Welcome to Victoria Day 2025, the unofficial start of summer in Canada. Go and check in on your cottage, if you have one. Change your winter tires to summer tires. Find your summer games and toys while still keeping around the hockey sticks because you never know what will happen.
This is a great showcase for Nova Scotia, if you don't look at this video through any political lens. The thought was that this was a message sent to Pierre Poilievre, former leader of the official opposition. We don't know if Nova Scotia premier Tim Houston is fluent in French.
From a travel standpoint, every Canadian province and territory should do this. If somehow there is a similar video, let us know in the comments.
We updated the cut from 20 to 10 in the Canada travel destinations from the contest from The Current on CBC Radio. Tofino in British Columbia (above) made the cut.
Keep the list of 20 as a guide, depending on what part of Canada you might want to visit. Perhaps you have a family connection to a different part of Canada or a mild curiosity about a part of Canada where you know nothing. The Bay of Fundy can sound good to someone in Saskatchewan while the Canadian Rockies could appeal to a person in Thunder Bay.
We have resources in every province for travel ideas. We may not have traveled much of late due to anxiety and financial issues but we have been to every province in Canada.
Dulse from New Brunswick. Elk from Alberta. Salmon candy from British Columbia. Oatcakes from Nova Scotia. Butter tarts from Ontario. Tourtière from Quebec. Cod tongues and scrunchions from Newfoundland and Labrador.
Okay, so I think of foods in terms of regional products of note. Canadians will tell you they know little about other parts of the country. People in Newfoundland and Labrador might know Alberta if they have worked in the oil fields out west. Actors and artists from all over Canada may end up in Toronto or Vancouver or even Montréal.
Food and other regional products can be a good gateway to learning more about other parts of Canada. More provincial trade is a good idea, regardless of politics or personal philosophy. Provincial barriers are often quite weird. Stories about alcohol between Quebec and New Brunswick were shocking to your humble narrator.
More markets within Canada for wine from Ontario and British Columbia, beer from New Brunswick, and even items that aren't alcoholic. I drank Alexander Keith's beer in Halifax and loved it. How many other Canadians can access a local beer from somewhere else within the country?
Speaking of patriotism, Hudson's Bay was gutted by U.S. hedge funds. The fact that Canadian Tire is buying the Hudson's Bay brands ... feels very Canadian.
Nanaimo Infusion is a great name for a THC experience. Instead, this is a gathering of Americans coming to Canada to appreciate the country.
Tod Maffin put out the idea of a festival to Americans through a TikTok video. The festival was created to welcome the new visitors. A few hundred people reportedly attended the festival.
You humble narrator has briefly been through Nanaimo on the way to and from Tofino on Vancouver Island. Wish I had more time there.
A lot of our Canadian journeys have been to larger cities in Canada. We do enjoy nature, even within large cities, such as the islands in Toronto, Banff and Lake Louise outside of Calgary, as well as Stanley Park and Wreck's Beach in Vancouver.
If we break this down by population centres in Canada, I have spent time in the top 9: Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa–Gatineau, Winnipeg, Quebec City, and Hamilton. Have slept in all of them except Hamilton.
Have also spent time in Victoria (12), Halifax (13), Windsor (15), Regina (18), and St. John's (19).
I thought Saskatoon (16) was the largest city I have not visited, but missing these Ontario cities: Kitchener (10), London (11), and Oshawa (14). Rounding out the top 20 are St. Catharines – Niagara Falls in Ontario (17) and Kelowna, British Columbia (20).
There are a few cities of note where I have passed through on a bus but didn't spent significant time there: London (11); Nanaimo, British Columbia (31); Red Deer, Alberta (35); and Brandon, Manitoba (63). Add Sarnia, Ontario (45) and substitute car for bus.
Places where I have spent time: Moncton, New Brunswick (29); Fredericton, New Brunswick (52); Saint John, New Brunswick (53); Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (59); and Stratford, Ontario (87). I have slept in all of these places.
Places of note where I would like to spend time: Thunder Bay, Ontario (36); Lloydminster, Alberta / Saskatchewan (90); and Cape Breton – Sydney Nova Scotia (91).
When we parle Quebec and language, we talk about their desire for more French and less of other languages, especially English.
Now, Quebec is requiring vous in schools, saying tu is too informal.
When I learned French many moons ago, I learned the difference between tu (you singular) versus vous (you plural).
Tying theoretical civility to language feels like a stretch. We recognize that people in Quebec are more sensitive to language, especially in Montréal. Stretching that nuance to high school while CEGEP students can still say tu.
We should note that Quebec secondary school goes to Grade 11 so graduates tend to be 17.
Some federal political updates. The NDP wasted little time picking an interim leader in Don Davies, one of the 7 MPs in Parliament. Better to have one of the current MPs in that position.
If you think the by-election will be soon, there are a bunch of logistics that go into this before a by-election can happen.
I still think about Rachel Notley, even if I have no clue as to whether she wants to be in federal politics. I do want Notley to run in Battle River-Crowfoot against Pierre Poilievre. Mark Carney may not want a Liberal person to run in the by-election. The NDP isn't obligated to let the by-election go without a candidate.
The Conservative Party selected an interim party leader in Andrew Scheer. He has been the House party leader and a former leader of the party. Scheer is also a U.S. citizen, offering to give that up once he got caught during the 2019 election campaign. Scheer, unlike Ted Cruz, did not give up his U.S. citizenship. You might recall that the party used Scheer in a campaign ad in 2025 rather than Poilievre, the party leader.
Scheer has other skeletons in his closet.
We are down to the top 5 Canadian TV shows for the Audience Choice for the upcoming Canadian Screen Awards. You can vote for your favourite until 11:59 pm Eastern tonight. There will eventually be 3 choices.
Here are the 5 nominations and their networks: Heartland (CBC); Made for TV (Crave); Murdoch Mysteries (CBC); The Way Home (Hallmark); Wild Cards (CBC).
Here are the shows that made the top 10 but not the final cut: Abroad (Omni); Don't Even (Crave); Dragons' Den (CBC); Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent (Citytv); The Office Movers (Crave).
We usually wonder if MLB Network will pick up the Rogers Sportsnet feed for the Toronto Blue Jays. 2025 asks a different question: How the [tabarnak] did MLB not schedule the Blue Jays on Victoria Day?
The Blue Jays are in the middle of a homestand with Tampa Bay and Detroit already in town. San Diego comes into Canada to play the Blue Jays tomorrow night. The Roberto Alomar trade is the most famous moment between the 2 teams. The Padres came into the National League in 1969 along with the Montréal Expos.
The Jays already made their lone trip to Seattle over Mothers Day weekend. This is normally a weekend when the Seattle ballpark is filled with the blue of Blue Jays fans. Canadians from British Columbia traditionally flood down for Seattle Seahawks (NFL) as well.
I had fun in Seattle watching the Blue Jays many years ago. I've seen the Blue Jays in Chicago (both teams), Milwaukee, Detroit, Boston, and Seattle.
Anecdotally, there were a lot fewer fans because of the tariffs and overall concern over safety with traveling within the United States. We sadly understand their concern.
Edmonton advances to the conference final while Winnipeg came close to being the other team. A tripping penalty cost the Jets Game 6. The Oilers will play Dallas starting on Wednesday.
Toronto didn't really show up at home for Game 5 or Game 7. Still, a cheap hit that took the starting goalie, a hit that went unpunished, did a lot of damage.
More on the NHL tomorrow.
The Calgary Stampeders and the BC Lions start the CFL preseason in a new location: Starlight Stadium in Langford, British Columbia, about a 25 minute drive west of Victoria on Vancouver Island.
The Minnesota Frost, PWHL defending champions, edged out the Toronto Sceptres in a 4-3 OT win to advance to the PWHL finals. The Frost plays the Ottawa Charge, victorious over the Montréal Victoire. The finals start tomorrow night in Ottawa.
The highlight of the latter series came on May 11 when Montréal's Catherine Dubois was the quadruple-overtime hero with the game-winning goal to beat Ottawa 3–2 and end the longest game in PWHL history. Her goal gave the Victoire its first-ever playoff win.
Travel infrastructure. One of the many topics that should have been part of the federal election campaign. Via Rail is too expensive with limited coverage. Canada should create a national bus service similar to Greyhound but more affordable than the train system. If you do see a Greyhound bus in Canada, they are buses running (from New York City and Boston) to Montréal; (from New York City via Buffalo) to Toronto; and (from Seattle) to Vancouver.
The logistics I had in getting a rental car in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador still boggle my mind.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkins wants people to come to Windsor for various events and festivals yet cancels the main service that brought them from the United States. we would love to hear if Dilkins has a better plan. Travel infrastructure.
Expedia’s Summer Travel forecast shows Canadians want to explore Canada this summer. Top spots include Tofino, Quebec and Newfoundland. jimbyerstravel.com/2025/04/11/e... #Canada #Newfoundland #BC #BritishColumbia #Quebec #travel #Expedia
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— jimbyerstravel.bsky.social (@jimbyerstravel.bsky.social) April 11, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Unfortunately, wildfire season in Canada is well underway, including the Lac du Bonnet wildfires in Manitoba. Hopefully, not too many more wildfires.
Let's hope for a really great summer in Canada.
Twitter captures: @banfflakelouise; @TimHoustonNS; @MarkJCarney; @susanholt; @WilliamShatner; @blogTO; @canadian_xing; @CraigBaird; @KeeganMatheson; @clahanna
photo credits: me; @DrewDilkins and @canadian_xing
BlueSky captures: @jimbyerstravel.bsky.social
