From the sandy beaches and coastal forests of Tofino to the cascade at Takakkaw Falls, UNESCO World Heritage Sites to centuries-old fortifications and lighthouses, some Parks Canada Sites are set to re-open in June.
Emerald Lake, Yoho National Park
Parks Canada Sites Re-Open June 1, 2020
Starting June 1, 2020, some operations will gradually resume at certain Parks Canada places. You will soon be able to enjoy some trails, day use areas, green spaces, and some access for recreational boating.
All camping facilities remain closed until at least June 21st, while Parks Canada assesses whether and how these services might resume.
Opening dates, visitor access and services will vary across the country depending on the measures in place in each province and territory.
In Metro Vancouver
Starting June 8, 2020, Fort Langley National Historic Site will offer limited visitor access and basic services. Visitors will be able to access the following services and facilities:
Grounds of Fort Langley National Historic Site including inside the palisade walls, the orchard, and riverfront trails;
Public toilets located behind the café;
Parking lot and picnic tables.
Until June 8, these facilities remain closed and they ask that visitors respect these closures in order to allow staff to do the necessary work to prepare for opening.
Visiting Fort Langley National Historic Site will be different than it has been in the past. All historic buildings will be closed. There will be no costumed interpreters, group activities, public events or oTENTik stays at this time.
The current of suspension of visitor services at Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site as well as the temporary closure of visitor facilities, will remain in place until further notice. Interpretive programming, group programs and events at Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site are suspended until at least June 30, 2020.
Check the following listings for updates on a National Park or National Historic Site in your region:
Kicking Horse Pass National Historic Site of Canada Traversed by Palliser expedition, 1857-60; adopted by Canadian Pacific Railway as their new route through the Rockies, 1881 Yoho National Park, British Columbia
On June 17th it was announced that Parks Canada campgrounds will be open for booking starting June 22nd. In BC, those sites include: Kootenay National Park, Yoho National Park, Glacier National Park, Mount Revelstoke National Park, Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Read more info here.
The Britannia Mine Museum will once again be welcoming visitors to its historic educational tourist destination as it reopens to members and local Squamish residents on the weekend of May 30-31, and to the general public on Monday, June 1, 2020.
The Britannia Mine Museum Re-Opens
It’s one of my favourite local attractions because it is FULL of history (and there was a time when my whole family took a zodiac up Howe Sound to get there). The Britannia Mine Museum was established in 1974 as a non-profit organization to celebrate the contributions of mining and minerals to society, the history of the storied Britannia Beach community and the ideas and practices of environmental renewal and sustainability.
Boom!
Operating hours will be 9:00am to 5:00pm with limited guided tours and BOOM! showings in order to maintain proper physical distancing. There will be new COVID-19 safety measures and procedures in place, including enhanced staff training, opening with limited attendance and tour sizes, advanced ticketing and reservation required, accommodating appropriate physical distancing, and implementing site sanitation protocols.
The Museum is multi-award winning and highly regarded, consistently receiving 4.5 stars (out of a possible 5) on TripAdvisor. It provides visitors with a unique blend of experiences, serving as a tourist destination, an adventure attraction and an education venue that allows guests to leave with a better understanding of mining in BC: its past, present and future.
Visitors can enjoy fun, educational exhibits, attractions and crowd favourites, like:
BOOM! Mill Show: A live-action, multi-sensory special effects experience that brings the historic 20-storey Mill building back to life, transporting visitors back in time to the 1920s when the Mine was booming as the largest copper producer in the British Commonwealth.
Historic Mill Building: A National Historic Site and one of the last remaining gravity-fed concentrator mills in North America, the 20-storey Mill building has been the symbol of Britannia throughout the years. Restored in 2007, each of the 14,416 panes of glass was hand-puttied into the frames to maintain its heritage and the building can be seen from miles away on the Sea-to-Sky highway.
Underground Mine & Train Ride: A memorable underground train that takes visitors deep inside a mining tunnel where they will experience what life was like for miners in the 70 years Britannia existed as a mine.
Beaty-Lundin Visitor Centre: The central exhibit hall that houses several mining displays, a mineral gallery, theatre space, and gift shop.
Machine Shop – The 1908 Machine Shop is home to a number of historic machines and equipment donated by mining companies from across the country.
The Britannia Story Building – A fully restored heritage building that features the stories of the Britannia Beach community ranging from love letters and antiques to historic photos and videos of former Copper Queens, showcasing what life was like in the old mining town.
Gold Panning Area – A scenic boardwalk and cedar-post covered area where people can spend hours panning for gems and real gold.
Follow the Britannia Mine Museum on Facebook and Twitter for updates. The Museum is located right off the Sea to Sky Highway at 1 Forbes Way, Britannia Beach.
“It is something that we should get used to,” said Dr. Bonnie Henry on Thursday. BC’s provincial health officer has joined her federal counterparts in officially recommending the use of non-medical masks in certain situations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thanks to the efforts of local businesses, and many volunteers, there’s no shortage of options for your non-medical mask needs. I found a few ways you can protect your community while looking stylish and supporting a local cause. These non-medical coverings are a win-win-win! Here are just a few Vancouver face masks for a cause that you can order up today:
Vancouver Face Masks for a Cause
From:Vancouver Whitecaps FC Supporting:Vancouver Aquarium Mask Details: $17.99 – $19.99 + shipping. Available in three adult sizes and a kid size, featuring both logos, jellyfish, or kids design with Spike mascot. Campaign Details: Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Vancouver Aquarium have joined forces to sell high-performance athletic face masks, with all net proceeds to benefit the aquarium during this critical period. Ocean Wise Conservation Association, which operates the Vancouver Aquarium, issued a call for urgent support as the educational, environmental, and conservation institution is in danger of permanent closure after closing their doors to the public.
From:Grouse Mountain Supporting:Pacific Parklands Mask Details: $19.95 + shipping. Non-medical face masks include designs featuring the Grouse Mountain Skyride, the Grouse Grind®, Grizzly Bears: Grinder & Coola and the Grouse Mountain Logo Campaign Details: Pacific Parklands Foundation raises funds to protect and enhance Metro Vancouver regional parks for present and future generations and is the official non-profit partner of Metro Vancouver Regional Parks. Included in Metro Vancouver’s regional parks is Grouse Mountain Regional Park which encompasses one of the area’s most popular trail networks including the Grouse Grind and BCMC Trail.
From:NHL / Vancouver Canucks Supporting:Food Banks Canada Mask Details: $34.99 + shipping for a three-pack of face coverings featuring the Canucks logo. Campaign Details: The NHL will donate its royalties from the purchase by the vendor to Feeding America™ (for US sales) and Food Banks Canada (for Canadian sales). Food Banks Canada is a national charitable organization dedicated to helping Canadians living with food insecurity. They support a network of Provincial Associations, affiliate food banks, and food agencies that work at the community level to relieve hunger.
From: BC Cancer Foundation Supporting: BC Cancer Foundation Mask Details: $20 with a wide range of designs. The masks celebrate the resiliency and creativity of patients by proudly featuring their artwork. Comfortable and made from sustainable, anti-bacterial fabric. Campaign Details: Proceeds from every purchase directly benefit BC Cancer Foundation. Your purchase also directly supports local business and artisans.
From:NHL / Vancouver Canucks Supporting: National Hockey League Foundation Mask Details: $19.99 + shipping for a three-pack of washable spandex face coverings.
Standing together while apart, Patterson Brands launched the Team Bonnie Merch store a few months ago in honour of BC’s favourite Provincial Health Officer, Dr Bonnie Henry.
Team Bonnie Merch
Beautiful, soft, easy fitting M&O Knits crewneck tee in solid navy with full-colour “Bonnie” artwork printed front. 7.4 oz., 100% ringspun cotton, fine knit jersey, 30 singles; Reactive-dyed; Ribbed crew taped neck and shoulders; Double-needle sleeves and bottom hem. Three styles: Men’s/Unisex; Ladies; Youth.
Shop a selection of items including mugs, hashtag hats, t-shirts and pins.
“She is a symbol for calm and unity. Now, you can show unity too and have some fun with this Canadian designed, sourced and printed merch.” A portion of all revenues (approximately 25%) are going to worthy community organizations including Atira Women’s Resource Society and Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation. Earlier this month they already sent over a $500 donation to Atira!
Patterson Brands is known for “Elevating brands thru beautifully designed custom merch for agencies, event profs and Hollywood North.” Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more of their designs and products.
Enter to Win
I have a $75 credit I’d love to send over to a Miss604 reader/follower. Here’s how you can enter to win:
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win $75 in #TeamBonnie merch from @pattersonbrands http://ow.ly/5YLp30qJLdC” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
Shipping possible all across Canada in a 100% all-compostable mailer!
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Monday, June 1, 2020. UPDATE The winner is Cathy!
On Saturday, May 23rd over 600 bidders registered for the Fighting COVID Together online charity auction, raising $60,000 for six of British Columbia’s most well-respected philanthropic organizations.
Fighting COVID Together Online Gala Auction Raises $60,000 for BC Charities
“We are over the moon with these results and the profile this event gave to these most worthy organizations,” says co-organizer Tracey Wade.
Participating charities that had items up for bids, along with “Fund-a-Need” options were:
After their gala events were cancelled this spring due to COVID-19, these charities came together in this exciting, fun, and unprecedented live online charity auction event hosted by AbleAuctions.ca.
Co-organizer Howard Blank praised Jeremy Dodd and the wonderful team at Able Auctions for their assistance in making this event possible. “100% of all proceeds went directly back to the charitable organizations as Able Auctions donated everything for this event!”
The concept for Fighting COVID Together came about when Howard Blank, known for mixing his love for philanthropy and his skill for hosting and auctioneering, wanted to do something to help all the charities he cares so much about. He turned to his friends at Able Auctions and event expert Tracey Wade, Laura Ballance, and Miss604’s Rebecca Bollwitt — and Fighting COVID Together was created.
