Tuesday, March 10. 2009
New Western Flight Added for Northwest Passage Programs
Adventure Canada is excited to announce that we are now offering a Western Canada flight option on our Into the Northwest Passage and Out of the Northwest Passage Expeditions. All of Adventure Canada's Arctic Expeditions normally begin and end in Ottawa. However, for the Into the Northwest Passage Expedition, which ends in Cambridge Bay, and the Out of the Northwest Passage Expeditions, which begins in Cambridge Bay, we have arranged a significantly reduced fare on Firstair's regularly scheduled service to or from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut to Edmonton, Alberta (via Yellowknife, NWT). This option is available for our west coast passengers who don't want to travel back into or out of Ottawa on our charter flight.For more information on the Into the Northwest Passage Expedition, please click here.
For more information on the Out of the Northwest Passage Expedition, please click here.
For more information on either of these flight options, please email Loretta Rempel at Loretta@adventurecanada.com
New Post-Tour Options for Celtic Quest and Scotland Slowly!
For those of you booked or thinking about booking on our Celtic Quest or Scotland Slowly programs why not spend a few extra days in Scotland at the end of your trip? Our partner, Rabbie's Trail Burners, offers small group tours (16 passengers maximum) seven days a week from both Glasgow and Edinburgh. Rabbie's has just been honoured with the Thistle Award for People Development, in recognition of their commitment to delivering unique and memorable experiences that last a lifetime. Rabbie's uses local guides as your hosts, each hand-picked for their pride and passion for Scotland. Adventure Canada is delighted to partner with Rabbie's Trail Burners and is confident that you will have an outstanding experience with their clan! For more information on Rabbie's Trail Burners please click here.
For more information on Celtic Quest: Spain to Scotland, please click here.
For more information on Scotland Slowly, please click here.
Congratulations Danny Catt!
Adventure Canada would like to congratulate Danny Catt, photographer, naturalist and environmental educator, on his nomination for the Rotary Foundation Global Alumni Service to Humanity Award.
Danny was nominated based on his environmental education efforts over the years, including his work with Parks Canada, CIDA and Adventure Canada!
Danny is the 2009 winner for all of Canada and Alaska and a finalist in the worldwide category. He says that this comes as a big surprise but he is
deeply honoured.
Join Danny Catt on our High Arctic Adventure 2009. For more information please click here.
Beautiful Black and White
Adventure Canada congratulates archaeologist, writer and filmmaker Latonia Hartery on her Alberta Creative Development Initiative award from theCanada Council for the Arts. With several years of experience in black
and white experimental film as an actor and assistant director, this is
her first grant to produce and direct a fictional work of her own in
that genre! With influences such as the Swedish master of black and
white film Ingmar Bergman, her starkly lit film House Trap will portray
a woman confined in unhealthy relationship who is freed by a childhood memory, and one lucky number.
Latonia credits her love of storytelling to her Newfoundland roots where a good story is often
filled with passion and substance. Before hitting festivals we hope to
premiere House Trap on our Atlantic Arts Float where Latonia will
lecture about the beauty of black and white film as well as the ancient
art of Newfoundland and Labrador.
For more information on the Atlantic Arts Float, please click here.
Igloolik Return of the Sun Update - By Carol Heppenstall
We had an exhilarating time in Igloolik this year with one our favorite Resource Guides, Jayson Kunnuk. Temperatures were in the -30's, a bitwarmer than on previous expeditions. Clear skies most days gave us spectacular stars and that amazing full moon that never sets. Highlights included an afternoon with Zach Kunuk and the Isuma Productions studio where we were privileged to view his latest documentary, Exile.
Zach has done a great deal for film and video in the North - not just for his own productions but with two other groups as well. We were delighted to entertain the women from
Arnait Video Co-op and loved their recently released "Before Tomorrow" that did so well at the Toronto Film Festival and is heading for Sundance. Madelaine Ivalu, Susan Avingaq and Carol Kunuk performed the lighting of the qudliq for us - the official welcome of the New Year.
Sunday morning we had crepes and coffee with Guillaume Saladin of ARTCIRQ - another start up assisted by Zach and what an amazing project it is involving the youth of the community. Guillume is the Son of Bernard Saladin d'Iglure, a world renowned anthropologist who specialized in early Arctic research in Igloolik. Like me, Guillume can't get enough of the Arctic!
Looking for another exciting winter excursion for next year, I connected with one of our past travellers - Debbie Last - who has helped me put together a fabulous week in the Yukon! Watch for the details in a soon to be mailed brochure but essentially we will participate in the annual Yukon Quest - a dog sledding tour de force and revel in northern light shows, Native arts and fantastic scenery out west. Call Judy Harper at 1-800-363-7566 to get your name on the list and stay tuned!
Adventure Canada supports Parks Canada position on transmission lines through Gros Morne National Park
Officials with Gros Morne National Park on the west coast of Newfoundland are opposing proposed power transmission lines from the Lower Churchillhydroelectric project in Labrador. Adventure Canada is in support of this position.
Nalcor Energy, the provincial crown corporation that is responsible for energy
production and transmission on behalf of the government of Newfoundland and Labrador, has filed applications for the environmental review of their proposed plan to route the hydro lines for the Lower Churchill project through Gros Morne National Park.
If approved, Nalcor would erect a string of 40-metre-high transmission towers through 65 kilometres of territory in Gros Morne, which UNESCO has designated as a World Heritage site.
Parks Canada must approve the project, but has already spoken out against the plan. It is currently in talks with Nalcor. The environmental review process for Nalcor's proposal will take more than one year to complete.
There is currently a Facebook group against the transmission line - which had over 3,000 members as of noon Tuesday - and an online petition signed by at least 600 people.
To sign the petition please click here.
To join the Facebook group please click here.
For more information on Gros Morne National Park, please click here.
Visit Gros Morne National Park on our Atlantic Arts Float. For more information please click here.
Friday, February 27. 2009
Nunavut Tourism Congratulates Adventure Canada!
Nunavut Tourism and the Nunatsiaq News congratulate Adventure Canada on being awarded the 2009 Best Adventure Travel Company on Earth distinction from National Geographic Adventure magazine - for the second year in a
row!
"This is great news for tourism in Nunavut," said Jeff Rush, acting chief executive officer of Nunavut Tourism. "These high profile distinctions generate great interest in tourism in Nunavut."
Adventure Canada was graded in the categories of education, sustainability, quality of service and spirit of adventure. National Geographic also
interviewed Adventure Canada past travellers at random and their feedback was also incorporated into the grading.
For more information on this award please click here.Visit Nunavut in 2009 on one of our Arctic itineraries. To download our 2009 Canada and the North brochure please click here.
Prefer
to receive things in the mail? If you would like to receive a copy of our brochure please email your name and mailing address to info@adventurecanada.com
Big Birthday Year for Bill Lishman!
Long time Adventure Canada staffer celebrates a monumental event this coming weekend. The lively artist turns the big 70! Bill isn't slowing down though, in 2009 Bill links up with Adventure Canada on a series of exciting adventurers. Best known for his work with Operation Migration and their efforts to reintroduce migrational patterns to birds, Bill has over the years developed a wide range of
interests and expertise. On our Celtic Quest Bill joins us to talk
about renewable energy and what options are being pursued throughout
Europe. Spain's environment and climate are widely credited for its
huge
gains in renewable energy. As Europe's second most mountainous region
(after Switzerland) and one of its least densely-populated states,
Spain was the ideal location to mass-produce and install wind turbines
and photovoltaic panels.
On our Atlantic Arts Float Bill joins us in the capcity of artist,
leading our group in a series of workshops on sculpting. We intend to
disembark Clipper Adventurer in beautiful Halifax where passengers will
have the chance to showcase their work.
For more information on Celtic Quest: Spain to Scotland, please click here.
For more information on the Atlantic Arts Float, please click here.
Vote for Daniel Payne - your very own Adventure Canada Idol - at the East Coast Music Awards!
Celebratingits 21st year of the East Coast Music Awards, the East Coast Music
Association (ECMA) is preparing for the 2009 East Coast Music Awards,
Festival & Conference in Corner Brook, Newfoundland & Labrador,
from February 26th to March 1st.
With the 2009 East Coast Music
Awards, Festival and Conference less than three weeks away, East Coast
Music Fans can start voting for THEIR Award - the NEW ECMA Fan's Choice
Award. AND Adventure Canada alum Daniel Payne is nominated so get your
votes in now by clicking here.
The
Fan's Choice Award is the only East Coast Music Award voted on by the
public, and fans have until Friday, February 27th at midnight (AT) to
cast their vote. Please note that only one vote per computer will be
tabulated.
The East Coast Music Awards will air on CBC. Fans of
East Coast Music can catch the star-studded spectacular live at 8:30pm
NT/8pm AT/7pm ET on CBC's digital channel bold or on the internet at cbc.ca/eastcoastmusic. The main CBC Television network will broadcast the East Coast Music Awards at 11pm in all time zones/11:30 NT.
Daniel
is joining Adventure Canada as musician on 3 trips in 2009 - Scotland
Slowly, Celtic Quest: Spain to Scotland and the Atlantic Arts Float!
For more information on Scotland Slowly please click here.
For more information on Celtic Quest: Spain to Scotland please click here.
For more information on the Atlantic Arts Float please click here.
1st Annual Rabbie Burns Polar Dip Grrrreat Success!
On Saturday, January 23rd, Adventure Canada hosted our 1st Annual Rabbie Burns Polar Dip in our hometown of Port Credit.About 90 bystanders and 12 very brave swimmers attended the event at the Lake
Promenade Park Saturday afternoon. Canadian literary icons Margaret
Atwood and Graeme Gibson joined a crowd of local musicians, academics
and writers who gathered to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the
famed Scottish poet's birthday.
Adventure Canada, raised about
$500 for local charity EcoSource and its innovative environmental
education programs for youth, adults and families. For more information
on EcoSource please click here.
Itwasn't only Rabbie Burns' birthday the day of the plunge - but also AC
resource staff and CBC host Shelagh Rogers, who also celebrated by
going for a dip in Lake Ontario!
Participants and bystanders
were then treated to a warm-up party at The Harp Restaurant & Pub,
where many others joined in remembering the works of Burns.
As she enjoyed warm soup and haggis, Atwood said the event certainly captured the spirit of the famed Scottish poet.
"All
over the world this poet's birthday is being celebrated and why is
that? Because he spoke to everybody and he showed great determination
in his life and his poems have been popular with all sorts of people
ever since," she said.
Author Ken McGoogan said he couldn't agree more.
"Burns
himself was somewhat of a mad man," said McGoogan, who paid tribute by
writing a poem for the occasion. "It's quite sufficient to justify any
kind of wild and crazy behaviour."
The bag pipes were played by
bag piper Will Barton, and musicians Tom Barlow, Tom Kovacs and Tyler
Yarema provided live musical entertainment for the crowd.
Margaret Atwood and Graeme Gibson will be special guests representing Birdlife International on "Scotland Slowly" - An exploration of Scotland's western and northern islands aboard MV Andrea - May 23 - June 2, 2009.
Want to do your own Polar Bear Swim? Join us this summer in the arctic and take the plunge!
Click here for more information on our Heart of the Arctic Expedition.
Updates from the Baffin Expedition Art Show
On
Thursday, January 22nd Rob Saley and Dave Marshak of Drawnonward held
the opening of their art show 'Baffin Expedition' in co-operation with
Adventure Canada. The paintings showcased some of the amazing places
visited during last September's voyage of the same name. The evening
was a tremendous success with a big crowd and several paintings sold.
Aaju
Peter made the trip down from Iqaluit for the big night. Aaju treated
the crowd to a traditional Inuit song followed by a sampling of smoked
arctic char. Aaju made the night so special and Rob and Dave were
tremendously honoured to have her there.
A portion of the
proceeds from the show's sales were donated to the Kivalliq Inuit
Association in order to fund their annual art camp in Rankin Inlet.
Drawnonward will be in Rankin Inlet for the art camps this March and
August and look forward to working with the Inuit Youth in attendance.
Dave, Rob and Adventure Canada would like to extend a big thanks to everyone for making it such a special night!
Keep your eyes peeled for another art show in May that will showcase works from 2008's Newfoundland Circumnavigation!
Join Rob & Dave on our Atlantic Arts Float, September 26 - October 6, 2009. For more information please click here.
Thursday, January 8. 2009
Save the Date! Drawnonward Art Show
Join Artists-in-Residence, Drawonward, for an exhibition of their art on January 22nd, 2009. The show will take place at Engine Gallery, which is nestled in the distillery district, downtown Toronto.
For more information please email Rebecca at rebecca@adventurecanada.com
Still Today, Artists Labor to Capture Arctic's Brilliant Light
Past Traveller Linda Matchan has recently written an article which in part, reflects on our High Arctic Adventure Expedition 2008.
Linda writes:
When I returned from a recent two-week trip to the Arctic, a lot of people asked me to describe the landscape.
I tried, but was somehow never able to give them the sound bite I wanted to deliver. The word "beautiful" hardly did it justice. Neither did "awesome" or "jaw-dropping," "glorious" or "breathtaking."
So when I went to see the new exhibition at the Peabody Essex Museum called "To the Ends of the Earth, Painting the Polar Landscape," I was
fascinated to see artists wrestling with the same kind of challenges.
The exhibition features 17 artists who journeyed to the Arctic and Antarctic in the 19th and 20th centuries to satisfy their muse. One of them was David Abbey Paige, a commercial artist who grew up in Fitchburg and managed to land a gig in 1933 as the official artist for explorer Richard Byrd's second expedition to the Antarctic.
One evening, we learn in the show, Byrd asked Paige to paint a particularly impressive twilight scene. Paige politely declined. "I could paint it, alright, but what's the use?" Paige replied, according to Byrd's diary. "Nobody would believe it. Whoever saw a sky like that? How can you describe a sea that's like no sea ever was or will be again?"
To read the rest of Linda's article please click here.
Come experience the wonder and art of the Arctic on our Heart of the Arctic Adventure, September 16th-26th, 2009. For more information please click here.
To find out more about our High Arctic Adventure, August 9th-21st, 2009 please click here.
Newfoundland and Labrador Named World's Top Travel Secret
Wanderlust, one of the United Kingdom's leading travel magazines, has ranked Newfoundland and Labrador the number one "travel secret" in the world.The Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, said the magazine's cover story, entitled 100 Greatest Travel Secrets, lists this province at the very top of its choices of unique travel destinations.
"Living here, we sometimes lose sight of the fact that we are viewed throughout the world as an exotic location, particularly to the traveller who is seeking compelling experiences in places which are off the beaten track," said Minister Jackman.
"This latest recognition adds to the growing list of travel guides, travel publications, articles and websites which have featured this province as a distinct destination where visitors can have these extraordinary and authentic experiences," the minister added. "If Newfoundland and Labrador is still considered a 'secret' in some circles - then clearly the secret is getting out."
Newfoundland and Labrador shares the top 100 list with destinations such as the Tarkine Rainforest in the north-west region of Tasmania; Porjus, a small village in Sweden, and the Viñales Valley in Cuba, among others.
Minister Jackman said the province's award-winning marketing campaign has certainly contributed to an increased awareness of Newfoundland and Labrador as a travel destination of choice.
"In the past five years, the Provincial Government has doubled the tourism marketing budget from $6 million to $12 million," said Minister Jackman. "This investment is clearly paying off."
Since 2003, on-resident visitation to Newfoundland and Labrador has increased, on average, by three per cent
each year - or 15 per cent overall.
Visit Newfoundland & Labrador on our Atlantic Arts Float 2009, in partnership with the Walrus Magazine. For more information please click here.
Or visit Newfoundland by land on our two exciting small group tours:
Art on the Rock with Kevin Major & Anne Crawford - please click here for more information.
Newfoundland Close-Up: A Photographic Adventure with Denis Minty & Antje Springman - for more information please click here.
Updates from the McGoogan Clan!
Race to the Polar Sea, the new book by Adventure Canada staffer Ken McGoogan, was a finalist (top 15 out of 163) for the B.C. National Non-Fiction Award (worth $40,000). Congratulations Ken!Ken McGoogan travelled with AC on the High Arctic Adventure 2008.
To view video footage Ken filmed during last year's adventure, including shots of Beechey Island, please click here.
Ken isn't the only talent in the McGoogan clan! To see ten paintings inspired by two recent Adventure Canada voyages, visit www.artiststoronto.net and check out the work of Sheena Fraser McGoogan. Several other paintings from those sailings are displayed at Arts on Queen (2198 Queen St. E. In Toronto).
In 2009, Ken and Sheena will sail Out of the Northwest Passage with Adventure Canada. For more information please click here.
