, Ark., or Johnson City, Tenn.

Multicultural Canada: During the third quarter, 84,200 immigrants arrived in Canada, 8,800 more than in the same quarter of 2009.

The increase in immigration was experienced by most of Canada’s provinces and territories. Some of them had the highest quarterly immigration levels since 1971, the first year covered by the current system of demographic accounts.

Despite the increase in immigration, Canada’s third-quarter population growth was only slightly higher than what was observed for the same quarter in 2009. The increase in immigration was partly offset by a decline in the net inflow of non-permanent residents.

Atlantic Canada

The population of Newfoundland and Labrador was estimated at 509,200 on October 1, 2010. Despite a net gain in international migration, it was the only province to post a population decline in the third quarter.

Prince Edward Island had the nation’s highest third-quarter growth rate. Its population increased by nearly 1,000 (+0.7%) to 143,200. The increase was largely due to immigration, as the province received 1,200 immigrants, the highest number since 1971.

Nova Scotia’s population grew by 1,400 (+0.1%) to 943,900. The increase was in part attributable to a net inflow of non-permanent residents (+1,400).

New Brunswick’s population totalled 752,800 as of October 1, up by 1,100 (+0.1%). The increase was primarily attributable to immigration, as the province received around 700 immigrants, the highest level observed since the second quarter of 1976.

Central Canada

Quebec’s population grew by 24,800 (+0.3%) to 7,932,100 during the third quarter. The province received 16,800 immigrants, the highest level since 1971.

During the third quarter, Quebec’s net interprovincial migration was close to zero, meaning that its number of in-migrants coming from other parts of the country equalled the number of people leaving the province for another location in Canada. With only a few exceptions, Quebec usually experiences losses in its migration exchanges with the other provinces and territories.

Ontario’s population totalled 13,268,600 on October 1, 2010, an increase of 57,900 (+0.4%). Net international migration, the most important factor in the province’s population growth, accounted for nearly 70% of Ontario’s third-quarter population increase.

Western Canada

Manitoba’s population as of October 1, 2010 was estimated at 1,240,000, up by 4,600 (+0.4%). The growth was primarily attributable to net international migration, estimated at 4,100. Manitoba received nearly 4,700 immigrants in the third quarter, the highest level since 1971.

Saskatchewan’s population increased by 4,100 (+0.4%) to reach 1,049,700 as of October 1. More than 60% of this growth was due to net international migration. Saskatchewan’s net interprovincial migration during the third quarter, which was slightly above zero, was much lower than in the same period in 2009.

Alberta’s population rose by 14,100 (+0.4%) to 3,735,100 in the third quarter. Unlike the situation in other provinces where migration is the key factor of population growth, nearly 60% of Alberta’s growth was due to natural increase, a much higher proportion than in any other province.

British Columbia posted an increase of 20,900 (+0.5%) in the third quarter as its population reached 4,551,900. The province received more than 13,200 immigrants in the third quarter, its highest level of immigration since the first quarter of 1997.

The territories

The population of the three territories was virtually unchanged in the third quarter. As of October 1, 2010, the Yukon’s population was estimated at 34,500, compared with 43,800 for the Northwest Territories and 33,300 for Nunavut.

Vulcan tourism and Trek station

It’s unlikely that any visitor who drives through Vulcan will miss spotting the Vulcan Tourism and Trek Station and the Starship Enterprise. Situated at the main entrance to the town, this 78.7 cm (31 in) long starship model was built and unveiled in 1995 and is based on the original USS enterprise from the Star Trek series. The Tourism and Trek Station was constructed in 1998 and looks just like a spaceship, so it can’t and shouldn’t be missed. “Trekkies,” a term to describe Star Trek enthusiasts, will delight to find out that there is an annual VulCon community-wide three-day Star Trek convention in June, featuring Klingon karaoke, a Star Trek fashion show and an Intergalactic Fan Fiction Exhibition. A plaque welcomes space-eager visitors in English, Klingon and Vulcan so there is no confusion as to the intriguing discovery. Only a one hour drive from Calgary, Alberta, this attraction is one of the most unique attractions in Canada.

The world’s largest UFO landing pad

UFO landing pad

In an effort to boost tourism, St. Paul, Alberta decided to build a UFO landing pad, which is currently the world’s largest. Located at the main entrance to the town’s recreational grounds, the landing pad officially opened in 1967 and in 1993 a tourist booth was built to complement the area. In 1996, the centre built an adjoining UFO interpretive display, one of only two that exists in North America. The centre also started a UFO hotline number that is used regularly for UFO sightings, unexplained phenomena and other irregular happenings. The 130 ton landing pad has a map of Canada embossed in the backstop, built from stones from each province. The construction of the landing pad was spearheaded by this small prairie town’s Centennial Committee and became one of a hundred Centennial project ideas that took off.

The world’s largest dinosaur

Visitors who want to explore East-Central Alberta but who aren’t normally intrigued by unidentified foreign objects or fictional Star Trek characters, should stop off at Alberta’s badlands for a view of the world’s largest dinosaur. The Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex) is a 26 m (86 ft) steel and fiberglass structure that can be viewed for free. The more energetic person will be pleased to pay a few dollars to climb the 106 steps lined with fossils and bones that lead into the dinosaur’s mouth. Built in the fall of 2000, the T-Rex is a millennium project of the Drumheller Regional Chamber of Development and Tourism in Alberta. Visitors to this enormous beast will also likely enjoy taking a tour of the nearby the Royal Tyrrell Museum.

The largest Hockey stick and punk

The largest Hockey stick and punk

Where else would the curious traveller find a 62 m (205 ft) hockey stick but in Canada. Currently residing in Duncan, British Columbia on Vancouver Island, the puck and stick were built in Penticton from Douglas fir wood beams. The stick weighs in at a whopping 28 kg (61 lbs), 40 times the size of a regular hockey stick. Commissioned by the Government of Canada for Expo ’86 in Vancouver, the puck and stick were later donated to the province of British Columbia. After a competition, the Cowichan Community Centre in Duncan was chosen from over 30 organizations to display the interesting artifact in front of the building. The citizens of the Cowichan community now also own the biggest hockey stick and puck in the world.

Biggest easel

What weighs 20,250 kg (45,000 lbs) and is an artist’s dream? The Big Easel in Altona. The 25 m (80 ft) easel and hand-painted reproduction dwarfs the original seven Vincent Van Gogh sunflower paintings. The first big easel and painting was erected in Altona in 1998 and is part of the international Van Gogh project, which will eventually comprise seven hand-painted reproductions of Van Gogh’s sunflowers in seven countries. Canadian artist Cameron Cross is responsible for the current painting in Altona, the sunflower capital of Canada. This fun but unusual attraction can be found on a grassy area on 10th Avenue in the northeast side of town, a one hour drive from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Ten layers of acrylic enamel and 24 sheets of plywood sheets were used in the creation of this enormous painting, which has become an internationally recognized symbol of art. Altona’s big easel took two and a half years to complete.

The ice hotel in Quebec

More than an unusual sight, the Ice Hotel in Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier is an architectural winter marvel. Open to the public from January to the first week of April, this 2,700 sq m (30,000 sq ft) hotel is both a public attraction as well as a place to stay overnight, if the visitor doesn’t mind being surrounded by tons of ice and snow. Four-inch thick walls encircle the 36 regular and themed-room suites bringing the internal temperature in the hotel to between -2°C to -5°C (28°F to 23°F). An ice cafe and bar and a sauna will help warm the body as will the cozy bedding that is placed on the hotel beds. Daily public tours are available to those who prefer not to get horizontal in this icy hotel paradise.

Bottle houses

Inspired by a picture of a glass castle on a postcard sent by the inventor’s daughter, Édouard T. Arsenault collected and cleaned 25,000 recycled bottles to create this amazing architectural attraction. Since 1981, visitors have been drawn to the three glass buildings and the magnificent glass-themed gardens that Edóuard built at the age of 66, shortly after his retirement.

Over the years, Prince Edward Island’s inclement weather led to the rebuilding of the three structures between 1992 and 1998. Bricklayers carefully reconstructed the buildings by taking down the various shapes, sizes and colours of the glass piece by piece. Édouard’s six-gabled house was the initial attraction to this site. Tourists were amazed by the intricacies of his work and encouraged Édouard to continue on with his desire to build glass structures, which started out as a hobby.

The world’s largest egg

One of the main attractions along the Trans Canada Yellowhead Highway is the Pysanka, a gigantic Ukrainian Easter egg, which was created to celebrate 100 years of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s (R.C.M.P.) dedication and service to the city’s descendants and pioneers. The creation of the Pysanka, meaning Easter egg in Ukrainian, is a symbol of Ukrainian culture and brought about the first-ever computer modeling of an egg. The egg is made up of 524 star patterns, 2,208 equilateral triangles, 3,512 visible facets and almost 7,000 nuts and bolts.

Computer scientist Professor Resch designed the egg, which stands 9.5 m (31 ft) high, 7.8 m (25.7 ft) long and 5.5 m (18 ft) wide. Weighing in at 2,268 kg (5,000 lbs), this aluminum egg is an incredible artistic achievement, made up of five distinct symbols. The gold and silver stars symbolize life and good fortune, trinity and eternity while the windmills represent a rich harvest. The silver wolf’s tooth, the most prominent symbol, represents protection and security provided by the R.C.M.P. The showcase of the R.C.M.P.’s centennial celebrations in 1975, the Pysanka, can be found at the entrance to the Elks Kinsmen Community Park in Vegreville, Alberta.

Largest Pyrogy

The Largest Pyrogy

The town of Glendon is another small town in Alberta that showcases its Ukrainian culture in a big way. Known as one of the “giants of the prairies” this massive pyrogy (commonly spelt perogy) is a sight that may tempt the taste buds. Luckily there is a Pyrogy Park Cafe right next door so stop in and enjoy some fresh perogies, a semicircular dumpling made of unleavened dough served in many European and Asian cultures. There is also a gift shop beside the structure if bringing home a plastic replica of this huge roadside treat is desired. The 8 m (27 ft) tall and 3.6 m (12 ft) wide structure was unveiled in 1993. Find this huge pyrogy stuck on a giant fork structure in northern Alberta, located on Pyrogy Drive in Pyrogy Park.

The largest coffee pot in Canada

Venture through central Saskatchewan to see a giant coffee pot and mug. This 7.3 m (24 ft) carafe was built to symbolize Davidson‘s friendliness and hospitality. Located halfway between Regina and Saskatoon, this sheet metal structure was built in 1996 and has the capacity to hold 150,000 8-ounce cups of coffee and features painted murals on each side. Hopefully there is a coffee shop nearby.

Winnipeg, MB, self-dubbed the “Christmas Capital of Canada” for its passion for night lights

Downtown streets and the Manitoba Legislature are always lavishly lit up, but they’re just the tip of a sparkling iceberg. The drive-through, 2.5-km (1.6-mi)-long Canad Inns Winter Wonderland at the city’s Red River Exhibition Park sports more than a million lights and 29 themed areas; it’s so bright that according to its organizers, pilots claim they can see it as far as 32 km (20 mi) from the city. Horse-drawn sleigh rides on weekends are free, as is family skating all week long.

The Festival of Trees & Lights, running from late November to mid-December to raise money for local charities, is staged in the Manitoba Hydro Gallery in the energy-efficient Hydro headquarters on Portage Ave., and includes a roster of live performances from dancers to choirs, plus special Christmas readings.

At the Electrical Museum, the seasonal “All That Glows: Then & Now” display covers holiday light bulbs and styles from as far back as the 1880s. One suburb in particular goes lights-crazy—Linden Woods, where hundreds of cars crawl along the streets to ogle Candy Cane Lane (Foxmeadow Drive) and Polar Bear Lane (Hennessey Drive), as well as dozens of other glowing, stand-out house decorations. One family in the Tuxedo area (by the city’s Assiniboine Forest) runs a delightful miniature-train excursion nightly for two weeks during the holiday season. The 1/8th-scale train’s six-minute route carries passengers through the family’s Christmas-lights display, spread over seven acres of forest. Last year, visitors walking in from Roblin Blvd. used a 300-m (984-ft) lit pathway, or detoured along a 600-m (1,969-ft) path and wound up at a Gingerbread Village.

Saskatchewan is no slouch lights-wise, either. Regina locals brave the cold in early December to kick off the season with the lighting of City Hall and the Legislature Building, and then enjoy the 70th Rotary Christmas Carol Festival with over 80 local choral groups.

Saskatoon boasts one of Canada’s longest-running drive-through displays, the Enchanted Forest Holiday Light Tour, staged at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park every evening from Nov. 19, 2010 to Jan. 9, 2011. Some 60,000 visitors drop by to admire more than 900 images, displays and huge trees, including whimsical hens coming home to roost in the Eiffel Tower (“Three French Hens”), a gigantic Eddie the Elf, and strutting peacocks. Horse-drawn wagon rides for up to 16 people can be booked, and tour buses are welcome at a nominal charge per head.

With all this to light up the nights, it’s no wonder Prairie folks don’t much mind shorter days; the nights are even prettier than bright sunshine on sparkling snow.

www.travelmanitoba.com
www.sasktourism.com

Article courtesy of the Canadian Tourism Commission Media Centre:

Writers Bio: Veteran Canadian writer, journalist, and broadcaster, Judy Waytiuk is based in Winnipeg, MB. She loves “soft adventure,” history, nature and cultural travel, has written hundreds of features for dozens of newspapers and magazines, and holds five major national and international awards for her travel writing. Her heart is happiest when she’s writing about Canada. www.wordsink.ca

Here’s a roundup of activities and places to play in the snow across the country:

Ski & snowboard (X-C, cat-, resort, heli-)
Skiing? Boarding? Hell, yeah! Canada’s got a veritable buffet of skiing options, with many flavours to enjoy: resort, heli-, cat- and Nordic/cross-country. Whatever your preference, Canada has no shortage of world-class choices:

• Although British Columbia’s Whistler-Blackcomb regularly steals the limelight as North America’s über-ski resort, there’s a lifetime of other hills to explore, spreading across to Alberta, Quebec and as far east as Marble Mountain near Corner Brook, NL.
• The world’s first heli-skiing operation, Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH), now operates 12 heli-ski areas and lodges in British Columbia (where an estimated 90% of the world’s heli-skiing takes place). 
  
• The world’s first commercial cat-ski operation also hails from British Columbia: 35 years old now, Selkirk Wilderness Skiing is still a family business operating near Nelson, BC. 
  
• There are 500-plus cross-country ski areas across Canada, with standouts including Alberta’s Canmore Nordic Centre, developed for the 1988 Calgary Olympic Winter Games, and Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club in the Yukon, with 75 km (47 mi) of trails accessible five minutes from downtown.

Snowshoe

Initially born out of necessity for travel and hunting in deep snow, the snowshoe has evolved in form and use to something enjoyed by those more interested in getting some exercise in the crisp air while absorbing some of the splendour of the outdoors. Pretty much anywhere you can hike during the summer, you can snowshoe in winter. Some ideal locales to strap on snowshoes include:

• Gatineau Park, a short jaunt from Parliament Hill in Ottawa, ON, our nation’s capital. Here 45 km (28 mi) of lakeside trails range from easy to challenging.
• On the east coast, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Gros Morne National Park butts against the Atlantic Ocean, making for some dramatic coastal trekking.
• A prime example of boreal forest mixed with prairie landscape is Moose Mountain Provincial Park in southeastern Saskatchewan.

Outdoor skating

Skating is a fundamental skill needed to play ice hockey, which is why many Canadians have skates put on them not long after they’re able to walk. Originally a mode of transportation for First Nations and early settlers, ice-skating soon became a recreational pastime during long winter months. Although indoor rinks abound, the full Canadian experience is to skate outdoors in the fresh air.

• The famed Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa, ON, is the world’s largest groomed outdoor ice-skating surface (7.8 km or 5 mi).
• A few of the longest ice-skating venues in Canada include: Assiniboine Credit Union River Trail, the world’s longest naturally frozen skating trail, in Winnipeg,MB; Sylvan Lake Track in Alberta; and Rivière L’Assomption’s Skateway in Joliette, QC.
• Two of the most picturesque outdoor skating areas include: Place d’Youville in Québec City, QC, amid the Old Town’s historic buildings in front of Palais Montcalm; and when it’s sufficiently frozen, Alberta’s iconic Lake Louise, ringed by glaciated peaks and the fairytale-esque Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.
• In the north, Frame Lake, right in the middle of the Northwest Territories’ capital,Yellowknife, gets a good grooming for winter skating.
• Many downtown cores in Canada sport outdoor rinks, including Victoria Park in Regina, SK and Nathan Phillips Square, outside city hall in Toronto, ON.

Tobogganing

Of all the winter activities, none crosses as many age groups and abilities as tobogganing (from the Algonquian term odabaggan). Simply get on something that slides; a sled with runners, toboggan with flat bottom, even a piece of plastic, then succumb to gravity. Anywhere there’s a decent hill (and a good run out) is fair game. But some places to consider:

• Les Glissades de la Terrasse Dufferin (Dufferin Terrace Toboggan Slide) in Québec City, QC, beside the stately Fairmont Le Château Frontenac hotel. A holdover from a bygone era of manmade toboggan slides, the 82-m-high (269-ft) platform yields a 152-m (499-ft) ride. It costs only a couple of dollars, but you have to haul the wooden toboggan to the top yourself.
• Canada Olympic Park, site of the 1988 Calgary Olympic Winter Games in Calgary, AB, allows you to view or experience the bigger brothers of tobogganing: luge, bobsleigh (you can try these two) and skeleton.
• Just about every ski resort has a good tubing or tobogganing area, official or otherwise.

Snowmobiling
It should come as no surprise that the father of the modern snowmobile was Canadian.Joseph-Armand Bombardier from Valcourt, QC, developed a caterpillar tracks design especially suited to varied snow conditions—a design adopted by all other major manufacturers. Present-day machines, with 150-plus horsepower engines capable of reaching speeds in excess of 240 k/hr (150 mph), provide access to some of the wildest, most remote regions of the country. But there’s no need for anything extreme to make for serious snowmobiling fun. Some of the most popular Canadian snowmobiling destinations include:

• Bombardier’s province, Quebec, is also birthplace of the first snowmobiling club in the world. The Laurentians and Abitibi-Témiscamingue, with their 3,518 km (2,217 mi) of snowmobiling trails, are considered two of the top destinations in the province.
• Ontario’s network of recreational snowmobiling trails is the longest in the world (at over 43,000 km or 26,000 mi) and includes such destinations as Vermilion Bay.
• New Brunswick’s Great Northern Odyssey carves a 1,000-km (625-mi) trail through four towns in the most snow-blessed province in the Maritimes.
• In the west, top spots include Sicamous, BC, Crowsnest Pass, AB, Whiteshell Provincial Park, MB, and Hudson Bay and Nipawin, both in Saskatchewan.
• The truly adventurous will want to try snowmobiling in wild Labrador; with virtually no roads, it’s only accessible by snowmobile in winter , or in Canada’s remote Arctic, Nunavut

Article courtesy of the Canadian Tourism Commission Media Centre:

Writers Bio: Masa Takei is a freelance magazine and screen writer based in Vancouver, BC. Publications he’s written for include Canadian Geographic, Westworld, Vancouver Magazine, Western Living and The Globe and Mail. His writing interests range from outdoor adventure, travel and subcultures to, apparently, structuring narrative arcs for mutant mercenaries and half-vampires. mtakei@shaw.ca

Of course, the first Canadian cuisine is the indigenous food of our First Nations: the salmon, oysters and oolican of British Columbia’s coastal waters; the bison and wild Saskatoon berry of the Prairies; the moose and elk of the Canadian Shield; the seal, whale and caribou of the vast northern tundra.

Over the last 125 years, the waves of immigrants who have settled in pockets throughout the country have further defined the style of cooking and local specialties. In “Irish” Newfoundland and Labrador, it’s boiled corned beef and cabbage dinners. InVancouver, BC, it’s sushi and killer Cantonese. In Edmonton, AB, it’s the best perogies and cabbage rolls—thanks to the largest Ukrainian diaspora in the land.

Canada is a country of regions, and regional cuisine is all the rage here. Here’s a taste of what to expect as you cross from sea to shining sea to shining sea:

Atlantic Canada
The Atlantic provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick all have their own unique culinary charms, but they take many of their culinary cues from the sea. Commercial fisheries run the gamut from Digby scallops in Nova Scotia to Malpeque oysters in PEI to sweet Coldwater shrimp in Newfoundland. There’s also cod, mussels and lobster all around, and lush growing regions like the Annapolis Valley, NS, known for wonderful apples and now vineyards featuring the Maritime grape, L’Acadie Blanc. As in all parts of the country, the best chefs are using fresh, seasonal and local ingredients—from seaweed to PEI potatoes—in creative new ways.

Whether you tuck into a meal from a top chef or a lobster roll on the street, fresh seafood is always on the plate. In port towns like St. John’s, NL, and Halifax, NS, the pub culture runs deep, with some of the best places in the country to raise a pint accompanied by a casual meal and lively Maritime music.

Typical tastes:

• Crispy cod tongues and scrunchions in St. John’s, NL
• Rappie pie on the northeast Acadian shore of New Brunswick
• Seaweed pie in PEI
• Lobster (lobster suppers and lobster rolls)
• Fish & chips
• Rum cake
• Chowder

Hot spots:

• Tempest in Wolfville, NS
• Chives Canadian Bistro, Halifax, NS
• Fid Resto, Halifax, NS
• Le Caveau at Domaine de Grand Pré, NS
• The Battered Fish, Halifax, NS
• The Rooms Café, St. John’s, NL
• Bianca, St. John’s NL
• Claddagh Oyster House, Charlottetown, PEI

Quebec
La belle province is a massive place, stretching from the salt-lashed coast of the Gaspé Peninsula and tiny islands of Îles de la Madeleine, down the St. Lawrence River to historic Quebéc City, and further south to cosmopolitan Montréal. The northern reaches of the province are a wilderness of lakes and forests, filled with game such as deer and moose. The famed sugar bush comes alive from February to early spring—maple syrup season. Along the south shore, you’ll find the country’s best cheesemakers.

The culinary vibe takes much from the old-fashioned French cooking transplanted by some of the earliest Canadian immigrants more than 400 years ago—which is why you’ll find excellent French wines in the government-operated liquor stores—and restaurants in Old Québec serving pea soup and cassoulet. But the cities are cosmopolitan, and thanks to centuries of immigration, you’ll find excellent Jewish delis, Vietnamese bakeries and star chefs creating superb French-Canadian cuisine.

Typical tastes:

• Tourtière, a classic double-crusted meat pie made with pork (and sometimes game meats)
• Iced hard cider, a sweet dessert wine similar to icewine, but pressed from frozen apples
• Smoked meat sandwiches
• Poutine, French-Canadian fast food created by topping French fries with gravy and fresh cheese curds (and now all manner of other things from beefy meat sauce to curry)
• Maple syrup on snow, a sweet n’ chewy snack found at sugar shacks, or maple sugar pie and even maple wine
• Local cheeses

Hot spots:

• Au Pied de Cochon, Montréal
• Restaurant Toqué!, Montréal
• Restaurant Toast!, Québec City
• Schwartz’s, Montréal
• Aux Anciens Canadiens, Québec City
• Laurie Raphaël, Québec City

Ontario
Ontario is the heart of the country, home to the national capital of Ottawa, with its international embassies, and Toronto, the metropolitan area that is Canada’s most densely populated region. Stretching along the Great Lakes, there are temperate growing regions such as Niagara and Prince Edward County, both known for vineyards, apples and other tree fruit. From the lakes are pickerel and whitefish, and from the northern forests wild mushrooms, ramps and game.

While Ontario’s British history may be seen in local favourites like butter tarts and peameal bacon sandwiches, its capital, Toronto, is truly an international city with a multicultural past and present. This includes Greek restaurants along the Danforth, locovore charcuterie made on site at places like The Black Hoof, and pupusas and Chinese roast duck in funky Kensington Market. You’re never far from a great cup of coffee, an authentic Jamaican patty or a wine bar in Toronto. And with superb chef schools—like the Stratford Chefs School—nearby, the city lures some top Canadian chefs to its upscale dining spots.

Typical tastes:

• Peameal bacon sandwich, St. Lawrence Market
• Ontario cabernet franc (like those from Henry of Pelham Family Estate)
• BeaverTails before skating on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa
• Vidal or riesling icewine (for a treat, try Inniskillin’s Icewine Sparkling Vidal)
• Butter tarts
• Niagara peaches

Hot spots:
Gilead Café, Toronto
Buddha Dog, Picton
Dine @ Vineland Estates, Niagara
Le Cordon Bleu Bistro @ Signatures, Ottawa
SOMA Chocolatemaker, Toronto
Black Hoof, Toronto
Canoe, Toronto
North 44, Toronto
Anything to do with star-chef Michael Stadtländer.

Prairies
Once you get off of Ontario’s rocky Canadian Shield, you’re into the prairie provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Manitoba, with massive Lake Winnipeg and a connection to Hudson’s Bay, was a historic transportation hub, the end of the line for pioneers who set off from Winnipeg by wagon train and Red River cart to populate the west.

Fish and fishers factor into Prairies cuisine—Icelandic immigrants populated areas around Gimli on the namesake lake—fishing pickerel or walleye and smoking Winnipeg goldeye. From the land, game birds like duck and geese migrate through this region’s marshlands and end up in family freezers, and there are many shallow lakes where wild rice is produced. Grain is grown across the Prairies—wheat, barley, oats, canola, even Manitoba Harvest hemp—and other famous field crops like mustard, lentils and beans.

Saskatoon berries are also eaten across the Prairies (the dried berries plus bison make pemmican) and now there are U-picks for berries and even prairie sour cherries. Beyond pickerel, there’s sustainably farmed trout and Arctic char, birch syrup and enough malted Canadian barley for lots of good artisan beer labels and brew pubs. There’s also a strong Eastern European community in these two provinces, with many immigrants from Ukraine, Poland and Romania. The local ingredients and ethnic traditions influence chefs, so you’ll find things like crispy pickerel fillets and wild-mushroom perogies on some of the best menus.

Typical tastes:

• Red Fife wheat
• Saskatoon berries
• Smoked Winnipeg goldeye
• Wild rice
• Pickerel
• Prairie cherry spreads and chocolates
• Perogies

Hot spots:

• Janis and Remi Cousyn’s Calories restaurant and Souleio, Saskatoon, SK
• Weczeria, Saskatoon, SK
• Baba’s Perogies, Saskatoon, SK
• The Willow on Wascana, Regina, SK
• Current Restaurant and Lounge, Winnipeg, MB
• Smokin’ Okies BBQ, Regina, SK
• Bushwakker Brewpub, Regina, SK

Alberta
Alberta is both a prairie and mountain province, its foothills (where cattle ranching is king) the physical transition from one kind of geography to the other. Alberta farmers produce most of the country’s barley—to feed that cattle—so beef and beer are big on menus.

But Alberta is also a wealthy, oil-producing province with lots of jobs and corporate head offices, so you’ll see a kind of upscale, cosmopolitan cuisine here that is typical of larger centres. Wine bars with small plates to share are popular for downtown dining, and there are plenty of sushi bars, noodle houses, plus Italian, Indian and Tex-Mex spots.

In the mountain parks—from Kananaskis north to Banff and Jasper—a kind of unique Canadian Rocky Mountain cuisine, featuring wild game such as elk and bison, and foraged foods including mushrooms and berries, has been developed by chefs at Buffalo Mountain Lodge in Banff and other regional spots.

Still, the cowboy lifestyle is alive in Alberta and that beefy ranch and prairie farm vibe runs through many big city establishments, whether it’s nose-to-tail dining at Calgary’s CHARCUT or steak at Open Range. Top chefs feature local free-range meats and poultry—from Spragg’s pork and Sunworks Farm chicken to Driview Farms lamb—on their locally inspired menus, with wood-fired grills and rotisseries popular for cooking the meaty fare.

Typical tastes:

• Alberta Beef
• Big Rock beer
• Spolumbo’s sausages
• Valbella Gourmet Foods charcuterie (including wild game sausages)
• Sylvan Star Cheese aged Gouda
• Bernard Callebaut chocolates
• Bison (aka buffalo)
• Saskatoon pie

Hot spots:

• CHARCUT, Calgary
• NOtaBLE, Calgary
• Rouge, Calgary
• River Café and Boxwood, Calgary
• FARM, Calgary
• Spolumbo’s, Calgary
• The Bison, Banff
• Canadian Rocky Mountain cuisine at Buffalo Mountain Lodge, Banff
• Hardware Grill, Edmonton
• Culina Highlands, Edmonton
• ECOcafé at Pigeon Lake

British Columbia
British Columbia has a strong British past (especially evident during afternoon tea in the province’s capital, Victoria), but it’s also been a magnate for immigrants, including gold miners, lumberjacks, and the Japanese and Chinese immigrants of Vancouver and Richmond (the largest Chinatown in Canada).

On the food front, BC offers a wealth of riches—from beef and seafood to tree fruit and wine. The coastal communities are fishing communities, and BC is known for its wild sockeye, pink, coho, and Chinook salmon, deep-sea halibut and sablefish (a.k.a. black cod), Fanny Bay oysters and the wild spot prawns—some of the only sustainable shrimp around.

Delta is famed for growing cranberries and other vegetables, especially greenhouse tomatoes. The central Okanagan region, sprawling north to south along a chain of massive lakes, has peaches, apples, plums and wine grapes for making some of the country’s most intense and awarded wines.

Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands are microclimates of their own, producing fresh fruit, wine grapes and woodlands bursting with chanterelle, morel and other wild fungi. In Whistler, Haida Gwaii and points north, look for smoked salmon, Matsutake, and coastal other First Nations cuisine.

Like the rest of the west coast, Vancouver is at once laid back, cosmopolitan and cutting-edge when it comes to cuisine. Here you’ll find some of the world’s top chefs—Daniel Boulud, Jean-Georges Vongerichten—with satellite restaurants, and some of Canada’s top culinary talents, including James Walt at Araxi in Whistler, Robert Clark at C Restaurant and David Hawksworth at Hawksworth. It’s here where forward-thinking culinary concepts start: Ocean Wise sustainable seafood, charcuterie, local culinary tourism (see Edible BC), wine and creative cocktail bars.

Tour around the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island or hit Vancouver’s Granville Island Public Market to see what fresh Canadian food is all about.

Typical tastes:

• Sockeye salmon
• Sushi
• Dim sum
• BC wines (especially pinot gris, chardonnay, riesling and pinot noir)
• First Nations cuisine (bannock with smoked salmon)
• Fanny Bay oysters
• Nanaimo bars
• Wild chanterelle mushrooms

Hot spots:

• Blue Water Café + Raw Bar, Vancouver
• Cioppino’s Mediterranean Grill & Enoteca, Vancouver
• Salt Tasting Room, Vancouver
• Silk Road Tea, Victoria
• Araxi, Whistler
• Barefoot Bistro, Whistler
• Red Fish Blue Fish, Victoria
• KINGYO IZAKAYA, Vancouver
• Sun Sui Wah Seafood, Vancouver and Richmond
• Campagnolo, Vancouver
• RauDZ, Kelowna
• JAPA DOG (creative street food), Vancouver
• Tojo’s, Vancouver
• Sooke Harbour House, Vancouver Island
• Spinnakers, Victoria

Article courtesy of the Canadian Tourism Commission Media Centre:

Writers Bio: Cinda Chavich is the former food editor and senior feature writer for the Calgary Herald and the Calgary Sun. Specializing in cuisine, cultural history, eco-travel, lifestyle and trends, Chavich contributes to The Globe and Mail, CBC radio, Avenue (Calgary), Chatelaine, Canadian Geographic, Westworld, up!, Wine Access, Food Service & Hospitality and Alberta Parent, as well as American publications Wine Spectator, Cooking Light and Relish. From cod tongues in Newfoundland to truffles in northern Italy, Chavich is keen to explore the unique corners of Canada. www.tastereport.com.

A young vibrant, and entrepreneurial demographic is energizing the city with exciting new things to see and do.  Well supported by a history of know-how and innovation, Saskatoon celebrates throughout the year its rich culture, through a continuous line-up of festivals, events, performing arts, and a fine selection of crafts and fine art.”

The History of Saskatoon

During 1882, a group of 35 people from an Ontario temperance movement, settled on lands that had been inhabited by the Cree. Legend has it, that John Lake, the leader of the settlers, was handed some local berries by a member of this First Nations tribe. Lake was suitably impressed, and asked what the name of the berries was. In the Cree language the berries were called the misaskwatomin – this somehow became ‘saskatoon’ and Lake decided to name the settlement Saskatoon in honour of these berries. The jams and pies made from them are a still a local specialty.

With the arrival of the railway in 1890 a town started to grow on the other side of the river from the original settlement, this was also named Saskatoon. In 1906 the town was given its charter, and all communities were united to become the town of Saskatoon. Local businessmen lobbied to get more railways, and the town soon became a railway hub. Growth and development was steady until the Depression, when Saskatchewan suffered greatly from the downturn in farming. Since that time, Saskatoon’s economy has diversified, and today the largest employer is the University of Saskatchewan. Relatively near to Saskatoon are large uranium and potash deposits, so the city is also a centre for the mining industry. Meatpacking and agricultural processing are also important industries here.

Saskatoon’s Climate

Saskatoon’s climate is typical of the Canadian Prairies. Winters can be very cold, and summers can get fairly hot. Saskatoon has facilities for all seasons, and so a visit here at any time of year can be enjoyable. The Meewasin Valley Trail is groomed as a cross country ski trail in the winter, and ice skating is also available. In the summer the trail is a great hiking and biking path. The river offers various opportunities for water sports. Many of Saskatoon’s noteworthy places can be seen from the river, so a river cruise is a great way to view these. There are many pleasant parks for picnics, barbecues and other leisure activities. The fall is a particularly beautiful time in Saskatoon. The area is full of trees, many of which change to magnificent shades of red and gold. Take an autumn stroll down trendy Broadway Avenue, with its lovely restored homes, arts and craft stores and classic theatre.

Transportation Links

Saskatoon is located on the Yellowhead Highway, and this connects to other major North American routes. There is bus service to major centres that allows for easy connections from all over Canada and the U.S. Saskatoon is served by VIA Rail train service. Saskatoon’s airport has flights from all major cities in Western Canada and to Toronto, and so worldwide connections are easy. The airport is at most 20 minutes drive from the downtown.

Featured Attractions

Wanuskewin Heritage Park is set on 290 acres along the South Saskatchewan River, and is located 17 km (10.5 mi)northeast of downtown Saskatoon, in the very scenic Opamihaw Valley. Wanuskew is a National Historic Site, and the area was home to Aboriginals at least 6000 years ago. The park focuses on the rich native heritage of the area, through cultural, archaeological, historical, and geographical interpretation. Twenty-one archaeological sites have been uncovered, and these are of great significance to scholars from all over the world. The sites include tipi (teepee) rings, and a medicine wheel. There are self-guided trails around the grounds of the park that take in the archaeological sites, as well as allowing visitors to appreciate the unspoiled beauty of the park, the wildflowers and shrubs, and the many songbirds and other wildlife. The interpretation centre is perched on the edge of a buffalo jump, and here the history of the local First Nations is covered with audio-visual presentations, and hands-on computerized displays and exhibits. One of the highlights of the park is the 500-seat amphitheatre where Aboriginal dances and songs are performed, and enthralling stories are told. The outdoor activity area enables visitor to learn such things as constructing a tipi, tanning a hide, or how to cook bannock and other First Nations cuisine. There is also a restaurant specializing in Aboriginal cuisine. It is even possible to spend the night in the park – in a tipi of course. Arrive early to get the full benefit of a day here.

Throughout Canada there are many museums with a pioneer and heritage theme. One of the best is Saskatoon’s Western Development Museum, and while it is not on the same scale as many of the large outdoor heritage museums and parks, a visit here is well worth a few hours of your time. As you walk through the entrance here you will be amazed to find that you are on Main St, Prairie Town, in the year 1910. It seems like an indoor movie set, and is incredibly authentic. It is fascinating to stroll for a few hours and look at the stores and businesses, a hotel, a printing shop and various transportation artifacts and agricultural machinery. The relics and memorabilia all around, add greatly to the atmosphere of the museum, and help to set the Western Development Museum apart from similar places.

An annual event in Saskatoon is the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Festival. This is becoming a much-celebrated event, and runs for two months every summer. The festival is held in tents, on the west bank of the river in downtown Saskatoon, just north of the Bessborough Hotel. The works of the Bard are conducted in a variety of settings, ranging from traditional Elizabethan to the highly contemporary and even futuristic. It is advisable to book early as this is a very popular event. There are daily evening performances with additional afternoon matinees on weekends.

Visit the City of Saskatoon Website

Visit the Saskatoon Tourism Site