The Canadian Red Cross is urging everyone to be safe in and around water this summer as we take to ocean beaches, lakes, and pools. Only 46% of children in Canada know how to swim but a great way to learn the basics is by getting involved in a Red Cross Swim program at a local pool.
For the last 60 years the Canadian Red Cross has developed a learn-to-swim program and the Vancouver Park Board has announced that they will be offering Red Cross Parent and Tot, and Preschool Swim Programs at community pools.
The Parent and Tot program is for children 4 to 36 months old and includes an introductory lessons for babies such as holding their heads up and orientation — experiencing buoyancy, water play, songs, and more. Toddler programs help build confidence in the water through games and water play and eventually teach swimming, glides, safe water entry, and floating.
The Preschool program is for children 3 to 5 years old and it picks up where toddlers left off, learning glides, floating and more. Instructors will help children learn strokes and skills, floats in deep water, and good judgement on and around the water. Older children will learn dolphin kicks, endurance, front and back swims. The final program in this age group will also include learning about throwing assists to help another person in the water.
The Vancouver Park Board also offers swim programs for ages 5 to 12, and adult swim levels. These programs are offered at various community pools around the city and listings, registration information, and class times can all be found online.
Indoor Pools
Aquatic Centre at Hillcrest Park, Britannia Pool, Kensington Pool, Kerrisdale Pool, Killarney Pool, Lord Byng Pool, Renfrew Pool, Templeton Pool, Vancouver Aquatic Centre.
Outdoor Pools
Kitsilano Pool, Maple Grove Pool, New Brighton Pool, Second Beach Pool.
Follow @RedCrossCanada on Twitter for more information about water safety this season and @ParkBoard for local park and pool updates.
The Honda Celebration of Light will sparkle above the water on English Bay this summer with dazzling displays from Vietnam (July 28th), Brazil (August 1st), and Italy (August 4th).
Photo credit:
PiscesDreamer – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool.
While everyone has their favourite place to camp out and watch the night time display in the sky, some of the best seats around will be in the YVR Observation Deck bleachers and The Keg Lounge.
YVR Observation Deck Bleacher seats will be located in English Bay and can be booked for $49 (before July 1) and $59 (after July 1).
Keg Lounge This VIP area will feature food and seats on top of the English Bay Bathhouse. Music for each performance will be broadcast in this area thanks to Shore 104FM. Tickets are $215 for this area.
ShoreFest will return with free concerts and the RedBull air show will take to the skies before dusk each night. Sunset Beach will also offer a host of family activities.
Net proceeds from the sale of these tickets go directly to the Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society. Find the Honda Celebration of Light on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
Five Hole For Food is a cross-country journey with stops in major cities to play road hockey and raise funds for local food banks. Now into its 3rd year, the schedule for this summer’s tour has just been released:
St. John’s July 3rd, Halifax July 5th, Charlottetown July 6th, Saint John July 7th, Montreal July 9th, Ottawa July 10th, Toronto July 12th, Winnipeg July 14th, Regina July 15th, Calgary July 17th, Edmonton July 18th, Victoria July 20th, Vancouver July 21st.
Food banks in each of these cities will benefit from the Five Hole For Food road hockey tournament when it rolls into town.
I spoke with founder Richard Loat when he was on the road last year. “It’s been tremendous,” Richard said from the car. “We set out to raise 20,000lbs of food and to surpass that goal by the time we hit Regina was just an indicator about how much this country loves hockey and loves giving back. The fact that we’re able to combine the two so successfully speaks for itself.”
Since its inception Five Hole For Food has raised over 65,000 pounds of food across the country.
If you would like to get involved you can help spread the word, share news and information on Twitter or Facebook, or sign up to play hockey in your city. Team registration is open and all skill levels are welcome to come out and play.
This past weekend my mother, sister, niece and I took the quick trip to Victoria for our annual Girls Getaway. Since 2002, we have taken a weekend to visit Victoria, see the sights, and have a special dinner in honor of my mother’s birthday. Eight times out of ten, we booked our stay at the Delta Ocean Pointe Resort & Spa because of its location, spa, amenities, restaurant, and service.
This year we learned that the hotel had undergone renovations, updatings its decor and technology offerings in the rooms. As someone who travels a lot for business purposes, things like accesible power outlets, WIFI, dock chargers for iPhone and such are almost a must. The Delta has taken this concept a step further and added a new “SmartDesk” to their rooms.
The SmartDesk is a multi-purpose station located in the new desks that have HDMI hookups, wired internet (although fast, free WIFI is available), and other connectors that allow you to use the room’s large flat-screen television as a monitor or speaker.
We hooked up my mother’s laptop with an HDMI cable, turned on the TV, went up a channel, and the display synced up seamlessly. From there we watched a movie from her computer, on the room’s HD screen — it was great.
Little touches in the rooms were also noticed such as the auto-night light in the washroom that turned on a soft motion-sensor light when you entered in the dark, two shower heads including a rain shower, turndown service with water and chocolates, and the new ModeRoom decor with a luggage stand built-in was very handy.
The Delta Ocean Pointe is within walking distance of downtown Victoria (just hop across the Johnson Street Bridge), and there’s a water taxi dock right outside as well. After dinner one night we all hopped in the water taxi for a Victoria harbour tour, just steps away from the lobby.
Photo courtesy of Delta Hotels Ltd.
Delta has refreshed the Ocean Pointe to celebrate its 20th anniversary, investing $14 million into the redesign and technology upgrades for all 240 rooms. The new rooms are classified as Mode, ModeDeluxe, ModeClub and ModeSuites, with renovations overseen by the design firm HOK and completed by local contractors CT1 Construction.
To take the celebration a step further, they have offered up prize for one of my readers that includes 2 nights at the Delta Ocean Pointe Resort & Spa in Victoria in one of their newly-renovated ModeRooms. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post naming your favourite Victoria attraction (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries next Tuesday, June 12, 2012 at 12:00pm. Prize does not include transportation to and from the Island. Subject to availability, must be used by June, 2013. Follow Delta Hotels on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
Update The winner is @_EricaDawn!
Car Free Day Vancouver includes two days of block parties this year on Saturday, June 16th and Sunday, June 17th (Father’s Day). City blocks will be roped off as merchants open their doors to pedestrian-only traffic and performers take to the streets.
Photo credit:
jmv on Flickr
There are four main celebration sites around Vancouver that will have free festivities:
Commercial Drive
When: Sunday from 12:00pm to 6:00pm, streets closed 10:00am to 8:00pm
Location: Venables to North Grandview Hwy/Central Valley Greenway Bike Lane
Features include: Roller disco, dance workshops, artisans, kid zone, vintage fashion show.
Main Street
When: Sunday from 12:00pm to 8:00pm, streets closed 10:00am to 10:00pm
Location: From 12th to 29th
Features include: Street hockey, SFU Philosophers’ Cafe, a pedal-powered DJ, BLIM Market, Tai Chi, knit it and living room, kids bike rodeo, music.
Kitsilano
When: Saturday and Sunday from 12:00pm to 6:00pm, streets closed 10:00am to 8:00pm
Location: See map below for block party locations
Features: Each block party will be different with activities that vary based on location.
Denman Street
When: Sunday from 12:00pm to 6:00pm, streets closed 10:00am to 8:00pm
Location: From Davie to Robson
Features include: Miss Teen Vancouver World 2012, Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver Historical Society, West End Seniors’ Network, PuddleCity Arts.
Many volunteers are still needed at each location. You can sign up online if you’re available throughout the weekend. Follow Car Free Day Vancouver on Facebook and Twitter for more information. When tweeting about a neighbourhood, use the tags #CFDrive #CFKits #CFMain #CFWest.
