British Columbia Canada Blog

With the 2010 Winter Olympics taking place in British Columbia in a few months, Amtrak was asked to consider how best to ensure adequate service to and from Vancouver during the event. The study suggests having trains depart the Canadian city later in the evening to allow Washington State residents to attend more events during the day, but it does not propose the addition of any new midday trains, at least in the short term.

One major impediment to expansion of rail service is the required customs and immigration procedures at the U.S.-Canada border, which requires trains to wait at least 15 minutes. The facility can only handle one train at a time; more trains would increase the likelihood of route overlapping and additional delays. As a result, Amtrak proposes that Congress pays for $500,000 in upgrades at the Vancouver station to allow pre-clearance inspections of U.S.-bound passengers there. This would eliminate the mid-journey delay and reduce journey times.

(Source: The Transport Politic)

New ski season is almost here which means we know you are considering buying new ski and snowboarding equipment. Well, Ski & Sport Swap might be able to help. Whether you need some new gear or just want to get rid of those old skis and boots or any other sports gear taking up room in your garage, Big White ski swap can help? The Big White Racers are hosting their Annual Ski and Sport Swap on November 6th and 7th at New Life Church on Harvey. Check out the schedule below:

Nov.6th 2009: Consignments 10:00 am to 8:00 pm

Nov.7th 2009: Sale 8:00 am to 3:00 pm

Nov.7th 2009: Pay out and pick up 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Wishing you happy skiing.

To plan your this year’s Ski trip, visit: BC Travel Guide

Halloween is almost here and BC residents have started putting up Halloween decorations, finalizing their Halloween costumes and buying tickets for hottest Halloween events in their respective towns. This year Halloween is on Saturday so you will have the whole day to indulge in Halloween festivities and we at BC Travel Guide suggest visiting the following Halloween attractions in Vancouver and surrounding areas:

1. Stanley Park Ghost Train in Vancouver:

Oct. 16 - Oct 31
5:00pm-9:00pm
Cost: Adults $10 / Seniors & Children $6.00

Family adventures at this year’s Halloween special Ghost Train, in addition to the train ride, will include face painting, a shadow puppet theatre, and the always-popular Children’s Haunted Farmyard and its spooky animals. To add to your Halloween experience, Thursday through Saturday nights, you can take part in Creatures of the Night Walks hosted by the Stanley Park Ecology Society .

Get tickets by phone: 604-280-4444 or online at Ticket Master.ca
Same Day Tickets available will be available at the ticket booth.

2. Potter’s House of Horrors: Get ready to experience spooky at Potter’s house of Horrors 2009 from October 16th - 31st 2009 , 6:00 pm  to 10:00 nightly*
*The first hour of the show will be static display “no actors, lower volume sounds” to accommodate the younger family members and squeamish adults. From 7pm to 10pm , all hell breaks loose and everyone is fair game.

Place:
12530 72nd Ave
Surrey BC

For more information, contact:
Phone: 604-572-7706
Fax: 604-572-7708

The tickets are priced at $13/person and $10 for kids 12 and under. Family Hour will be from 6 to 7 PM*- $10* Valid for admission from 6:00 PM - 6:45 PM daily. Family Hour tickets are only valid on the day they are issued.

3. Haunted Village at Burnaby Village museum (located on 101 - 4946 Canada Way, Burnaby, British Columbia) will be held on Oct. 28, 29 & 30th from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.

Cost: Adults $15 / Children (aged 2-12) $10.Entrance includes unlimited carousel rides and for the children, treat or tricking.

The features of this Halloween event include:  circus characters, ghosts, witches, stilt walkers and goblins lurking in the village streets, Trick-or-treat at the houses of the ghoulish village folk (for children only), Hear the devil’s blacksmith at the anvil, marvel at the fire show etc.

4. At Capilano Suspension Bridge  (735 Capilano Road, North Vancouver, Phone: 604-985-7474) guests can enjoy a grand Jack-o-lantern display, along with fortune telling, temporary tattoos, kids crafts, musical entertainment and trick-or-treating (only if you show up in your costume) on October 31st 2009.

5. Haunted Forest Scream Train in Surrey, BC. You can also experience Halloween at Bear Creek Park Train which will run from Oct 16 - 31 - 2009 starting 6:30 PM to 10 PM. This is a SCARY ride designed to have guests screaming, jumping, laughing and having a great time with friends during this Halloween.

Night time Ticket Prices:
Kids (12 and under) $5.00
Adults $7.50

6. Haunted Vancouver Trolley Tours have been scrapped this year . After 16 years, Museum of Vancouver has concluded their fall “Haunted Vancouver” trolley tours (which included Ghost sightings, unsolved murders, simulated autopsies.)

The good news is that Museum of Vancouver is going darker this year. In the spirit of Ravishing Spirits (soon-to-open feature exhibit), MOV is hosting a Halloween-inspired event on the evening of October 30. It will involve music and a cash bar, guided tours of the exhibit, and a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic Psycho, the film that left an indelible mark on the practice of taxidermy (and is, by far, creepier than all of its sequels and remakes combined).

7.Dunabar Hanted House (located on 6478 Dunbar Street, Vancouver (between 48th and 49th) The entrance to the Dunbar Haunted House is free but donations are accepted for BC Professional Fire Firefighters’ Burn Fund, Vancouver Police Union Charitable Foundation and Empty Stocking Fund.

If you want to bring young children or are easily scared, come visit during the day from 1:00 – 6:30pm. If you want the full-fright experience, come after 6:30. The last week at Dunabar Haunted House is extremely busy with line-ups that can take up to 1 hour.

8. Reapers Haunted attraction and The Maze of Terror (located on Gibson Rd. in Chilliwack B.C) The Morans are the brains behind the Reapers Haunted Attraction which initially started to keep their own and neighborhood children involved in a constructive activity. Now there is a whole crew of Halloween enthusiast’s that come out and volunteer their time and help to build on this event and the Moran’s are overwhelmed with their commitment and they make this event what it is.

So if you are looking for a real scare and have the guts, visit Reapers Haunted Attraction. Reapers is not recommended for children under 8 years of age at night, but see special daytime Boo tours for kids.

Reapers: $9/person , Maze $8/person or $15 for both the Reapers House and the Haunted Maze.
Friday - Saturday 7pm to 10pm and on Sunday from 7pm to 9 pm
Starting: October 21st it will run nightly from 7pm to 9pm.

Visit, one of the above mentioned Halloween attractions and make this Halloween a great experience for yourself and your family.

Related Posts:

The Best Halloween Parties, Vancouver

( Image Courtesy: Vancouver.ca)

This November, BC residents and visitors will be able to enjoy abundance of food and wine in Whistler during their food and wine event called Cornucopia. The celebration of food and wine in Whistler will take place from November 12-15, 2009. The tickets for various events during Cornucopia start from $40/person

If you love food and wine then don’t miss this unique opportunity to mingle, mix and learn from acclaimed chefs, sommeliers, vintners and restaurateurs’ visiting Whistler or Whistler locals. The variety of events during Cornucopia include, hands-on seminars, fascinating winemaker dinners, gala tasting events and sizzling after-parties.

Cornucopia’s Crush Gala Grand Tasting, a festival highlight, will be presented on Friday, November 13th as an exclusive Premiere event, and on Saturday, November 14th to accommodate the high demand for tickets to the event.

Plan your Whistler trip today with BC Travel Guide

If you are travelling to Vancouver around Halloween which is being celebrated this year on October 31st then do participate in Halloween festivities and experience the colorful culture of Vancouver.

Check out the guide to Halloween events in Vancouver below to finalize your plans:

1. Return Of The Living Dead Halloween Costume Party: Gossip Nightclub in Vancouver, BC (located on 750 Pacific Blvd, Downtown Vancouver) will host Halloween Costume Party on October 31st starting 9.00 pm until 2.00 am. You can buy tickets at clubzone for $20/person.

Return Of The Living Dead series has been Vancouver’s biggest & Scariest costume party for the past 4 years. Over 1,000 party people will be in full effect as cash and prizes (including giveaways from LRG) are up for grabs for best (funniest, scariest, creative etc. costumes. Costumes are a must! Also see Gossip transformed with $5,000 in haunted décor to keep you in the spirit.

 2. Dooms Night 2009: Dooms Night 2009 will be celebrated at Pacific Coliseum (located on 100 North Renfrew, Vancouver, B.C) on October 31st starting 10.00 pm. The tickets for Dooms Night Halloween event are priced at $75/person and can be bought at clubvibes.ca or TicketMaster 

 The event has been known annually as Western Canada’s biggest all-night massive. Solid Entertainment will be transforming the coliseum into an uncanny circus carnival. As well as frightening acrobats will be performing in the air with dead corpse, ghouls & ghost dangling above you. The event will be featuring some of the worlds finest DJs and artists with a cast of your favorite Vancouver locals. You will not want to miss out as an expected attendance of 4500+ party goers in costume dance from dusk to dawn. 

3. Halloween Howler Club Crawl 2009: Enjoy a freaky Vancouver bus tour this Halloween 2009 being celebrated on Friday, October 30th 2009 starting 6.00 pm to 2.00 am at The Blarney Stone, Vancouver (located 216 Carrall Street, Vancouver Gastown) Imagine party bus transportation between four of the hottest downtown clubs. The clubs and dance floors will be packed, and bus captains will be stationed on every party bus to keep the party rockin’ between clubs. The tickets are priced at $31.60/person and can be bought at the Club Zone.

For planning your Vancouver trip, visit: BC Travel Guide

 One trip through British Columbia and you will realize that BC is home to some of world’s best orchards and vineyards and Canadian government has always extended their support in promoting BC’s Orchards and Vineyards. Recently, Minister of Agriculture and Lands Steve Thomson and Member of Parliament Ron Cannan (Kelowna – Lake Country), presented a cheque to the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association for $591,426 as part of the Orchards and Vineyards Transition program.

In 2007, the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia entered into a Contribution Agreement for the Orchards and Vineyards Transition Program to help the tree fruit and grape industries adapt to industry pressures and changing markets. The federal government contributed $4.98 million towards strategic plans and removal costs and the province provided $3 million through a grant to the Investment Agriculture Foundation for an orchard replant program. The term of the agreement is for four years starting in fiscal 2007-08 to 2010-11.

With support from the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Association initiated a long-term strategic planning process in 2006. The industry strategy has resulted in packinghouse restructuring, better quality control of packed product, new labour initiatives, industry participation in the school fruit and vegetable nutritional program and Eat and Drink B.C., expanded promotion of ambrosia apples in U.S. markets, continuing replant efforts, the launching of new cherry and apple varieties and the creation of an industry innovation fund.

Visit BC’s orchards and vineyards and we are sure you’ll be impressed. Plan your next BC trip with BC Travel Guide

Whenever I book my ski trip, my focus is on least amount of travel time (who likes getting stuck on icy roads in winter or wait for connecting flights) and maximum time on the slopes. I am sure there are a lots of BC tourists out there who think and plan the same way. I have some good news for such BC Travellers planning their BC ski trips.

Delta Airlines will again this ski season (2009-2010) offer non-stop flights from selected US cities ( like Salt Lake City, Utah) to the Kootenay Rockies Region of British Columbia. 

For instance the short, two hour flight from Salt Lake City to Cranbrook (starting Dec, 19th) will provide easy access to a pair of southeastern B.C. ski and snowboard resorts, and will be available weekly on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays through Mar. 28, 2010.

(Information below courtesy: Delta Airlines)

How it Works (The Rules)
Origins and Destinations	Between Cranbrook (Canadian Rockies Intl.), BC and select U.S. cities
Purchase by	March 13, 2009
Advance Purchase and Minimum Stay	14 days; none
Other Rules	Tickets may be purchased at delta.com.

A few days ago Molly Mcnulty (a reporter for Terrace standard) informed readers that Terrace will now be joining Catskiing program. Isn’t that a great news for ski lovers? 

According to HeliCat Canada 95 per cent of the world’s heli-skiing and snowcat operations run out of B.C. due to its deep snow pack and abundant snow falls. No doubt, BC tour operators and other winter based BC tourism businesses are super busy. (If you are a BC Tourism business, then connect with us at BC Travel Guide)  

Key points from her article that British Columbia tours would like to share with its readers are:

- Skiiers will be able to enjoy Catskiing in the Terrace area starting 2011. (We are not there yet!) 

- Northern Escape Heli-skiing is expanding its business to incorporate catskiing into the mix, which will give skiers and boarders the opportunity to hit backcountry slopes even if the weather is clouded over.

-Northern Escape plans on utilizing the mountain directly to the west of Kalum River Lake.

- Runs will be offered from 1,500 to 3,500 feet with about eight to 10 runs a day for an average of 16,000 vertical feet.

-Passengers will have a relaxed, comfortable and social ride up the mountain in the snowcat which will last roughly 10 to 15 minutes.

Plan your BC ski trip today with BC Travel Guide

Related Posts:

Big White Ski resort 

Top 5 ski resorts in British Columbia

Other Useful Links:

Ski British Columbia

BC Skiing- Snowboarding

Canadian Cold Water Classic Surfing Competition popularly referred to as Tofino Classic is on its way and will be held in Tofino (The Surfing capital of Canada), British Columbia this October from October 25th to 31st. Yes, right until Halloween!

Tofino classic is being organized by Tourism Tofino and O’Neill and will be Canada’s first-ever professional surfing competition. Isn’t it exciting?  The Cold Water Classic Canada,  will bring more than 100 professional surfers to Tofino, tourists and of course media (like BC Travel Guide.)

The Cold Water Classic Tofino is the fourth installment of the five-part World Qualifying Series (WQS) competitions sponsored by O’Neill and sanctioned by the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP).

The event is expected to attract more than 100 professional surfers competing for $145,000 U.S. Previous 2009 O’Neill Cold Water Classic competitions were held in Tasmania, Scotland and South Africa. The series culminates in November 2009 in Santa Cruz, California.

If you love surfing or enjoy the sport then Tofino,British Columbia is the place where you should be from Oct 25th Oct 31st.

Read other relates stories here:

Surfers battle it out in Tofino Classic

Details of Tofino Classic unveiled

Cohen named Ambassador of Cold Water Classic Tofino

Other Related Links:

Tofino lodging and Activities

Vancouver Island: Resorts and Lodges

Wishing all our readers a very happy Thanksgiving 2009. This year (2009) Thanksgiving will be celebrated on October 12th. Hopefully the following links will answer all your Thanksgiving questions and help you plan a perfect Thanksgiving holiday this year:

1. BC Thanksgiving

2. All about Thanksgiving

3. BC Cranberry Festival during Thanksgiving

4. Traditions Behind Thanksgiving

5. Canadian Thanksgiving - How it Began

6. Planning a Thanksgiving Party

7. Thanksgiving Around The World

8. Thanksgiving Recipes - The Food Network

9. Canadian Living Thanksgiving Recipes

10. Thanksgiving Party Planner

Most resorts get pretty full during Thanksgiving weekend so if you are planning to travel with your family during this Thanksgiving long weekend then do make your travel arrangements beforehand.

Visit BC Travel Guide to plan your perfect BC Thanksgiving getaway.