Canada
Niagara Falls Without the Kids?
In our household, Niagara Falls had always been a family destination — for waterparks, mini-golf, a wax museum, ziplining and of course, a boat tour aboard Niagara City Cruises. But with our kids now in their late teens, my partner and I decided to visit Niagara Falls in a whole
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Great Bear Rainforest’s Farewell Harbour Lodge offers Leaping Whales, Backcountry Luxury, and (almost) Zero Emissions
Flying through the air, higher than any agility dog clearing an obstacle, were two male orcas. They were killing a Dall’s porpoise! Bludgeoning it with their body weight so it would be defenceless when they moved in for the final attack. When I’d signed up for a visit to Farewell
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The Stories Are Alive: Learning From Lil’wat and Squamish Teachers
We stood in front of the cedar pole carving while the drumbeat began, strong and in time with the earth’s heartbeat. Qawam Redmond Andrews, our cultural ambassador, closed his eyes as he lifted his voice and joined his drum to begin the same song his ancestors used to call the
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My Strangest Airbnb Accommodation Was…a Parking Lot?
When I headed to British Columbia’s Fraser River Valley for fall bird watching, camping spots were as scarce as a long-billed dowitcher (rare). Fortunately, a fellow horse-lover rents out the most basic of accommodation on Airbnb – a safe place to park – next to some horses and a short
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Painted Warriors’ Bimose Stories of the Forest
We are walking with nature in a sun-dappled forest as we learn about Indigenous healing traditions with Painted Warriors, an Indigenous-owned business near Sundre in the Alberta foothills. Our guide, George, points out a native plant with feathery grey-green leaves, carefully breaking off a small leaf, crushing it to release
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A Few Nights Alone = The Mom-Cation of my Dreams
Every year, around my birthday in the Fall, I give myself a night off at a hotel in town. Once a year is all I take off as a parent and this year, I decided to give myself two nights away, in another city! I spent my Mom-Cation in another
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It’s a Girl! Repatriated Plains Bison Herd at Wanuskewin Heritage Park Welcomes a New Member
On a snowy day in December 2019, Elder Cy Standing of the Wahpeton Dakota Nation welcomed eleven plains bison to their ancestral home at Wanuskewin Heritage Park near Saskatoon. A sprawling expanse of rolling yellow hills dusted with sparse patches of snow, on this momentous day Wanuskewin is the portrait
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Ranching History at Bar U Ranch: Photo Gallery
At the annual Chore Horse Competition at Bar U Ranch National Historic Site in September, skilled teamsters (people who drive horses on long reins) harnessed up tons of horseflesh to recreate ranching work of bygone eras. For one afternoon I could sink into the historical connections between steed and horseman,
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When Horses Did Chores: Modern Twists on Ranching History at Bar U Ranch National Historic Site
At the annual Chore Horse Competition at Bar U Ranch National Historic Site in September, skilled teamsters (people who drive horses on long reins) harnessed up tons of horseflesh to recreate ranching work of bygone eras. I come from an era of forklifts and delivery trucks; my father, whose hundredth
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From Toddlers to Young Adults, Is This the End of Our Family Road Trips?
“I don’t think I want to go,” our 19-year-old son told us when we excitedly announced we were taking a family road trip to Eastern Quebec and Nova Scotia. “Okay,” I answered, swallowing hard. Even though I knew this day would come, I felt deflated. We’ve been travelling as a
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