travel

Nobody does winter better than Cross-country Canadians, so get outside and enjoy one of these snowy shindigs winter festivals by Doug Wallace

It’s safe to say that Canadians know how to do winter right because we’ve had so much practice. From skiing to snowmobiling, when life hands you winter, coast to coast, you simply make it entertaining.

WHISTLER, B.C. Whistler Pride & Ski Festival

In a nutshell: One of the biggest queer-focused ski weeks in the world welcomes international visitors to Whistler Blackcomb from Jan.26 to Feb. 2, 2020.

Highlights: This weeklong party includes superb skiing and snowboarding (of course), a charity ski race, a parade, a free daily après- ski festival, a couple of afternoon tea dances, a dining-out program, films, comedy and many, many parties.

Travel note: You don’t have to be gay to get in on this fun. Diversity is the name of the game here, and the festival’s terrific vibe hooks in people from all

walks of life. whistlerpride.com CRANE MIKE PHOTOS,

38 travel travellers’ checklist

Whether you are preparing for a adventure, a cross-border shopping weekend or a winter in the sunny south, careful planning is key to ensuring your trip is a success. There are many things you can do before you leave home to help prepare for worry-free travel. Here are some suggestions from the experts at Johnson Insurance:

£ Stop the newspapers and arrange mail SASKATOON pick up. Nutrien WinterShines £ Arrange snow shovelling or lawn mowing. £ Install timers to turn lights on and off at In a nutshell: Saskatchewan’s premier winter festival celebrates the specific times. season with outdoor fun and food from Jan. 25 to Feb. 2, 2020, at the £ Inform your credit card company of your Saskatoon Farmers’ Market and Market Square. travel dates and destination(s) so they will expect charges. Highlights: Enjoy sculpture exhibits, a snow maze, a 20-foot-high ice castle, snow and ice carving, skating, sleigh rides, bonfires, food £ Record phone numbers for reporting lost tastings, not one but two soup cook-offs, a dress-up cupcake show or stolen credit and debit cards. Keep them and more, indoors and out. Fest, with music and events inside a somewhere other than your purse or wallet. heated igloo, runs throughout the nine days. £ Set up an email account that you can use around the world. Travel note: The WinterShines app helps you keep track of the myriad £ Give someone a house key for events and programs. nutrienwintershines.ca emergency access. £ Give family your travel information (flight information, hotel location and phone number) in case of an emergency. £ Leave curtains and blinds in a normal position. £ Place a solid object in the track of patio doors and sliding windows to prevent them from opening. £ Unplug unnecessary appliances. £ Update luggage tags with your name, destination address and phone number (not the address of your vacant home). £ Keep medications (in their original containers) and your house and car keys in your carry-on luggage. £ Take all information you will need to report a claim (car, home and travel health plan). £ If you’re travelling outside , ensure WINNIPEG your passport is valid beyond your return Festival du Voyageur date. Keep a copy of the identification page separate from your passport or with In a nutshell: The second largest winter festival in Canada takes over family and friends. Whittier Park in the neighbourhood of Saint Boniface from Feb. 14 £ Allow sufficient time to obtain any necessary to 23, 2020. It celebrates the history and culture of the 18th-century travel visas. French fur traders. £ Visit travel.gc.ca for information about Highlights: This winter wonderland is a mix of ice sculptures, live local safety and security conditions, areas music and traditional French-Canadian food, plus fiddling, jigging, an to avoid, entry and exit requirements and international snow sculpture symposium and even a beard-growing contest. possible health hazards.

Travel note: Try the Caribou, a red wine and whisky concoction, By planning ahead, you will be better prepared sweetened with maple syrup to taste and served hot or cold with lemon in an emergency, whether it occurs where you

TOP PHOTO, SASKATOON TOURISM; BOTTOM PHOTO, DAN HARPER PHOTOGRAPHY HARPER DAN PHOTO, BOTTOM TOURISM; SASKATOON PHOTO, TOP and cinnamon. heho.ca are on vacation or back at your home.

winter 2020 39 Winterlude

In a nutshell: Highlighting Canada’s cultural, artistic and culinary diversity, this festival focuses on unique winter experiences, taking over downtown Ottawa- from Jan. 31 to Feb. 17, 2020.

Highlights: Along with celebrating the 50th season of the Rideau Canal Skateway, Winterlude features a giant winter playground at Jacque-Cartier Park, the Ice Dragon Boat Festival and a skate-ski-run triathlon at Dow’s Lake, WinterPride festivities on Sparks Street, an international ice-carving competition at ByWard Market, a Brewfest, a stew-making cook-off and a bed race.

Travel note: Pop in to tour the temporary chambers of the House of Commons and Senate, starting at the new Visitor Welcome Centre between the West Block and Centre Block. ottawatourism.ca/ottawa-insider/ winterlude

QUEBEC Carnaval de Québec

In a nutshell: The largest winter festival in the world, dating to 1894, blends outdoor activities, cultural heritage, music, food and sports in from Feb. 7 to 16, 2020.

Highlights: The entire city dresses up warmly and heads outside for folk traditions like ice-sculpting and axe-throwing, a canoe race on ice and even winter wrestling. A giant parade pulls out all the stops, as does an outdoor electronic dance music event. Bonhomme de neige, with his trademark high kicks, is king of the festivities.

Travel note: Get VIP packages for special access and perks for a few events, including the parade and canoe race.

carnaval.qc.ca TOP PHOTOS, CANADIAN HERITAGE; BOTTOM PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE TOP LEFT), AUDET PHOTO, BONHOMME, CARNAVAL DE QUEBEC

40 OHIP changes to out-of-country coverage

In Ontario, the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) currently BRACEBRIDGE, ONT. provides limited coverage for Bracebridge Fire and Ice Festival residents travelling outside Canada. OHIP provides the following coverage: In a nutshell: This fifth-annual event heats up and chills out visitors to downtown Bracebridge on Jan. 25. · Physician services — the lesser of the actual amount a physician bills for Highlights: The “fire” component includes performances by fire artists and services and the rate that would be a spectacular fireworks display, plus firepits placed throughout downtown for paid to an Ontario physician for the warming up. For the “ice” side of things, Bracebridge takes advantage of its hilly same services if performed in Ontario downtown, trucking in 50 loads of snow to create a massive tube run right on the · Emergency outpatient services — main street. Enjoy ice-sculpture carvings, a ball hockey tournament, a children’s the lesser of the amount the hospital igloo activity centre, live music and a Crokicurl game. bills and $50 Canadian per day · Emergency inpatient services — Travel note: Muskoka has a network of snowmobile trails that totals more than up to $400 Canadian per day for 1,600 kilometres. Check out the various snowmobile rentals and tour operators an operating room, coronary care online before you go. fireandicebracebridge.com unit, intensive care unit or pediatric special care unit, as well as up to $200 per day for lower levels of care

The above coverage, which represents approximately four per cent of the total cost of out of country emergency medical bills, is ending Dec. 31, 2019. Effective Jan. 1, 2020, OHIP will no longer provide coverage to Ontario residents travelling outside Canada. Most private travel insurance plans will cover these costs for eligible claims. While these additional costs will have an impact on travel insurance plans, it is expected that the additional costs will not be catastrophic, as they represent such a small amount of the total claim cost. RTO/ERO’s Extended Health Care EXPLOITS VALLEY, N.L. plan includes travel insurance. The Mid-Winter Bivver above services, previously covered by OHIP, are eligible for reimbursement In a nutshell: Newfoundland and Labrador’s ninth-annual snowmobile and under RTO/ERO’s travel insurance. culinary festival in the Exploits Valley region of Central Newfoundland promises Please refer to your RTO/ERO taste sensations from award-winning chefs and guided trail rides over two days Insurance Booklet for details of your in mid-February. travel insurance. It is important to note that these Highlights: Friday’s Fun Run is a guided snowmobile trail ride into the back changes do not affect your OHIP country and Hodge’s Hills with a gourmet lunch. Saturday’s Trail Mix Snowmobile coverage when travelling outside Ride takes in a few communities across 150 kilometres, culminating in a five-course Ontario within Canada. These Forager’s Feast and dance. changes apply to out of Canada travel only. Travel note: “Bivver” is both a sound and a movement, a cross between brrr and

TOP PHOTO COURTESY OF BRACEBRIDGE FIRE AND ICE FESTIVAL; BOTTOM PHOTO COURTESY OF MID-WINTER BIVVER quiver. midwinterbivver.com

winter 2020 41