Is Sir John A. Macdonald a hero or a villain? Should his statues be toppled and his name removed from schools? Or should we make his birthday a national holiday – and celebrate it with bare knees and ice?
Read MoreIn its snapshot biography of the Canadian writer, the website outlines how Munro went through a tough literary apprenticeship when she began her studies at the University of Western Ontario in 1949. "Throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s there was a feeling that Canadian writers, especially female Canadian writers, were unwelcome intruders into the world of literature. This meant that for much of her early career, Munro struggled to find critical acceptance."
Read MoreScots can be a clannish lot, taking care of our own affairs and letting others tend to theirs. But when we do get together to share ideas and compare challenges, the results can be invigorating. The Scottish North American Leadership Conference (SNALC) has been held in Chicago, Detroit, New York and Edinburgh. On August 10-11, 2017, in honour of Canada's 150th birthday, the 16th annual was held in Canada for the first time at the University of Guelph.
Read MoreBut the principle focus of the Glengarry Highland Games is not reenactment but performance: both in music and in sport. More than 200 dancers attend, but the Glengarry event is especially renowned for its pipers. The Glengarry games are the home of the North American Pipe Band Championship. Pipers and drummers come from as far away as Austin, Texas, and San Diego, California, and as close by as Maxville, assemble on the field for the opening ceremonies.
Read MoreThe middle of summer may seem a strange time to be thinking about skating, bare knees, and ice. But the plans are under way to organize the Fourth Annual Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate.
In fact, there's a flurry of activity as we prepare for upcoming Scottish events where we'll raise the hockey stick saltire.
Read MoreThere's one way that Red Bull Crashed Ice could be made even more exciting, of course. Next time, maybe we'll see them race in kilts!
Read MoreBut before we say goodbye to the skating season on the Rideau Canal Skateway, I want to give a big thank you to the NCC crews who worked through the night to groom the ice and get it ready for skaters the next day.
Read MoreThe National Capital region's annual winter festival began the first weekend of February, and stretched on for three weeks. It's been a great time -- big crowds, fun events. I wish I had taken in some of the concerts and viewed the ice sculptures and seen yesterday's dragonboat races on ice! What I did get to see was Hockey Day in Canada, in which over 150 games of shinny were placed on the canal between 8 and 9 a.m. yesterday.
Read Morehere's much that can be managed and controlled in hosting a kilt skate -- cake, hot chocolate, entertainment, swag. What lies beyond our control, of course, is the weather. As Rabbie Burns might have said, "The best-laid plans of mice and kilt skater gang aft agley."
Read MoreThe kilt skate gods blessed Calgary with above-zero temperatures on Sunday -- but not so warm that the refrigerators coils could keep a hard ice surface at Calgary Olympic Plaza.
Read MoreCalgary's third annual kilt skate will be held this Sunday, February 12 at the Olympic Plaza from noon until 4 p.m.. Calgarians seem determined to wrest from Saskatoon the title of Kilt Skate Capital of Canada.
Read MoreStatistically, the bridge between January and February is the coldest week of the year, but when unseasonably warm temperatures closed the Rideau Canal Skateway, the Scottish Society of Ottawa moved Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate to Lansdowne Park Skating Court. If you pipe it, they will come! And we had three pipers -- all on skates.
Read MoreLast year, Saskatoon was declared "Kilt Skate Capital of Canada." For the Third Annual Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate -- and the celebration of Canada150 -- the Saskatoon Highland Dancing Association redoubled its efforts and drew over a hundred kilted skaters among the 300 who gathered at Cameco Meesawin Skating Rink on a Saturday afternoon perfect for skating.
Read MoreWhen it comes to organizing outdoor kilt skates, Mother Nature always has the last word. And so, with last week's warm spell continuing into the weekend across Eastern Canada, the Third Annual Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate had to be moved off the Rideau Canal. We're moving it to the Lansdowne Park Skating Court, where we held it last year. It's a great place for a kilt skate: refrigeration coils to keep the ice from melting; Zamboni service to keep the ice smooth; changing rooms to keep skaters warm; electrical outlets to keep our costs down.
Read Morealk about making a big entrance in the big smoke! Toronto's first-ever Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate took over one of Canada's most famous skating rinks at Nathan Phillips Square. It was an unseasonably warm afternoon. The refrigeration coils and the Zamboni maintained an ice surface that was fine for skating.
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The morning of Saturday, January 14 dawned windy and cold. Certainly cold enough to put colour to the cheeks -- both upper and nether. Nevertheless, some hundred people braved the winter weather to launch the 2017 kilt skate season at Montreal's Old Port for the Third Annual Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate in that city.
Read MoreWith the temperatures in the previous week in the minus-42 range, Kendra Jones McGrath wasn't sure how many people to expect for the Lloydminster's inaugural kilt skate. The great thing about Canadians, though, is we tend to be infinitely adaptable to the vagaries of winter. After a cold spell of 42 below zero, when the temperatures rise on the weekend to a balmy minus-11, well the weather seems almost tropical.
Read MoreAnother city has stepped forward to host Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate, bringing the total across Canada to seven -- the highest number yet seen in a growing winter tradition. Lloydminster is a city of 30,000 that straddles the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. The kilt skate will be held at Bud Miller All-Seasons Park. "The City of Lloydminster clears the ice on the lake for outdoor skating," says Kendra Jones McGrath, who owns and operates the Jones Studio of Pilates and Highland Dance. "There is also an indoor spot with a fireplace to warm up."
Read More“More than five million Canadians trace their ancestry to Scotland,” says Chris Maskell, Scottish Government representative. “We’re incredibly proud of that Scottish heritage, and we want to celebrate the enormous contribution that Scots and those of Scottish descent have made here in Canada – perhaps none more so than Sir John A. Macdonald.” The Scottish Government is keen to help the Scottish Canadian community maintain their connections to Scotland. “This year marks the 150th birthday of Canada, but it is also Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology,” says Maskell. “There’s never been a better time to come and visit Scotland.”
Read MoreThe Scottish Society of Ottawa has been throwing a hogmanay party for five straight years now. For the third year, it was held at the Aberdeen Pavilion in Lansdowne Park. Each time it gets bigger and better. With this year's "Hogman-eh!" coinciding with big celebrations on Parliament Hill to launch Canada's 150th birthday party, the organizers wondered if the public would come out in big numbers. They soldiered on with the set up at the Aberdeen pavilion. The banners...The stage...And a team led by Jenny Bruce, who is travelling the world displaying "The Scottish Diaspora Tapestry."
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across canada, communities host kilt skates to celebrate scotland’s contribution to our multicultural fabric.
