Calendar: Canada Day

To give rW readers a taste of Canada and its way of celebrating on the Federal goverment level at least, for this day Ive decided to pass on to you a sample of Canadian thinking and planning and way of celebrating the birth of the country in the 1860s under the "Family Compact." Many consider it a sordid affair, but the true start of a national Federal government for the provinces until then individually colonial provinces of the British Empire, if Im not mistaken. Now Canada is classified as a Dominion. An independent Dominion of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth and, presumably, her heirs forever.

PARKS CANADA
Jul 01, 2009 14:00 ET

Government of Canada Celebrates Canada Day With Grand Reopening of the Grasslands National Park Visitor Centre

VAL MARIE, SASKATCHEWAN--(July 1, 2009) - Mr. David Anderson, Member of Parliament for Cypress Hills-Grasslands and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and for the Canadian Wheat Board, on behalf of the Honourable Jim Prentice, Canada's Environment Minister and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, today celebrated Canada Day in Val Marie, Saskatchewan by announcing the reopening of the renewed Visitor Reception Centre for Grasslands National Park of Canada.

"The Government of Canada is strongly committed to investing in our native landscapes to ensure Canada's greatest places are also places where Canadians, from every walk of life, can have some of the world's most real and inspiring experiences, "said Mr. Anderson. "The renewed visitor centre is a launching pad for visitors to the park, enabling them to experience and connect with the prairies as they once were and enjoy their visit to its fullest."

The renovated Visitor Reception Centre has new exhibits that tell stories of the unique prairie ecosystem, rare and endangered species, 10,000 years of resilient prairie peoples, fascinating geological formations and dinosaur fossils in Grasslands.

In May 2006, seventy-one plains bison were released into the West Block of Grasslands National Park. Today's reopening of the Visitor Reception Centre is part of a larger commitment to restore ecological integrity and enhance the visitor experience of the native prairie ecosystem in the Park.

Grasslands National Park is part of Parks Canada's nation-wide network of national parks, national marine conservation areas and national historic sites, a network that is recognized as one of the finest and most extensive systems of protected areas in the world. In addition, visitors to Grasslands National Park take advantage of a two-year fee freeze currently in effect in all national parks and national historic sites managed by Parks Canada.

Also available on the Internet at www.pc.gc.ca under Media Room.

Here's another angle on the event:

Jul 01, 2009 04:30 AM
Master Warrant Officer Sean Gardner
SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Master Warrant Officer Sean Gardner weighs in from [Canadian Forces] in Afghanistan with a light-hearted look at his holiday plans:

1. Have a beer!

2. Call home.

3. Play hockey in 52-degree heat.

4. Say "eh" more than usual.

5. Wear a toque and sweater all day and complain about the cold.

6. Crank up the Anne Murray!

7. Have a Timmy's Double Double.

8. Explain to an American what a Double Double is.

9. Make a snowball out of the frost in the freezer.

10. Wear red and white by having a sunburn. And . . .

11. Be proud to be serving such a great nation.

Two angles on our celebration of Canada's coming into being and its further becoming.