Marwa and Wissam, a love story

2014 Write a Story contest winners Story by Marwa O’da Burnaby, BC This story is by one of our four winners. Click the link to read the story.

Get to know BC: rain

Did you know? The Canadian record for the most rain on a single day was set on October 6, 1967: 489 millimetres fell in Ucluelet, BC that day! In BC, we love to talk about the weather, especially about the rain. Each region in BC has its own climate patterns. So many rainy days can…

Get to know BC: islands

“Get to know BC” is a new occasional feature with fun facts about the province. Did you know BC has about 40,000 islands? There are islands of many different sizes. The largest is Vancouver Island. Some are mid-sized islands, like Salt Spring Island. Ivory Island and Entrance Island are very small islands. Some islands are for sale….

On This Day: Terry Fox received the Order of Canada

Terry Fox is a Canadian hero. He ran the Marathon of Hope. Terry inspired many people. On September 19, 1980, he was honoured. He received the Companion of the Order of Canada. This is the most important award in Canada. Terry Fox was the youngest person to get this award. Watch the news video of…

Get to know BC: the World’s Largest Paddle

“Get to know BC” is a new occasional feature with fun facts about the province. The small town of Golden, BC is home to the world’s largest hand paddle/oar. The Guinness Book of World Records listed the entry earlier this year. This paddle is 13 times larger than an actual oar. It is over 2.8 metres (9…

Summer stories: Participation for wellness

2014 Write a Story contest honourable mention Story by Thompson River University Life Skills Reading Class Kamloops, BC: Kenzi Ceccon, Cody Chase, Dean Cummings, Kayla Finney, Cody Harmon, Brad Harrison, Adam Kenoras, Clayton Ralph, Alona Shoemaker This story is by one of our honourable mentions. Click the link to read this story.

Beaver tails

I Speak Canadian is a new occasional feature. We will introduce words and phrases often used by Canadians. A beaver tail is the name of a Canadian pastry. It was first introduced in Ottawa. It is a flat, flaky, fried pastry. The dough is stretched into the shape of a beaver tail. Then, it is…

Osgemeos paint a monster mural in Vancouver

Did you know? “Monster” has several meanings, including: a) something large; b) a strange animal Vancouver is going to have new public art soon. Osgemeos is an artist duo from Brazil. Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo are twins. Together they paint giant murals and public art. They are going to paint six concrete silos on Granville Island. It…

Summer stories: My first car

2014 Write a Story contest honourable mention Story by Nageb Sulaiman Surrey, BC This story is by one of our honourable mentions. Click the link to read this story.

Lucy the emu is found

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun and Wikipedia by Patty Bossort Level 1 Lucy is an emu. An emu is a large bird. Emus do not fly. Lucy lives on a farm near Cassidy, BC. Lucy ran away from home. Lucy was gone several days. She walked about 20 km to Nanaimo. Searchers found Lucy at Vancouver…

Summer stories: Arriving in Vancouver

2014 Write a Story contest honourable mention Story by Sonia Wang Vancouver, BC This story is by one of our honourable mentions. Click the link to read this story.

Chris Hadfield is a Canadian astronaut

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Patty Bossort. Level 2 Chris Hadfield is an astronaut. He is the first Canadian to walk in space. He flew into space three times. He commanded the International Space Station for five months. He orbited the earth 16 times every day. He watched the earth during the day and at night….

Summer stories: My favourite memory

2014 Write a Story contest honourable mention Story by Harlei Kelliher Osoyoos, BC This story is by one of our honourable mentions. Click the link to read this story.

On This Day: A world record flight

On August 7, 1982, two pilots from Canada made a world record flight. They flew around the world in six days and 7½ hours in a single-engine plane. They flew 36,500 kilometres in a Cessna 210. Don Muir was 26 years old. He was a bush pilot from Sioux Lookout, Ontario. André Daemen was 22 years….

Nora the piano cat

Nora is a smart cat. She plays the piano! She is very popular on the Internet and has her own website. You can watch Nora playing the piano here. Visit Nora’s website, Nora the Piano Cat. Do you have a talented pet? (Source: norathepianocat.com)

Ride for a good life

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Patty Bossort. Level 2 Bicycling is good for your health. It is good for the economy. It is good for the environment. Six good reasons to bicycle: It is good exercise. A fit body is a healthy body. Children learn better after a walk or bike ride to school. A…

Survivors Totem Pole

Skundaal is a carver. She is Haida and Coast Salish. She is carving a special totem pole. The log is 980 years old. It will honour survivors from the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. A survivor is someone who has had a difficult life but has remained strong. The totem pole will be raised in Fall 2014. There…

Bike polo is a wild ride

Adapted from The Vancouver Sun by Patty Bossort  Level 2 What is bike polo? Bike polo is played by six people on bicycles. They chase a hard orange ball. They hit the ball with mallets. Players cover the wheels. This keeps the ball out of the spokes. The sport is getting more popular. Everyone is welcome to…

You can text 911 for help

Adapted from The Province by Patty Bossort Level 3 Are you deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech impaired? Now you can text for help. The new service is called T911. You can text police, ambulance and fire emergency services for help. The service is available in: •  Southwestern BC •  Metro Vancouver •  Squamish •  Whistler •  Pemberton •…

Summer stories: The nature of wilderness

2014 Write a Story contest honourable mention Story by Rick Edmonds Prince George, BC This story is by one of our honourable mentions. Click the link to read this story.

Immigration problem worries Maria

Submitted by Nate Prosser, Legal Aid BC Level 3 Maria is a refugee from Mexico. Maria is scared. She thinks she might have to leave Canada. In 2005, Maria came to Vancouver from Mexico with her two kids. She claimed refugee status. Maria and her children stayed in Canada as refugees. They became permanent residents….

National Aboriginal Day – June 21

Adapted from Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada website Level 3 On June 21, we take time to learn more about aboriginal culture and history. National Aboriginal Day is for all Canadians. Share in the celebration! Take the National Aboriginal Day quiz here! For more information, visit the Indian and Northern Affairs Canada website. Look…

A big hug

2014 Write a Story contest winners Story by Stella Kong Vancouver, BC This story is by one of our four winners. Click the link to read the story.

A childhood phase

2014 Write a Story contest winners Story by Bobbi Earl Summerland, BC This story is by one of our four winners. Click the link to read the story.

The real me

2014 Write a Story contest winners Story by Alberto Holz Osoyoos, BC This story is by one of our four winners. Click the link to read this story.

Safe outdoor ice-skating in BC

Outdoor ice-skating is healthy and fun! It is important to skate only where it is safe. Vancouver Parks Board is warning the public to stay off frozen lakes and ponds. The ice is not thick enough. Here are some links to safe outdoor ice-skating areas. You can add your favourite place to skate in the…