And did you know….

THE FRENCH CONNECTION
13.3% of Canadians only speak French. France retains a token of its early exploits in Canada. St. Pierre and Miquelon, two small islands off Newfoundland’s coast, remain staunchly French to this day. Québec decided by a razor-thin majority of less than 1% to remain in Canada in 1994. (p. 24, 40, 43)

CANADA’S WARRING PAST
The USA has invaded Canada twice- in 1775 and 1812- both times to no avail. Newfoundland was the only place in North America directly attacked by German forces during WWII. (p. 41, 45)

OFF-BROADWAY
Canada currently produces more fringe theatre festivals than any other country in the world, most held in June or July. (p. 61)

HUNTING AND GATHERING
Backcountry foraging is a big tradition in Canada: BC is a popular spot for mushroom pickers, New Brunswick is ideal for fiddleheads and almost everywhere else offers some kind of wild-growing seasonal fruit, including blackberries or blueberries. One can also tour beaches with seaweed harvesting experts. (p. 64, 68)

FROZEN DRINKS
Founded on the banks of Montréal’s St Lawrence River in 1786, Molson is Canada’s oldest brewery. Canada is also the world’s leading producer of icewine, a sweet dessert tipple made from grapes frozen and harvested on the vine. (p. 65, 67)

OH, IT’S BIG ALRIGHT
The entire population of Canada is less than that of Tokyo and its ‘burbs- but Canadians get 3, 849,678 sq miles to sprawl out in versus Tokyo’s 5,212 sq miles. (p. 70)

DON’T FORGET YOUR MITTENS!
Canada is the world’s coldest country, with a frosty average temperature of -5.6 degrees Celsius. Ottawa is the second-chilliest national capitol, after Ulan Baton, Mongolia.


POLAR BEAR SCARE
The white hairs on a polar bear are hollow and trap sunlight to help keep the animal warm in frigid temperatures. The town of Churchill is smack dab in their migration path and a fantastic place to do some polar bear spotting. (p. 74, 564)

MUSH!
Guided dog trips will let you mush your own team for a day or on overnight trips. The more love you give the dogs, the more they’ll run for you. (p. 80)

SURVIVOR KANANASKIS
Competitors in this portion of the Kananaskis Whitewater Festival stand in a dry riverbed as the glacial waters from this damned river rise. Last one standing wins. Held the last weekend in May on the Kananaskis River, one hour west of Calgary. (p. 96)

ICE PALACE
Hotel de Glace, outside of Quebec City, is completely made of ice, including the pen for signing the guestbook. The 32,291 sq ft structure’s public areas include exhibition rooms, a cinema and a chapel. The hotel melts in the spring and has to be rebuilt every winter. (p. 312)

THE BEST LAID PLANS OF MICE AND MEN OFTEN GO AWRY
When Churchill, Roosevelt and MacKenzie King plotted D-Day in Le Chateau Frontenac, they made their plans on napkins and left them on the table, later to be returned by a waiter. (p. 308)

GETTING SCREECHED IN
Within a few days of your arrival in St John’s, you’ll undoubtedly be asked by everyone if you’ve been ‘screeched in’. It’s the locals’ playful way to welcome visitors. Screeching derives from the 1940s when new arrivals were given their rites of passage. Today the ceremony takes place in local pubs, where you’ll gulp a shot of rum, recite an unpronounceable verse in the local lingo, kiss a stuffed codfish and then receive a certificate declaring you an ‘Honorary Newfoundlander’. (p.503)