Vimy Ridge Day

Did you know Canada..  Today, April 9th, is Vimy Ridge Day, honouring Canadian troops and the First World War Battle of Vimy Ridge 96 years ago.

Not a public holiday, but this day has been observed since 2003.  By law, it is required that the Canadian flag on the Peace Tower of Parliament Hill in Ottawa be lowered to half-mast today. Small ceremonies also take place the Canadian National War Memorial in Ottawa, the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France and other areas across Canada.

The Battle was fought April 9-14, Canadian Corps suffered 10,602 casualities, 3598 were killed and the rest injured.

Today, we remember these brave troops and honour them, lest we forget.

Visit the Canadian War Museum for more information on this battle, share it with your family, and discuss it at the dinner table tonight.  Some of our grandparents or great-grantparents would have fought in this battle, let's remember them today.

Polar Bear Capital of the World

Did you know Canada.. Churchill MB is the self proclaimed Polar Bear Capital of the World - and for good reason!

Located on the shore of Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Churchill is a popular location for ecotourism, as well as for Arctic research. There are no roads that lead to Churchill. Travel is by rail or air only.

Churchill’s ‘bear season’ begins in early October and numbers build until in early November, sometimes 40 or more polar bears can be seen on a given day. This is Churchill’s prime tourist season with 12,000 or more visitors passing through in six weeks.

Churchill maintains a polar bear jail where young bears who persistently loiter in or close to town, are held after being tranquillised, until they are released back into the wild when the bay freezes over and they can head for food.

Polar Bears are not the only wildlife to be seen in Churchill - along with the approximately 1200 Polar Bears to be seen there are approximately 3,000 Beluga Whales, over 200 species of birds, Arctic and Red Foxes, Arctic Hare, Caribou, Gyrfalcons, Snowy Owls, Ptarmigan and even the occasional Lemming!

Source: churchill.ca, Wikipedia

Hoodoo's in the Alberta Badlands

Did you know Canada.. Hoodoo's are a tall, thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland. They take millions of years to form. The top capsrocks are the hardest part and they protect the soft rock below from wearing away - if there was no caprock, the soft sandstone erodes away very quickly. 

Hoodoos range in size from 5 feet to heights exceeding a 10-story building. Hoodoos are very fragile and can erode completely if their capstone is dislodged.

The heart of Alberta's badlands is The Drumheller Valley - one of the few areas in the world where sedimentary layers from earlier geological periods have been scraped off by natural processes, exposing a rich deposit of animal and plant fossils and even complete dinosaur skeletons.  You can take the Hoodoo Trail to view these amazing creations of nature.

Source: Travel Drumheller, Wikipedia

Dinosaur bones

Did you know Canada.. Dinosaur bones have been discovered in the oilsands of Alberta. They are thought to be about 110 million years old - which is significantly older than bones found in near by Dinosaur Provincal Park which are thought to be about 75 million years old.

It is believed the bones belong to an Ankylosaur - a rare find. While fossils from Ankylosaur have been found in Alberta before, the discovery is significant because almost the entire fossil has been well preserved.

Very exciting find!

Curling Museum

Did you know Canada..  a fun fact to consider while the Tim Hortons Brier continues in London, ON - the worlds first curling museum is located in Weyburn, SK.

The Curling Museum includes 18,000 pins as well as memorabilia of the sport from around the world.

View their website for a bit more information.