Freshwater Beach

Never heard of the Alberta Boot Company? Chances are you’ve seen their Strathcona police boots on RCMP officers. But the 29-year-old Calgary company, founded and still headed by Clement Gerwing, makes 10,000 pairs of cowboy boots a year—using everything from cowhide to kangaroo leather to alligator skin. Can’t find the perfect pair? Have some custom-made—but be prepared to pay up to $1,700.

www.albertaboot.com

This beautiful 11-kilometre stretch of fine sand alongside crystal waters has been compared to the Mediterranean. But Sauble Beach, one of the world’s longest freshwater beaches, is right here in Canada, at the foot of the Bruce Peninsula in southwestern Ontario. Flanked by endless dunes, Lake Huron’s shallow waters here are a favourite of kids on hot summer days, and grown-ups are hooked on the spectacular sunsets.

www.saublebeach.com

The time to see historic Chinatown in downtown Vancouver is now, before it’s trampled by high-rises. In a city where more than one third of the population has Chinese roots, it’s not surprising this is one of North America’s largest Chinatowns. Here you can inhale whiffs of durian, barbecued pork, dried fish and incense, and buy medicinal herbs, live crabs and rock cod by the tankful. There are green-tea emporia, steamed-bun stands and the peace-inducing Sun Yat-Sen garden. Best of all is the banter of the duelling egg-ball vendors, a piece of theatre you’ll never forget.

www.vancouverchinatown.ca
Chinatown is easily accessible by car or transit and is a pleasant walk from downtown Vancouver along the historic Silk Road route. It is easy to find at 578 Carrall Street (near the corner of Carrall and Keefer, next to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Public Park)

She’s not a household name yet, but she should be: Christine Sinclair is one brilliant footballer. At just 23, the striker from Burnaby, B.C., is already the second all-time female goal scorer for Team Canada. She’s rewritten the record books and won a long list of awards, including player of the year in Canada for 2006. The phenom was also a finalist for the international football federation’s best female player in 2005 and 2006, one of just 20 women named from around the globe. Watch the captain of our national team tear up the pitch this September at the Women’s World Cup in China.

www.canadasoccer.com

Artists’ Community

He’s sold more than ten million recordings globally and performed all around the world, but Canada can lay claim to Vancouver-born Michael Bublé. The 31-year-old “king of swing,” who has been compared with Frank Sinatra, got his big break while singing at the wedding of Brian Mulroney’s daughter in 2000. The former PM introduced Bublé to famed Canadian producer David Foster, and a star was born. Bublé cleaned up at the 2006 Juno Awards, and was nominated this year in an appropriate category: the Fan Choice Award.

www.michaelbuble.com

Plumes of dust rise from carvers’ saws throughout Cape Dorset as the art form that Canada is renowned for worldwide emerges from serpentine stone. A huge proportion—nearly one quarter—of this Nunavut community, population almost 1,300, work as artists. They create the exquisite Inuit prints and carvings of Arctic animals and people that have for decades been presented by our prime ministers and Governors General to visiting dignitaries.

www.capedorset.ca
Regular by-weekly flights by First Air and Kenn Borek Air
www.capedorset.ca

Mineral Spa

Did you know Canada has its own Dead Sea? The warm waters of Little Manitou Lake (“Lake of Healing Waters” to the Plains Indians), in Watrous, Sask., are thick with magnesium, potassium, calcium and other minerals, and are said to relieve aching joints. You can’t sink in this water even if you try; it’s so dense, you can read a newspaper while floating—and not get it wet.

Oh, beautiful Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park. Alberta’s turquoise jewel has been photographed for the past 70 years by visitors from around the world taking its 90-minute interpretive boat tour past some of the most breathtaking scenery on earth. The cruise on the glacier-fed lake—the largest solely glacier-fed lake in the Rockies and claimed locally as second-largest in the world, after Lake Baikal in Siberia—is ringed by snow-capped peaks and features a stop at Spirit Island. Keep a sharp eye out and you might catch a glimpse of a bear, caribou or bald eagle.

www.malignelake.com

Indie Band

For the 120 teams who participated in the 6th annual World
Pond Hockey Championship in Plaster Rock, N.B., this was the event of the year—even Stephen Harper got in on the act, doing the ceremonial puck drop. Over four days in February, players from as far and wide as Egypt, Ireland and Bermuda, to name a few countries, and all Canadian provinces shinnied up to 20 rinks on pine-surrounded Roulston Lake in Plaster Rock to play our sport the old-fashioned way.

Montreal’s Arcade Fire formed in 2003 around the husband-wife duo of Win Butler and Régine Chassagne. After the emotionally charged, densely orchestrated album Funeral was released in 2004, the seven-member band—supported by an independent record label—shot to fame. Arcade Fire have been touring the world, playing their wide range of instruments (which include guitar, French horn, accordion and harp) alongside the likes of David Bowie and U2, and even appeared a few months ago on Saturday Night Live.  They’ve been nominated for Grammys, Brit awards and Junos, winning a Juno in 2006—and Neon Bible, their second self-produced album, earned rave reviews this spring.

Historical Writer

“For canadians who write history, the [Pierre] Berton Award is the Giller Prize.” So said Ken McGoogan when he accepted Canada’s biggest award for historical writing last fall. Our National History Society praises the contributions of the Montreal native, whose biographies include Ancient Mariner and Fatal Passage, as ensuring that people and events from our past will live on vividly. His most recent book is Lady Franklin’s Revenge, the story of Jane Franklin, an Arctic explorer and perhaps the greatest woman traveller of the 19th century.

www.kenmcgoogan.com

Sure, there are bigger comics shops than Halifax’s Strange Adventures —but you’d be hard-pressed to find one with a better selection. Since Calum Johnston opened this, his second, store in 1995, it’s gained a reputation among amateurs and aficionados, and won the Harry Kremer Award in 2006 for outstanding Canadian comic-book retailer. The selection ranges from superhero fare to Japanese manga to classic Euro faves such as Tintin, along with an array of graphic novels. Take a peek at the issue of Amazing Fantasy #15, valued at several thousand dollars: Its cover features Spider-Man in his very first appearance.

www.strangeaadventures.com

Bagel

When the Royal Canadian Mint held a contest last year to name the polar bear on its latest toonie, the winning name was Churchill—as in, the Manitoba town on Hudson Bay’s shore. The “Polar Bear Capital of the World” gets an annual influx of the bears that come to hunt seals in October and November. Billed as the world’s only human settlement where polar bears can be observed in the wild, tourists pay big bucks to be taken out in huge “tundra buggies” from which they can safely get a look at the animals.

www.townofchurchill.ca
Join some adventurous souls who’ve travelled to Churchill to visit these fearsome predators, in our article “At Home With the Polar Bears.”

Montreal has long been known as the bagel capital of Canada—and Fairmount Bagel is why. There have been many imitators since Isadore Shlafman started the city’s first bagel bakery in 1919 (it remains a family business), but there’s something about these hand-rolled treats that, aficionados say, gives them the edge. Maybe it’s their thin shape, or their chewiness, or the freshness: Varieties from the classic poppyseed to blueberry are baked in a wood-fired oven. Whatever it is, Fairmount stays open 24 hours to keep up with demand—but that does little to shorten the queues.

www.fairmountbagel.com

Running Route

Circling Canada’s biggest urban park, Stanley Park’s seawall is about nine kilometres long, and even though parts of it have been temporarily closed this year, runners who take the revered route still experience a stunning setting of ocean, mountain and forest. Those hungry for a longer run can continue, uninterrupted by cars or traffic lights, past the white-masted Canada Place, False Creek, Granville Island’s market and more. It’s such a must—“If you haven’t run the Stanley Park seawall,” say avid runners, “you haven’t run in Canada”—that Nike has actually set up a “runners’ lounge” en route, where you can try out new gear or take a coffee break.

www.city.vancouver.bc.ca

Colourful. Imaginative. Surreal. Cirque du Soleil’s near-
superhuman gymnastics and wild costumes are guaranteed to make your jaw drop. Created in 1984 by Quebecer Guy Laliberté, the animal-free circus is now a global empire, with ongoing shows on five continents. Employing some 900 performers, from contortionists to high divers to foot jugglers, Cirque has swung through over 100 cities worldwide and has resident shows in Las Vegas and Orlando, Fla. Thank you, Cirque du Soleil, for giving the world a little more magic.

www.cirquedusoleil.com

Clubhouse Sandwich

The pile of awards for basketball player Steve Nash of Victoria is very tall indeed: The Phoenix Suns guard was twice named the NBA’s MVP (2005, 2006), won the Lou Marsh Award, given by journalists to Canada’s top athlete (2005), and won three Lionel Conacher Awards for Canadian male athlete of the year (2002, 2005, 2006). On top of it all, Nash has created a foundation to give kids in need a chance to grow up healthy and successful (stevenash.org). Steve, you’ve done us proud.

www.stevenash.org

Louis Mathez, 72, creates this four-inch-high, not-so-delicate delicacy in his diner, Wagon Wheel Lunch, a Winnipeg fixture since 1958. Weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., a neon home of the clubhouse sign greets a steady clientele of hungry locals and visitors in the know. The sandwich is also in demand during football season, when CFL players get their fix. Mathez starts at 5:30 a.m. daily by cooking three to five 30-pound turkeys. This prized ingredient gets tucked between three slices of white or brown, along with sliced dill pickles, mayo, lettuce, tomatoes and bacon. Recommended for hearty appetites only.

www.10best.com

Whale-Watching

There’s a place on the remote northeast coast of Vancouver Island where orcas come by the hundreds each summer, giving it its reputation as the world’s most accessible—and predictable—place to see killer whales. Two things attract the mammals to Robson Bight Ecological Reserve: the barnacle-encrusted rocks at the mouth of the Tsitika River that they love to rub against, and the salmon that run through these waters this time of year. Catch a boat from nearby Telegraph Cove, and don’t forget your camera.

www.vancouverisland.com

Whoever heard of a gourmet hot dog? Anyone who has tried a Buddha Dog in Picton, on the shores of Lake Ontario in lush Prince Edward County. The hot dog is made from aged local beef. The sauces—roasted red pepper jelly, tomato basil balsamic, spicy bacon onion to name a few—are freshly made. The buns are from a local bakery, and the cheese? None other than cheddar from the award-winning local Black River Cheese Company. If you can’t decide on the perfect topping, go with Buddha’s Dog of the Day.

Where? 173 Main Street, Picton (which is just west of Kingston, Ont.), across from the Giant Tiger
www.buddhafoodha.com

Saturday Night Out

Nothing celebrates l’hiver like the Quebec Winter Carnival, touted as the world’s biggest festival of its kind, with 50 employees and 1,500 volunteers. It began in 1894, when the New France habitants took a break from winter’s hardships before Lent to eat, drink and make merry. Today it lasts 17 days, and one million revellers take part in sleigh rides, ice sculpting, outdoor dance parties and Bonhomme’s Ball, named for the famous snowman mascot. The upcoming Carnival promises to be a blowout: It’s the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City.

www.carnaval.qc.ca

The New York Times calls it the North Atlantic version of Bourbon Street, and George Street in St. John’s does rival New Orleans when it comes to booze emporia: There are 30 on two blocks. The difference is that in North America’s easternmost city, you can eat moose stew at one place, get “screeched in” at the next and hear Newfoundland’s Irish-tinged music at another. The best time to experience George Street? During its summer festival, July 26-31 this year.

www.stjohns.ca

Caribbean Festival

Each summer, Caribana attracts hundreds of thousands of people from around the world to Toronto for a couple of weeks of island-themed festivities. What started as a gift from Canada’s West Indian community for our country’s centennial year, Caribana, now in its 40th year, features reggae, calypso and soca music, dancing and such culinary delights as jerk chicken and roti at venues all across the city. The highlight is a giant parade of pulsing bands and kaleidoscopic costumes along Lakeshore Boulevard.

When: July 8 to August 9, 2007.
www.caribana.com

here are elephants, wallabies and meerkats; spider monkeys, cheetahs and hippos. And that’s just for starters. The Toronto Zoo is home to more than 460 distinct species—some 5,000 animals—and at 287 hectares, it’s one of the world’s biggest. The Toronto Zoo is known for its work in education and conservation and has had more than a few milestones, including in 2003, a big year for the zoo: A Komodo dragon was hatched, and three Sumatran tigers were born, firsts for Canada.

www.torontozoo.com
The Toronto Zoo is set in the beautiful Rouge Valley. The Main Entrance is located on Meadowvale Road, Scarborough, north of Highway 401 (Exit #389 eastbound and westbound). The zoo is accessible by car and public transit.

Place to Hear Our Anthem

To take in Cape Breton’s spectacular 300-kilometre Cabot Trail, start in the bucolic Margaree Valley and head northwest, or clockwise around the trail. Soon you’ll be weaving along a road that hugs the Atlantic on one side and rugged granite cliffs and spectacular highlands on the other. You’ll pass a stunning collection of bogs, barrens, headlands, ravines and beaches. Need a rest? Pull into the village of Dingwall for a little Celtic culture before continuing east to a panoramic view of Bras D’Or Lake—a place so lovely Alexander Graham Bell asked to be buried there.

www.cabottrail.com

When the Edmonton Oilers played in San Jose for the 2006 Stanley Cup semifinals, fans there booed our anthem. So when the Sharks visited Edmonton’s Rexall Place, what did home fans do? They cheered during the “Star-Spangled Banner”—and sang their hearts out for “O Canada.” For the rest of the playoffs, anthem singer Paul Lorieau sang just the start of “O Canada,” then turned the mike to the crowd. Way to go, Edmonton fans!

Smoked Salmon

It’s not easy to get a taste of Kim Dormaar’s Dutch-style smoked salmon: It’s sold at a few high-end restaurants, by mail order or by Dormaar himself at Charlottetown’s farmers’ market. That’s a shame. The P.E.I. resident has a gold medal from the former American Tasting Institute for tastiest smoked salmon in North America. Dormaar, a marine biologist by training, doesn’t deviate from techniques he learned as a youth at a famous Holland smokehouse. The result: a buttery, mild-tasting, melt-in-your-mouth salmon.

www.smokedsalmongifts.com

hTops in Canada and possibly best on Earth, Whistler-Blackcomb is a juggernaut boasting the largest vertical drop in North America—1,609 metres through three climate zones to the bottom. With 200 plus runs, how do you choose the best route? The experts start with Blackcomb’s southwest-facing Couloir Extreme, among the world’s steepest runs. After 300 metres of heart-stopping exhilaration, it fans into a series of easier cruising runs. Need energy? Stop for cocoa at Glacier Creek. Otherwise take it in one shot, carving flowing turns from open glacier to small trees to towering pines—legs burning all the way.

You can drive there or fly to Vancouver and take a shuttle or rent a car. Check out their site for more info:
www.whistlerblackcomb.com

Pizza Chef

He’s hard to figure: To millions of Canadians, the Newfoundlander who on CBC Radio’s Cross Country Checkup takes calls each Sunday from listeners with something to say about the hot topic of the week, Rex Murphy is the voice of reason and fairness. Yet in other venues—appearances on The National and written commentaries, including a regular Globe and Mail column—he’s known for sarcastic, multisyllabic venting. Whatever you call him—intelligent, sharp-tongued, diplomatic or curmudgeonly—he’s the guy who can always be counted on to get Canadians talking.

www.cbc.ca

WYou can’t get more Canuck than the creations of Diana Coutu, owner of Diana’s Gourmet Pizzeria in Winnipeg: Her signature crust contains Moosehead beer. Coutu is two-time winner of Canadian Pizza Magazine’s pizza chef of the year award and made it to the finals of the prestigious Pizza Festiva competition in Las Vegas in March, the first resident Canadian to do so. Her current favourite topping combo? Pepperoni, chicken fingers and jalapeños—inspired by (take a guess!) the preferred snacks of the Trailer Park Boys.

www.dianasgourmetpizzeria.ca