Canadian Crossing

2019 Canada Day notebook: More delays with edibles

Editor's note: We take a moment before the Canada Day celebration to reflect on recent Canadian stories. Canada Day is July 1 on Monday, so we run this today. Have a safe and wonderful long weekend.

The impact of edibles can change marijuana tourism in Canada. Unfortunately for marijuana tourists, that impact is reduced and delayed.

The original idea was that October 17, forever known as marijuana legalisation day, would be the target date for edibles. Existing federally regulated processors can apply to Health Canada on July 15. The October 17 deadline marks 60 days before edibles can be sold in Canada. So Christmas sales, yes, but supplies will be limited.

Each individual package will be limited to a maximum of 10 mg of THC. My expert friends find the 10 mg standard to be a joke. If you are not an expert, 2.5 mg is a good starting point. The types of edibles will be scrutinized by Health Canada. So no to gummy bears if they are appealing to children. Cannabis extracts and topicals (ointments, oils, makeup) will also be available in mid-December.

Edibles will not have alcohol, tobacco, nicotine, or caffeine with exceptions for low amounts of naturally occurring caffeine, such as chocolate.

What's Tempting: Marijuana edibles (BalanceofFood.com)

Your Guide to Canada's Edible Pot Rules (Front Burner CBC Radio)

As someone who went to California over the winter and legally bought edibles, the Trudeau Government is going way overboard in every element. Safety should be a factor and children shouldn't ingest any sort of marijuana product. Education is important but structuring that is difficult when people don't know what the product will look like.

Anna Maria Tremonti to leave The Current this week

The Trudeau Government approved the Trans Mountain pipeline. I learned from The Current series on CBC Radio One that the Trans Mountain pipeline will run parallel to the current pipeline but somehow triple the capacity. The primary issue will be tanker traffic in Burnaby and the difficulty to get the oil to the West Coast. The tankers would have to sail through Vancouver Harbour under the Lions Gate Bridge into the Burrard Inlet.

The argument is that the Liberals aren't pleasing anyone with the decision (lots of pipelines vs. no pipelines). So Jason Kenney and the UCP in Alberta are upset about oil not getting to the West Coast but the current Trans Mountain pipeline gets to Burnaby, the same place the expansion will also end.

Andrew Scheer released the Conservative Party take on climate change. The carbon tax is a conservative idea that isn't that effective in fighting climate change. The conservatives have been fighting the carbon tax, even though households will get reimbursed for most of that money. Scheer's ideas are fine but will have far-less of an effect than even the carbon tax.

I also don't get why they have to send raw bitumen through the pipelines instead of refining the oil in Alberta (more jobs). British Columbia has expressed that concern from an environmental standpoint since bitumen spills are more costly to the environment than regular oil spills.

I really want to understand all of these rationales. I don't know if Canadians know the answers and so the news doesn't talk about it or I am the only one who is curious on either side of the border.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Canada has a new book on The Art of Diplomacy

Kelly Knight Craft may leave U.S. Ambassador to Canada post for promotion

We thought that Kelly Knight Craft seemed extra invisible in her limited time as U.S. Ambassador to Canada. Craft is the nominee to be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Under questioning in front of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, we learned that Craft was gone from her post more than 300 days over 19 months. We also learned that Craft posted social media messages from outside of Canada at times where there was no record of travel. Craft was absent 45 of 54 days between March 21 and May 13; some of her absences involved visits back home to Kentucky.

Craft cited visits to Montréal and Washington, where she said she was part of U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer's negotiating team. Montréal trips aren't a concern; Washington trips can be justified. Her presence on the trade negotiating team, if that is true, should be alarming to Canada and the concept of being an ambassador. The ambassador role should be a go-between with the two countries. Her presence on the trade negotiating team is the equivalent of the butcher having a thumb on the scale.

Craft told the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee that she received approval for her travel. That means little, especially if those trips were to go back to Kentucky.

The U.S. Ambassador to Canada is supposed to be about Canada. Craft couldn't even pretend otherwise. Her arrogance should be grounds not to get a promotion but the problem for Canada is that she might have to return to Lexington, er, Ottawa to continue to do a poor job in her current position.

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Bill 21 is law in Quebec though the law is being challenged. The bill would ban religious symbols from public servants, defined to include teachers, lawyers, and police officers, while at work. You might remember the previous Liberal government pushed a less severe version of the bill.

Quebec Premier François Legault’s CAQ government along with the Parti Quebecois voted in favour while the Liberals and Quebec solidaire were opposed. The primary target is Muslim women for the hijab or niqab but also affects Sikh men and Orthodox Jewish men. A provision was made for teachers as long as they remain in their position at their school.

The tug-of-war is about secularism vs. targeting religious minorities. The idea of a "secularism police" is remnant of the "language police" of previous times in La Belle Province.

Whatever you might think about these religious symbols, we think that governments requiring them is reprehensible. Having a government say you can't wear something also feels reprehensible.

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Air Canada tells us the Tiffani Adams story is true, though you would have a hard time believing the story. We definitely advocate for traveling to and within Canada. Just be aware of your surroundings, whether you are the passenger or the carrier.

Canadian sports notebook: Record number of Canadians in the 2019 NBA draft

We normally put several sports stories in the Canada Day notebook. We had too many stories in the sports notebook so we gave them a separate notebook on Wednesday.

photo credit: me
video credit: CBC News

Canola farmers in Canada latest pawn in China battle over Meng Wanzhou arrest

As you watch all of those Huawei sponsorship mentions on Hockey Night in Canada on Rogers Sportsnet, consider that China still has 2 Canadians held captive in conditions much worse than how Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou is living in Vancouver. Another Canadian may be put to death.

Canadian canola farmers have been feeling the sting of China's retaliation, at least all of this is "unofficial" retaliation.

Canada sends a lot of canola to China, about $2.7 billion worth in 2018. Suddenly, Chinese customs inspectors said they found "dangerous pests" in Canada canola shipments. Shipments from 3 Canadian companies have been blocked.

• There is no reason to think "dangerous pests" even exist as China hasn't shown any proof.
• Some might struggle with the idea of "China" and "food safety" in the same sentence.

While everything is unofficial, the correlation is clear. China is still upset about the arrest of Meng Wanzhou on Canadian soil at the request of the United States.

Canada paying a price to go along with U.S. desire to arrest Meng Wanzhou

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The original retaliation: 2-for-1 and in horrible conditions vs. living better than most people in Vancouver. A death penalty sentence and canola oil sales to China are icing on an over-frosted cupcake.

Canada could ban Huawei from its 5G networks. Australia is doing that. Australian coal shipments are "suddenly" running into extra scrutiny at Chinese ports, including impurity complaints.

The United States — the country that wanted Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou to be arrested and extradited — hasn't had any retaliation, mostly due to its size and impact of what the country could do in retaliation.

This op-ed provides enough details that, if they are close to being accurate about the conditions where Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig have been suffering for over 4 months, requires swift action.

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This scenario will not magically disappear short of Meng Wanzhou being on Chinese soil and a full apology from Canada, neither of which is happening. Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig are going to be trapped in deplorable conditions for some time.

Robert Lloyd Schellenberg is in a whole different nightmare. Schellenberg was found guilty of drug smuggling and sentenced to 15 years in November. After the Meng Wanzhou arrest, Schellenberg was retried and sentenced to death over the same charges in a one-day trial in Dalian.

There may be a delay in the very slow process, thanks to Meng Wanzhou filing a civil lawsuit, claiming she was unlawfully detained and questioned for 3 hours without being advised of her constitutional rights. She is entitled to file the lawsuit but you can't help but wonder that Canadians Spavor and Kovrig don't have those rights in China for much harsher treatment.

The Canadian canola farmers are innocent financial pawns. They might find other homes for the canola seeds but they had contracts with China.

China is upset against the Western world but Canada is paying the price. The allegations of the connection between Huawei and the Chinese government have strong credibility. In an open world, the threat of Canada banning Huawei from its 5G networks would be a financial incentive for China to release their "hostages." Canada and other countries don't want to use Huawei in their 5G networks but are seeing the financial impact in a world where denying them may not be possible.

photos credit: me

Canada paying a price to go along with U.S. desire to arrest Meng Wanzhou

Canada and the United States have an extradition treaty agreement to honour each other's request for arrests. Unfortunately, Canada has been put in a really horrible situation with the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou.

Like the Safe Third Country Agreement, Canada's willingness to go along with the United States on an agreement is biting them in the posterior.

We have already seen the Chinese government confirm the detention of 2 Canadians: entrepreneur Michael Spavor and former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig on "endangering national security." This is on top of the threats that may lead to more negative consequences for Canada.

The United States wants to extradite Meng from Canada to the United States for, well, unofficially over concern that Skycom, an alleged subsidiary company, violated U.S. trade sanctions with Iran.

Meng was arrested December 1 in Vancouver as she was switching planes. Meng was released on $10 million CDN bail Tuesday. Her next court date is February 6.

A Eastern District of New York judge issued an arrest warrant for Meng in August.

Canada did unusual favour for U.S. to arrest Meng Wanzhou, CFO of Chinese tech giant #Huawei. Can we talk #tariffs now? https://t.co/4eDj3ZTCzB

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) December 6, 2018

There is a sense of concern over the Chinese telecommunications giant and its ties to the Chinese government to security issues, especially with the implementation of 5G. Huawei is a major sponsor of Rogers Sportsnet with Hockey Night in Canada. While the visual elements remained in the Sportsnet coverage, there was no audio copy that is usually found in the sponsorship.

"Our extradition partners should not seek to politicize the extradition process or use it for ends other than the pursuit of justice," said Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland.

To no one's surprise, Donald Trump spoke on just that point. Even before that remark, there was considerable speculation that this was a political arrest. Even if the allegations are true, Meng hasn't violated any Canadian laws. As long as Meng is on Canadian soil, Canada will suffer as a result.

Trump threat to withdraw from NAFTA should lead back to original Canada-U.S. free trade agreement

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As you might recall in the USMCA/CUSMA negotiations, the United States sneaked a provision that if Canada were to negotiate a trade deal with China (without saying China) that the United States would have to get access to secret negotiation information from Canada. The arrest hurts Canadian trade negotiations with China while helping the United States work out a deal with China.

The arrest of Meng Wanzhou might be justified in terms of the charges but this dispute shouldn't involve Canada. The United States is once again taking advantage of Canada's integrity in international agreements.

As we noted in the above tweet, the United States still has major tariffs in steel, aluminum, softwood lumber, and Bombardier planes (threatened) against Canada. There is a USMCA/CUSMA deal in place and still the tariffs exist. Canada should retain integrity in agreements but find some way to fight back against unfair practices by the United States.

Twitter capture: @canadian_xing

Greyhound Canada to abandon Western Canadian provinces

An Alberta sunset taken from a Greyhound Canada bus.

I've been to all 10 Canadian provinces, traveling on Greyhound Canada in 4 provinces. Greyhound Canada hasn't been a recent option in the Maritimes or Newfoundland and Labrador.

As of November 1, those travel opportunities of traveling Greyhound Canada in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta will be just memories. Greyhound Canada is also bailing out of British Columbia (the Vancouver-Seattle runs are controlled by Greyhound U.S.) as well as the Trans-Canada route between Winnipeg and Sudbury, Ontario will also disappear, so there will be no Greyhound Canada buses west of Sudbury.

I rode Greyhound from Calgary to Edmonton and back in my 2012 Alberta trip. The only other option was a car that I wouldn't have needed in either city. I got to watch an Alberta sunset where you could see the sun go all the way to the horizon.

I rode a Greyhound overnight bus from Winnipeg to Regina in 2016. The driving alternative would have been problematic for lots of reasons. A plane would have been expensive and I didn't need a car in Regina.

Via Rail is not an option for these and many other routes affected by the cuts. Driving and hitchhiking aren't great for a lot of people but may be the only options remaining.

Saskatoon berries a great reason to visit the Prairies

Going to Alberta? Some cool tips for your journey

Greyhound Canada cancelled the Prince George-Prince Rupert route in British Columbia June 1. That cut reflected the issues with hitchhiking with the history of indigenous girls and women on the Highway of Tears that runs down Highway 16 between the cities.

The best viable solution would be a regional bus system such as Maritime Bus out in the Maritimes. I rode from Moncton to Fredericton to Saint John as well as going to and from Charlottetown. The buses were a lot smaller, not as fancy as Greyhound. There were quite a few packages being delivered as well as people.

The Maritime Bus coverage area is relatively compact compared to the long distances in the Prairie provinces.

The Saskatchewan Transportation Company folded in 2017, but we have seen alternative such as Rider Express take over significant routes.

Calgary-Edmonton and Winnipeg-Regina are likely to be covered by smaller companies with smaller buses. The smaller towns and smaller routes are a bigger concern. There is the tourist angle, but there are many people who simply can't drive 800-1000 km across the vastness of Western Canada.

Greyhound Canada cited a 41% ridership decline since 2010. The company also noted bus runs of single-digit ridership at times, which was directly contradicted by numerous examples of buses from half full to almost full.

The company said 415 jobs would be lost with an impact to 2 million consumers.

How Rob Ford spent (part of) my summer vacation

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We like encouraging Canadians and other people to explore Canada. Cars do have their advantages but not everyone can afford to travel that way. The fact that I could access the bus allowed me to spend more time in Winnipeg before going to Regina. The bus allowed me to mock Rob Ford online for following me on my Alberta adventure.

"I would assume that Ford had more appropriate transportation between Edmonton and Calgary. I took the 8 a.m. Greyhound Express. Extra legroom, electrical outlets, and free wi-fi all included. The scenery is flat between the two cities and you do get to stop over in Red Deer as a bonus."

I wrote that in 2012. Being on the bus allowed me to see the amazing scenery, make notes, and reflect in the middle of an amazing journey. Driving isn't the same. Hitchhiking would have been worse.

Hopefully, smaller transportation companies will rise to the occasion to help out Western Canadians in ways that Greyhound was too big and slow to make necessary changes.

photos credit: me; CTV

Donald Trump does not understand that the American economy benefits from Canadians shopping in the U.S.

Donald Trump would have hated Pirate Joe's.

The United States financially benefits from a flood of Canadians who cross the border to buy gas, spend money on groceries, and yes, buy shoes. The country wants Canada to raise the duties from $200 in a same-day trip perhaps closer to the $800 figure that Americans can bring back from Canada on a same-day trip.

Pirate Joe's, for those who don't remember, was Mike Hallatt who bought a lot of Trader Joe's food and sold it on 4th Street in Vancouver. Hallatt didn't even have to "scuff the shoes" to get the Trader Joe's food across the border.

RIP Pirate Joe's is no more

Trump identified duties as tariffs and as "massive," even though the U.S. benefits from the policy. Canadians spend money in the United States on local businesses and locations of national businesses, and Trump thinks that is bad. Some Canadians may have cut back on those trips thanks to the hostility in the United States, but that isn't what is angering him.

"We can no longer be the stupid country; we want to be the smart country." Donald Trump really said this. Understanding the difference between tariffs and duties and knowing when money is spent in a country: these would be smart traits.

Most Canadians aren't in a practical position to take advantage of cross-border shopping. Figure the Maritimes, short of western New Brunswick, have no U.S. contact. Southern Canadians from the Cascades to Thunder Bay, Ontario have no major shopping areas outside of perhaps Fargo and Spokane. Those in southwestern British Columbia, southern Ontario and Quebec make up the majority of cross-border shoppers.

Those shoppers deal with a 20% currency disadvantage versus the U.S. dollar, lost time, and dealing with customs (with or without scuffed shoes) all to buy U.S. products on U.S. soil. This makes the Trump temper tantrum all the more confusing. Those Canadians deserve a thank you for making significant financial contributions to the American economy.

The beauty of Pirate Joe's was that people in Vancouver could buy desired U.S. products without having to leave Canada. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court ruling bringing the case back to the district court. The problem stemmed from not being able to afford to fight the appeals.

Where in the world is Kelly Knight Craft?

G7 summit in Charlevoix, Quebec comes on heels on tariffs from Donald Trump

Donald Trump admits what we've known: he makes up facts on trade with Canada

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Americans should appreciate that Canadians do as much shopping as they do in the United States as they do. They might learn a bit more over this aspect of Canadians thanks to this story. Someone besides me on the U.S. side needs to understand this as part of the Canada-U.S. relationship. The tariffs, trade battles, and difficult NAFTA negotiations are detracting away from a normally natural welcoming relationship between these two countries.

photos credit: me; This Hour Has 22 Minutes

2018 NHL notebook: Saying goodbye to Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin

Like 4 other Canadian NHL teams, the Vancouver Canucks won't be in the Stanley Cup playoffs. This means the end of the careers of Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin.

The final game in Edmonton was a bit anti-climatic compared to the Thursday night heroics in Vancouver. The Canucks game in Edmonton was filled with flashbacks and memories of the twins from draft day until the final game.

Special thanks to Rogers for putting the final Vancouver home game on Rogers Sportsnet 360. And thanks to NHL Center Ice for putting the game in the primary HD channel. They showed quite a bit of the postgame celebration after Daniel Sedin shot the game-winning goal in overtime with an assist from his brother, Henrik Sedin. A fitting end to their last game in Vancouver.

We normally don't endorse a local announcer calling a late game on CBC but we make an obvious exception for John Shorthouse to call the last Sedins game. Since Louie DeBrusk is a studio analyst for the Edmonton Oilers during the week, there was balance.

The Sedin twins were champions in their 17-year career. They didn't win a Stanley Cup in great part due to a huge referee bias toward Boston in 2011. As the stories go, no matter the situation, Daniel and Henrik Sedin were accountable every time, all the time.

Vancouver Canucks fans know what they will miss about the Sedins. NHL fans will miss them in ways they might not realize. Great talent on the ice, greater people off the ice.

We saw their children in the benches for the final game. Athletes and other famous people often say they are retiring to spend more time with their families. In the case of Daniel and Henrik, they are probably telling the truth.

Sedins thank you letter

The NHL Network held fairly firm to keeping the Montréal-Toronto battle on its schedule. Given the NHL Center Ice free preview, and games of importance for the playoffs, we have no issue with the last-minute switch.

From an anecdotal viewpoint, we never got a technical NHL Center Ice preview as much as a MLB Extra Innings preview. The Friday and Saturday games were in a mode (thanks Xfinity) where you can watch the games only if you tape them but the fast forward is clunky.

The 2017-2018 NHL Center Ice free previews were the worst by far since we've monitored them. Only a week in the beginning, a sneaky mid-season preview during the Olympics that also featured the clunky part, and an end of season where things got clunky at the end.

#AlainVigneault is a very fine coach and should find a home soon in @NHL. There are a few Canadian teams that could have an interest in him.

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) April 8, 2018

The New York Rangers said goodbye to Alain Vigneault Saturday night. While the Rangers needed a change, Vigneault has proven himself to be a great coach. As the Sedins know very well, Vigneault came so close to winning the Stanley Cup for Vancouver in 2011. 

The NHL went the entire season before a coach got fired. There are a few Canadian teams that might change coaches. Vigneault is available and very bilingual. Let's see if there is a match.

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The Rogers pregame and the show open were devoted to those in Humboldt, SK dealing with an unbelievable tragedy with a bus crash that impacted the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team.

Rogers Sportsnet also ran the vigil Sunday night in Humboldt, Saskatchewan.

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Cassie Campbell-Pascall got one last chance in the booth for Hockey Night in Canada Saturday night. Campbell-Pascall has been the primary fill-in colour analyst for the Flames when she wasn't at the 2018 Olympics. We will see more of Campbell-Pascall as an analyst in the Stanley Cup playoffs with the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, though we aren't sure if the U.S. audience will even get the Rogers Sportsnet feed for this series.

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CBC promos in the final week of the season aren't typically that insightful. This is part of the compensation deal for running NHL games without a drop in ad revenue.

We got 6 CBC promos in the early game. For the second week in a row, we only got 4 CBC promos in the late game. Neither week felt like an accident to not have the full allotment of 6 promos.

The Rick Mercer Report was the series finale that airs tonight on CBC television. The Stream CBC TV app continues to get a lot of love.

Early game: Rick Mercer Report; CBC TV app (1st); Schitt's Creek; Workin' Moms (2nd); Rick Mercer Report; CBC TV app (3rd)

Late game: Rick Mercer Report (1st); CBC TV app; Schitt's Creek (2nd); Workin' Moms (3rd)

photo credit: Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press
Twitter capture: @canadian_xing

Top 10 Canadian travel stories of 2017 (so far)

Canada 150 is going strong. The Canadian dollar has risen a bit with a falling U.S. dollar but the exchange rate is still at about 20% in favour of the American tourist.

Perhaps you are on vacation in Canada right now. If not, why aren't you in Canada?

The free admission to national parks has certainly helped increase interest. In the first 7 months, more than 14 million have gone to national parks and historic sites, up 12% from the same time period in 2016. The increase is more than 1.5 million visitors.

Point Pelee in southwestern Ontario has seen a 66% spike over the same time from last year. Prince Edward Island National Park is up 37%.

We thought we would look back at some of our best travel-related stories in 2017:

Barack Obama takes in Montreal

U.S. presidents do go to Canada (some of them anyway) but they don't get to stay long or take time to appreciate what Canada has to offer.

The former president gave a speech at the Palais des congrès before the Montréal Chamber of Commerce. President Obama also took some time to hang out with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Liverpool House.

Obama even wished Montréal "bon anniversaire" for the city's 375th birthday.

The two leaders enjoyed oysters and lobster spaghetti as well as local fare such as smoked trout, asparagus, rib steak, halibut, and morel mushrooms.

Former President Bill Clinton and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton spent part of this summer in North Hatley in Quebec's Eastern Townships.

Come From Away wins a single Tony award for best direction

The awareness of Newfoundland has significantly increased in the last year or so thanks to Come From Away. Even with only a single Tony Award, the cast performed a song during the 2017 Tony Awards.

We even talked about a potential tour of Newfoundland destinations from The Shipping News in New Bonaventure to Gander, the site of the play. You can see where Newfoundland films were made from The Grand Seduction to Rare Birds.

If you want to see location shots from Republic of Doyle (now on Netflix), St. John's has plenty of shots, including the exterior of the Doyles' bar. There is a real bar on the inside with outstanding gravy.

The trip is a long distance from everywhere and the climate may not be warm, but the area will bring a lot of good travel memories.

Anne with an E makes Netflix debut

Prince Edward Island. Potatoes. Red soil. Mussels. Anne of Green Gables.

The updated series that aired on CBC and Netflix has been renewed for a second season. Though most of the show is not shot in PEI, the show should be inspiration to explore the land that inspired the great novel.

I do share my travel memories of the island in the travel story as well. Try the Cows ice cream. Mmmmm. Extra butterfat.

Day 2 for Kelly and Ryan in Niagara Falls: Howie Mandel and Nathan Fillion

Day 1 for Kelly and Ryan in Niagara Falls: Justin Trudeau and Tatiana Maslany

Niagara Falls is barely in Canada but Live with Kelly and Ryan did spend a couple of days on the Canadian side of the falls. The show did travel to Two Sisters Vineyards at Niagara-on-the-Lake where Americans saw a 20-year-old legally drinking. That felt Canadian.

Use Niagara Falls as a jumping off point to explore the southern Ontario region, even if that only involves vineyards. Stratford is a bit more than 2 hours away and Toronto is only a couple of hours away.

Washington Post travel section celebrates going to Canada

The Washington Post got into the spirit of Canada 150 and free admission to national parks to produce 5 significant travel stories for the newspaper.

If you aren't able to travel where you want to go in Canada, these articles would prove to be a fine resource well after Canada 150.

Canadian tourism ads from 2017 winter NHL Center Ice free preview

We cover a lot of Canadian ads during MLB Extra Innings and NHL Center Ice free previews. The winter break had so many tourism-related ads that we created a separate story. The ads were summer-related including the polar bears in Churchill. I had a friend who was just up there this summer. Her polar bear pictures were beautiful.

The collection includes Manitoba, Edmonton, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. The Ontario refugees was more about how welcoming the province is to new arrivals.

CFL travels have sent me to every league city

Summer travel may be over soon but traveling for the CFL is almost at the halfway point. I've been to every CFL city as well as Moncton for Touchdown Atlantic.

Coming from downtown Montréal, getting to Molson Stadium is a bit of a climb, but the views are really amazing at the Alouettes home stadium. Trains take you right to the stadiums in Edmonton, Vancouver, and Calgary.

Walking to old and now new Mosaic Stadium is a reasonably short walk in downtown Regina. Buses take you right to the stadiums in Winnipeg, Hamilton, and Ottawa. Toronto requires a streetcar and a healthy walk or a GO train and a relatively short walk.

However you get there, you have a lot of good options to take in a CFL game this fall.

Where to visit Canada in 2017

All Canada national parks are free in 2017

Things have been fairly smooth in Banff National Park other than a few wildfire-related problems. Banff was expected to be crowded with the free admission for 2017. The scenery is absolutely off the charts. If you go in 2018 and the parks are no longer free, you will get a lot of beauty for the admission price.

The BC wildfires have caused a lot of damage in people and property. Was glad to get to Tofino last year in between the years of extreme wildfires.

You had and have a lot of choices for national parks in Canada. And there is still plenty of beauty remaining this year. 

Tofino: an escape within Vancouver Island

This is a bonus article since this first ran on December 28 but you might not have read it until 2017. Tofino offered a true escape inside a rainforest. Surfing in wetsuits is a major activity. You can find plenty of places for relaxing nature and then fish tacos for sustenance.

You can find all our travel coverage here.

photos credit: me; Obama Foundation; me; Live with Kelly and Ryan; Prince Edward Island tourism; Parks Canada; me

British Columbia transitions power from Liberals to NDP with Greens help

Time and patience were needed when dealing with the 2017 British Columbia election. NDP Leader John Horgan showed a lot of patience and eventually became the new premier of the province.

The May 9 election followed by recounts left us with a 43-41-3 mark. The Liberals had the first shot of forming government. Christy Clark had key points from the NDP and Green Party in the Throne Speech. The vote on those measures was defeated in a party-line vote.

Parliamentary tradition calls for the premier — Clark — to approach Lieutenant-Governor Judith Guichon. Guichon had options: dissolve the legislature, which would kick in a new election, or see if Horgan could form a new government. Clark said she wouldn't ask the lieutenant governor to dissolve Parliament, then changed her mind and did so. Guichon gave the whole matter considerable thought and ultimately decided to have Horgan (right) form a government.

'The Daily Show' take on PM Harper's request to prorogue Parliament

We should probably explain a few details for non-Canadians as well as those Canadians who weren't paying attention in school. The Lieutenant Governor (pronounced left-ten-ant) is the Queen's representative in the provinces, similar to the Governor General for the federal government. You might remember in 2008 when the Liberals, NDP, and Bloc Quebecois wanted to form a coalition government, then Prime Minister Stephen Harper convinced Governor General Michaëlle Jean to prorogue Parliament. After the Parliament came back, Harper and the Conservatives had a minority government and stayed in power.

The Speaker of the House takes on a very different tone in Canada. The speaker comes from the majority party yet is considered neutral and only votes in case of a tie. Clark challenged the idea of the NDP-Greens coalition on the grounds that a speaker would have to come from their side and having the speaker vote on almost every bill would be a burden.

A most recent example happened in New Brunswick in 2003 when the Conservative government had a single-seat majority. The Speaker, also a Conservative, often was the deciding voter in favour of the government.

BC elects Liberal minority government for the moment

The Green Party under Andrew Weaver will wield a certain amount of power in the new BC government, but in a a bit of a surprise, no Green Party will serve in the government cabinet.

Horgan is the premier-designate, so Clark is still serving as premier until the swearing in of the new premier. The new government will recall the legislature after Labour Day.

Clark is set to be the opposition leader. Normally, the losing party considers a leadership shuffle. The Liberals in British Columbia might be an exception since the new government may not last a long time.

2017 British Columbia provincial election preview

2017 Canadian politics preview

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Christy Clark becomes the answer to a trivia question "Name the first female premier to be re-elected?" Her reign after re-election will be about a couple of months.

Rachel Notley (Alberta) is toward the beginning of her first term while Kathleen Wynne (Ontario) will be up for re-election in 2018. Notley and Wynne are the only current female premiers in Canada.

photo credit: Mike McArthur/CBC

RIP Pirate Joe's is no more

Pirate Joe's, the Vancouver store that carried Trader Joe's in a country where Trader Joe's has not gone, has come to a close. Trader Joe's had sued the Vancouver store in 2013. That suit was dismissed by a Washington-state court.

Late last summer, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court ruling bringing the case back to the district court.

The store didn't go down because business was bad or the store couldn't win in court. The problem stemmed from not being able to afford to fight the battle. That doesn't seem very piratey, but litigation costs are a factor even if you think you are innocent.

The location that I recall at 2348 W. 4th Avenue had a bit of poetry because the store was close by the Whole Foods at 2285 W. 4th Avenue. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have a bit of overlap in competing in the United States. The 4th Avenue location was also across from a Safeway as you can tell in the reflections in my pictures. The store had to relocate to 3744 W. 10th Avenue in 2016 because the building was sold off.

Canadian Trader Joe's lovers can get fix in Vancouver

Mike Hallatt fought an amazing fight against a large corporation. That makes the fall of Pirate Joe's that much more shocking.

Hallatt's point, besides making a legal stand and some money, was for Trader Joe's to come to Canada. While the success of Pirate Joe's didn't change the company's mind, the closure of the store reduces the pressure on the company to have Canadian locations.

Hallatt had been banned by Trader Joe's in Bellingham, Washington, the nearest city with Trader Joe's stores to Vancouver. He got around that by paying people to shop at Trader Joe's and bringing him back the groceries.

So if people in Vancouver could buy Trader Joe's food in Bellingham, why would there be a need for Pirate Joe's? The drive is about an hour, not counting customs either way. Some foods can't be brought into Canada so the focus was more on dry goods. Hallatt did charge extra but transportation costs and store rent play their role. The markup made sense for a lot of Pirate Joe fans.

Unfortunately, the closing of the store means the issue of reselling won't be settled in United States or Canadian law.

Pirate Joe's was a way to get an average person to draw the attention of a corporation. Trader Joe's has many fans in Vancouver as Pirate Joe's clearly proved. The question is whether those in Vancouver can someday get Trader Joe's products on their side of the border.

photos credit: me
map credit: Google

BC elects Liberal minority government for the moment

Editor's note: After the absentee ballots were counted, the NDP margin in the Courtenay–Comox riding on Vancouver Island went from 9 votes to 189 votes. So the seats stay the same at 43 for the Liberals, 41 for the NDP, and 3 for the Greens. Christy Clark and the Liberals will likely have the first shot at forming government in British Columbia. Depending on the Greens, the NDP could ultimately form government. But this is a drama that will play out for some time in British Columbia.

In the final tally, Liberals won the popular vote count by a margin of 1,566 — 796,672 to 795,106 — the closest result in the province's history.

British Columbia voters wanted change in last night's election but we still don't know what that change will look like. The Liberals currently have 43 seats, 1 seat short of a majority in Parliament. The New Democratic Party has 41 seats, 3 short of a majority. The Green Party, yes the Green Party has the power to sway the direction of the government at 3 seats.

Christy Clark nor NDP leader John Horgan nor Green Party leader Andrew Weaver should do much celebrating or planning at this point. Absentee ballots will be counted on May 22-24.

This doesn't count recounts, such as the Courtenay–Comox riding on Vancouver Island, where the NDP candidate won by 9 votes over the Liberals. Recounts are automatic when the results are within 0.2%.

All 3 party leaders did give victory speeches of sorts rather late at night, even on the West Coast.

British Columbia hasn't seen a minority government since 1952. That government lasted for about a year. Unlike the federal minority governments in 2004 (Paul Martin), 2006, and 2008 (Stephen Harper), the margin is so close that even though the Liberals have a 2-seat advantage, the NDP and Greens have enough combined for a majority with a 0-seat error margin. The government could also be a coalition where party members can vote their conscience on all bills instead of toeing the party line.

The number 2 is also significant because there were 2 extra ridings in this race and the Greens got 2 more seats. The actual breakdown is more complicated. NDP did much better in Metro Vancouver while the Liberals picked up some rural ridings. The Green Party fell 1 seat short of the 4 seats required for official party status.

2017 British Columbia provincial election preview

2017 Canadian politics preview

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The election had 4 transgendered candidates running for office. None of those candidates won. However, Morgane Oger has a shot at a possible recount in the Vancouver-False Creek riding. The riding was one of the closest on the board all night. Oger had a lead for awhile over incumbent and former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan.

The 3 other candidates were longshots in their ridings. Stacey Piercey ran as a Liberal in the NDP-dominant Victoria-Swan Lake riding. Veronica Greer in Surrey-Panorama and Nicola Spurling in Coquitlam-Maillardville ran as Green Party candidates.

There has never been a transgendered MLA on the provincial level in Canada.

Donald Trump dairy rant may be more about softwood lumber

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Donald Trump did enter the race as a villain though it's almost certain that he didn't know about the upcoming provincial election. The duties on softwood lumber came during the election cycle.

Clark responded the day after the announcement with a request to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to ban the export of thermal coal from the United States.

Any British Columbia premier couldn't make that decision but Clark's quick response might have made a difference.

Canada is losing female premiers: Politics or sexism?

The Liberals have been in power since 2001. The NDP blew a 20-point lead in the polls in the 2013 election. One of the 2 parties will claim victory on some level but that outcome is still to come.

If the Liberals hang on, Christy Clark will become the first female premier to be re-elected. Rachel Notley (Alberta) is toward the beginning of her first term while Kathleen Wynne (Ontario) will be up for re-election in 2018.

Alison Redford (Alberta) resigned in the middle of her first term. Pauline Marois (Quebec) called for a quick election not far into her first term and lost power.

Kathy Dunderdale (Newfoundland and Labrador) resigned during her first term. Pat Duncan called for a quick election in the Yukon in 2002 after 2 years in office. Duncan was the only Liberal to keep a seat in that election. Catherine Callbeck (Prince Edward Island) resigned after 3½ years as premier in 1996 just before her Liberal party lost the provincial election.

Christy Clark lost her seat in the Liberals 2013 comeback. Clark won a by-election in a different riding to remain as premier. David Eby defeated Clark in the Point Grey riding in 2013 and won re-election last night.

There is usually a decorum where the speeches are given without others speaking. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver was about to speak when the cameras shifted to NDP leader John Horgan going on stage. CBC Vancouver chose to stay with Horgan's speech. That can be a good decision since the NDP was vying to be the top party at the end of the night.

If Horgan's strategy was to prevent Weaver's speech from being shown, the strategy worked. Weaver's speech wasn't covered by the CBC. The speech could have been taped and shown later but that wasn't apparently considered.

I am knocking CBC Vancouver for a poor journalism decision. Unfortunately, TV news determines for some reason if the speech isn't live, you can't show the speech. CBC Vancouver should make that speech available so the voters can see the speech. The Green Party only won 3 seats (still huge) but received over 16% of the vote. In all of the Green Party efforts in Canadian provincial elections, this was the best effort by the party. Blowing off the Green Party speech on that night was a bad move for journalism and democracy.

Game 6 of the Ottawa Seantors series ended at 7:10 pm PDT, 50 minutes before the polls closed in British Columbia. CBUT Vancouver stuck with pre-election coverage instead of the hockey game. NHL fans in British Columbia could have watched the game on Rogers Sportsnet or stream the game through CBC Sports. NHL fans in Western Washington, including Seattle, had to rely on NBCSN.

screen grabs: CBUT/CBC Vancouver