Tourism Ucluelet has hit the road this spring to share it’s beautiful Vancouver Island coastal region with Canadians. The “Kick Back and Coast” RV tour began in St. John’s Newfoundland on May 1st and it will end on June 24th back in Ucluelet. Accompanied by Tourism Ucluelet mascot Knuckles the Grey Whale, the 10,000km tour will promote Pacific Rim National Park and Barkley Sound as well as the abundance of activities and adventures that can be found around Ucluelet.

Photos courtesy of Tourism Ucluelet

The Tourism Ucluelet RV will be passing through 26 cities and all 10 provinces of Canada, engaging with communities and stopping by key events and festivities. Spot the RV in your city and snap a photo during the tour, follow the journey on Facebook and Twitter, and visit the unique landing page Kick Back and Coast for your chance to win one of many prizes, including a trip to the West Coast. The grand prize package includes an incredible ‘One Week Ucluelet Adventure Trip’, customized to suit the style of the lucky winner, including airfare, kayaking, spa, surfing lessons, dining, wildlife cruises, tours and accommodations.

The Tourism Ucluelet RV will hit Montreal by this Friday, May 17th then move onto Barrie for Friday, May 24th. Rolling into Winnipeg on Friday, May 31st then Calgary on Friday, June 7th the RV returns to BC by way of Kamloops on Friday, June 14th. Returning to Vancouver Island by Friday, June 21st it will reach its home in Ucluelet on Friday, June 24th.

Photos from our walk along the Wild Pacific Trail in Ucluelet the last time we visited.
You really do feel like you’re on the edge of the world, it’s wonderful.

Miss604 Getaway Giveaway

To promote the Kick Back and Coast cross-Canada tour, Tourism Ucluelet has offered up an awesome getaway for one lucky Miss604 reader and their guest. The prize pack includes a two-night stay in Ucluelet in a Wya Point yurt plus surf lessons for two.

Enjoy private beaches within the Ucluth Eco Resort, and amenities in your yurt that include a kitchen, barbecue, wood or gas fireplace, wrap-around cedar deck, oceanfront beach access, lounge chairs, and more. This luxurious eco-friendly resort is off the grid so be prepared to unplug, de-stress, kick back, and listen to the waves roll in.

Here’s how you can enter to win this coastal escape:

• Leave a comment on this post about how you unwind/unplug (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Friday, May 24, 2013. Must be 19+ to enter and win. Some restrictions may apply. Based on availability. Follow Tourism Ucluelet on Facebook and Twitter, and learn more about Wya Point Resort on Facebook and Twitter as well.

The Friends of the North Vancouver District Public Library are hosting their Big Book Sale this month at the Lynn Valley Main Library (1277 Lynn Valley Road).

Photo credit: GlasgowAmateur on Flickr

Dates and Times
Friday, May 24, 2013 from 10:00am to 7:00pm
Saturday, May 25, 2013 from 10:00am to 4:00pm
Sunday, May 26, 2013 from noon to 4:00pm

The legendary Big Book Sale includes books as well as CDs and DVDs, all on sale for 50 cents to $2 a piece. On Sunday, everything is half price; or, fill a bag of books for $3 or a box of books for $6. They ask that you please bring your own bag to carry your purchases.

The Friends are a group of over 150 community members dedicated to the support and enhancement of North Vancouver District Public Library facilities, services, and programs. Members span all ages from high-schoolers to seniors. Some Friends are actively involved, others are quietly supportive – but all care deeply about North Vancouver District Public Library.

The nominees have been announced for the annual Leo Awards, which honour excellence in BC-made film and television. Presented by the Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Foundation of British Columbia, the awards are handed out during two evening events: The celebration awards ceremony (June 7, 2013) and the gala awards ceremony (June 8, 2013).

Film Nominees

The top Motion Picture nominee is Becoming Redwood with a total of 14 nominations including direction, screenwriting, cinematography, program, sound, sound editing, musical score, production design, costume design, supporting male performance (x3), lead performance male, and lead performance female.

Camera Shy has 7 nominations, Lucille’s Ball has 6 nominations, Soufflé au Chocolat has 5 nominations, Crimes of Mike Recket, In No Particular Order, and Random Acts of Romance each have 4.

Other films with nominations are Death Do Us Part, Pehchaan 3D (Identity), Bailout: The Age of Greed, Ferocious, Ambrosia, Crowsnest, Dawn Rider, Errors Of The Human Body, Havana 57, Maximum Conviction, Old Stock, Son of an Afghan Farmer, The Resurrection of Tony Gitone, and The Wingman.

Television Nominees

Ring of Fire leads the Television Movie pack with 12 nominations, followed by Eve of Destruction with 11. Other nominees include: Hitched for the Holidays, It’s Christmas, Carol!, Tom, Dick and Harriet, Twist of Faith, Anything But Christmas, The Wishing Tree, After All These Years, Christmas Miracle, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, Tasmanian Devils, Virtual Lies.

Leading the Dramatic Series nominees is Continuum with 16 nods, the most of any film or television program this year. They’re up for program, direction (x2), screenwriting, cinematography, picture editing (x2), production design, costume design, stunt coordination, guest performance male (x2), supporting performance male (x2), supporting performance female (x2).

Other Dramatic Series nominees are Arctic Air with 14, Arrow has 8 nominations, and Primevil: New World has 6. Other shows nominated include Bomb Girls, Fringe, Hell On Wheels, Alcatraz, Alphas, Beauty and the Beast, Lost Girl, Nikita,Saving Hope, Supernatural, and True Justice.

In the Short Drama category nominees include (but are not limited to) Binner with 8 nominations, and Beauty Mark, Corvus, and The Old Woman In The Woods with 7. Documentary Program or Series nominees are Battle Castle in 7 categories, along with Ice Pilots NWT, Cue The Muse, Music for Mandela, What Happens Next? The Dan Mangan Documentary, and more.

Leo Awards will also be handed out in other program categories that include Information or Lifestyle Series, Music, Comedy, or Variety Program or Series, Animation Program or Series, Student Production, Youth or Children’s Program or Series, Web Series, and Music Video.

Support BC film and television by supporting these outstanding programs, their cast, crew, and production teams. Full nomination lists and details are posted online by program and by name.

Tickets for the awards are currently available and a red carpet event will precede the awards ceremony on Saturday, June 8th at the Westin Bayshore. Follow the Leo Awards on Facebook and Twitter for more information about the nominees and the awards ceremonies.

Tomorrow marks the 113th anniversary of the North Vancouver ferry boat (“North Vancouver No. 1″) beginning its regular service between North Vancouver and the south shore of Burrard Inlet. Scheduled ferry service began in 1893 with the Union Steamship Company and North Vancouver No. 1 started carrying foot passengers to and from each shore on May 12, 1900.

1911: North Vancouver Ferry No. 2 & No 3. Archives Item# Bo P338.1 & Bo P338.2.

By 1904, North Vancouver No. 2 hit the waters and offered service for vehicles as well. As demand for service grew, as did the ferry fleet and North Vancouver No. 3 was launched in 1911. Eventually there would be a No. 4 and No. 5 added until the Lions Gate Bridge (built in 1938) would eliminate the need for the ferry service decades later. Over a span of 40 years, North Vancouver Ferries carried 112,466,693 passengers across Burrard Inlet. [Source: BC Shipping News].

1900s: Ferry St. George (aka North Vancouver No. 2). VPL# 2888 & 5872. Photographer: Philip Timms.

1909: Northern view of Lonsdale Avenue from the ferry dock. Archives Item# CVA 371-2110.

1920s: Northern view of Lonsdale Avenue from the ferry dock. Archives Item# Out P81.

1920s: Lineup for the North Vancouver Ferry. VPL# 19181 & 1950s: On board North Vancouver No. 4. VPL# 42258. Photographer: Philip Timms.

1950s: Unloading North Vancouver Ferry No 4. & Ferry lineup. VPL# 42254 & 19159. Photographer: Province Newspaper & Philip Timms.

1926: Ferry wharf in West Vancouver. VPL# 10349 & 1931: North Vancouver ferry dock. VPL# 11397. Photographer: Leonard Frank.

1950s: Ticket seller, ferry terminal. VPL# 42255 & 2869. Photographer: Province Newspaper.

This post has been contributed by Louise Pedersen of the Stanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”). I have been following SPES since I moved into the West End almost eight years ago and I recently became a member. I wanted to offer Louise and her team an opportunity to share their news, events, and work so I have created “SPES Saturday” where they will be contributing stories with my audience once a month.

Photo credit: conradolson & Jason Gallant & Jason Gallant on Flickr

Stanley Park: World’s Most Beautiful Park

To Vancouverites it may not come as a big surprise that the world loves Stanley Park too, but it makes us nevertheless a little proud when magazines like Travel + Leisure in their May issue enlists “our” park among the ten most beautiful parks in the world.

And what’s not to love for the eight million locals and tourists who visit the park every year. Within a short walk from downtown, we have 400 acres of lush temperate rainforest, a myriad of forest trails that wind their way through the park and past giant ferns and towering red cedar, hemlock and Douglas fir trees, and an 8km long seaside promenade – the most popular recreational facility in Vancouver.

But Stanley Park is more than just nature “bling”; it’s a place many of us turn to again and again to spend time in nature, for a fresh breath of air and to get away from traffic noise and the many distractions that are part and parcel of living in a big city. As a significant green “island” in an urban landscape, the Park is also a home to an astonishing diversity of wildlife species, including at least 30 mammals, 236 birds, 10 amphibians and 72 freshwater and marine fish. The most noticeable difference between Stanley Park and more remote natural areas is the absence of large mammals such as deer, wolves, bears and cougars; however coyotes, river otters and beavers all thrive in the park.

With Vancouver celebrating birds all week during the city’s inaugural Bird Week, it’s appropriate to highlight Stanley Park as a bird lover’s paradise. The summer breeding bird populations are diverse and plentiful. The park is not only home to nesting pairs of bald eagles and an expansive great blue heron colony; it is also a nursery for songbirds, owls, and many other species. Its winter seashore is teeming with thousands of waterfowl, shorebirds and wading birds, and a short hop over to Lost Lagoon will provide a view of freshwater species. As Vancouver is on the Pacific Flyway, fall and spring migration are exciting times in the park with flocks of warblers, birds of prey and the occasional rarities passing through.

During this 125th anniversary year of Stanley Park, let’s send a appreciative nod to Lord Stanley and the newly formed Vancouver City Council who in 1888, when Vancouver was home to just 2,600 inhabitants, designating the area as a public park. This park truly is a gem to us and the rest of the world, who come here to visit.

Photo credit: colink. on Flickr

Stanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”) is based in the Park, and with the help of our members and supporters we make a difference for wildlife throughout the Park by directly tackling their habitat needs through habitat restoration, monitoring and conservation action as well as by providing scientific information that help Park managers create better management plans.

Every year, we give over 20,000 children and adults opportunities for learning about nature on their doorstep through our weekly public events, school programs, Young Naturalist’s Club or by visiting the Stanley Park Nature House on Lost Lagoon, Vancouver’s only ecology centre. Through our popular volunteering program, more than 1,200 locals learn new skills, improve their CV and meet like-minded people every year.

To find out more SPES, including our weekly events in the Park, opening hours of the Nature House and volunteering opportunities, visit the website and follow @StanleyPkEcoSoc on Twitter. Upcoming events: Insect Superheroes on Sunday, May 12th; Mosses and Lichens on Sunday, May 19th; Community Invasive Species Management (Volunteer) on Saturday, May 25th; Birds of a Feather at Lost Lagoon Nature House on Sunday, May 26th.

The Grouse Grind, Vancouver’s favourite natural stairclimber, opens for the season on Saturday, May 11, 2013 and whether you complete it once or even fifty times this season you can support a great local campaign with each step.

Photo credit: Mt. Kilimanjaro Grouse Grind for Alzheimer’s

With the opening of the popular 2.9km mountain route comes another year of the Grind for Kids campaign from the BC Children’s Hospital. Here’s how it works:

Grind For Kids is in its fourth year and leverages the enthusiasm of the thousands of people in the Lower Mainland that do the Grouse Grind on a regular basis. People sign up and ask friends, family and co-workers to pledge $1 or more for every Grouse Grind they do between June and October. At the end of the season participants will share their success with the people who have pledged them and request they fulfill their pledges. One time donations are also accepted.

The first step is to sign up online and then start collecting pledges between now and October. With your $20 registration fee, you will get an official Grind Timer from Grouse Mountain Guest Services that tracks your progress real time. Simply swipe the timer at the base of the Grouse Grind before you start and at the top when you finish. You will be able to go to your personal donation page to track your progress at any time, enjoy complimentary bag-check service, and you’ll be entered to win weekly fundraising prizes.

Photo credit: dansteffen2907 & janheuninck on Flickr

Photo credit: Jody Taylor on Flickr

Be sure to follow Grind for Kids on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates and fundraising tips throughout the season.

Vancouver is known for its veggie culture but the carnivore is still alive and thriving with help from barbecue joints, butcher shops, delis and grilled goodies from food trucks. It seems like just the right time to launch the city’s first “Festival of Meat” — Brewery and The Beast on Sunday, June 16th.

A handful of Vancouver’s finest restaurants, chefs, and favourite barbecuers will be on site for the day serving up whole pig and lamb roasts, house-made sausage, charcuterie, smoked meats, ethnic-inspired dishes, classic BBQ, and other full-flavored exotic foods.

Brewery and The Beast is an experience our guests can feel good about, a time to get together with friends and enjoy a “backyard BBQ” on a Sunday afternoon. It will take you on a culinary adventure sure to astound your taste buds.

Chefs will create dishes using the highest possible quality ingredients for the conscientious consumer. Meats featured will be hormone and antibiotic free, ethically raised, and sourced from farms on Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, the Fraser Valley, and select farms in Northern Alberta.

The festival was created to educate guests on the importance of becoming a conscientious consumer of high quality meat. Reducing the carbon footprint created by mass production and distribution is a key role that our local and regional farmers play. It is more important than ever to support local farmers and food producers by purchasing and consuming their harvest in restaurants, grocery stores, and markets.

The “Brewery” side of the event will have refreshments and libations from Phillips Brewing Company, Vancouver Urban Winery, and Left Field Cider. Homemade sodas and traditional iced teas will also be served.

Brewery and the Beast will be take place on Sunday, June 16, 2013 from 1:00pm until 4:00pm at Concord Pacific lot at 88 Pacific Boulevard. Tickets are on sale now for $79 (plus tax) and your admission includes live music from The Electric Timber Company, beverages tastings, and all of the sweet, savoury, and smoky goodness that is being served up.

Follow Brewery and the Beast on Twitter and Facebook for more information. If you can’t get enough, check out their event in Victoria this September. This is a 19+ event and it will take place rain or shine. Please enjoy responsibly and plan a safe ride home.

It’s pretty easy to be a photographer in Vancouver when every single sunny day provides so many opportunities to just go crazy capturing the beautiful moments around you. Whether it’s an urban street scene or a lush green park setting, the city sparkles in the sunlight. And while it’s easy to snap a photo, it takes talent to capture moments, emotions, and scenes that just make you sigh and whisper to yourself, “I live here“. Thanks to the talented photographers who have contributed their work to the Miss604 Flickr Pool, I have put together this week‘s collection of Vancouver photos:

Photo credit: ~x~NJ~x~ on Flickr

Photo credit: ~x~NJ~x~ on Flickr

Photo credit: Kevin Krebs & Ruth and Dave on Flickr

Photo credit: Kevin Krebs & Kevin Krebs on Flickr

Photo credit: Kevin Krebs on Flickr

Photo credit: & Ruth and Dave & -CPISH- on Flickr

Photo credit: Kevin Krebs on Flickr

Photo credit: Kevin Krebs on Flickr

Photo credit: Zorro1968 & Ruth and Dave on Flickr

Photo credit: Eugene’s Likeness & DJ Greer on Flickr

Photo credit: SeanBirch & Ruth and Dave on Flickr

Photo credit: Wynonna on Flickr

Photo credit: Clayton Perry Photoworks on Flickr

Photo credit: Zorro1968 on Flickr

Photo credit: Zorro1968 on Flickr

Photo credit: entheos_fog & kenmcall on Flickr

Photo credit: vladimirmegan on Flickr

As always, please click through on these images to view more work from the photographers and feel free to share your own photos with the Miss604 Flickr Pool. View all photo collections here.