Oh Canada - July Newsletter

I am grateful to call Canada my home. When I arrived in Vancouver on December 23rd 1984, I had never experienced winter, lived alone or cooked for myself. Thanks to the support of Canadian people and culture, I became independent, learned new skills and blossomed into a self-sufficient Canadian woman.

Vancouver is my home - it is where I work and play. I am grateful for Green & Green Gifts with Flair and I’ve had the pleasure of helping business and individuals build and solidify relationships since 1993. I am blessed that for over 27 years, I have seen first-hand how generosity and reciprocity transform relationships and work environments and I feel blessed to be part of this exchange.

Some of our provincial borders remain closed and we don’t know when they will reopen, so this month we want to honour each province and share some information about what makes it special. Beautiful British Columbia is my playground and is filled with mountains, lakes, rivers and ocean, but there are spectacular sights and sounds across this vast country which also deserve to be highlighted. Tell us why where you live and play in the province that you call home. We can’t wait to visit!

Happy Birthday Canada. Long may you run.

We at Green & Green recommend that while we are confined within provincial borders, we get to know our own locales a little better. Each province and territory has incredible natural features, unique culture and character, and many parks and attractions to explore. Why not use this summer to avail yourself to the incredible offerings at home during your provincial staycations?

Attraction: Lillooet River is tucked north of Pemberton and offers a number of stimulating outdoor activities and dramatic BC scenery. Attractions include a very unique golf course (populated by sheep), mountain biking, hiking trails and horseback riding.
Flower: Pacific Dogwood
License Plate Motto: Beautiful British Columbia
Bird: Steller’s Jay
Tree: Red Cedar

Attraction: Writing on Stone Provincial Park offers dramatic rock formations called hoodoos, ancient aboriginal art and engravings and a beautiful meandering Milk River. This is a wonderful place to explore over a weekend of camping.
Flower: Wild Rose
License Plate Motto: Wild Rose Country
Bird: Great Horned Owl
Tree: Lodgepole Pine

Attraction: Over the Hill Orchards and Winery is a fabulous place to spend an evening. Located in Lumsden Saskatchewan, Dean and Sylvia Kreutzer have created a wonderful haven of fruit and wine for locals to enjoy. Their dining room and patio provide the perfect perch for overlooking the valley while sipping on wine and sharing a piece of cherry pie.
Flower: Wood Lily
Motto on Licence Plate: Land of Living Skies
Bird: Sharp tailed grouse
Tree: Paper birch

Attraction: FortWhyte Aliver's 640 acres, located in Southwest Winnipeg, contain prairies, lakes, forest and wetlands include a 70-acre bison prairie and related heritage exhibits. This environmental and recreation centre is a wonderful way to spend the afternoon, especially if you want to teach your kids about sustainability.
Flower: Prairie crocus
License Plate Motto: Friendly Manitoba
Bird: Great Grey Owl
Provincial tree: White Spruce (the Christmas tree!)

Attraction: Flowerpot Island. The name of Flowerpot Island, located in Georgian Bay, comes from two unusual rock pillars, which look like flower pots. The island is well worth a visit, both to see the natural "flowerpot" rock pillars, but also for the historic light station and rare plants. You can catch a boat from the town of Tobermory to spend the day hiking the trails, viewing the scenery, picnicking or swimming. You can extend the fun all weekend by pitching a tent and staying overnight!
Flower: White Trillium/White Lily
License Plate Motto: Yours to Discover
Bird: Common Loon
Tree: Eastern White Pine

Attraction: Omega Park is safari-style wildlife park close to Montreal with tons of exciting opportunities to interact with wildlife surrounded by their natural habitat. Activities include walking trails, a 12 km car ride where visitors are encouraged to feed the animals with carrots, golf cart rental, restaurant, lodges to stay overnight while surrounded by a wolf pack, and more!
Flower: Blue Flag
License Plate Motto: Je me Souviens
Bird: Snowy Owl
Tree: Yellow Birch

Attraction: Close to Halifax, the Musquodoboit Trailway offers over 41 Km of non motorized, world class hiking opportunities. Beginner trails will take you through the diverse, natural landscape that borders the Musquodoboit River and shelters scores of colourful birds and small mammals. The best time of year to go is in October when all the leaves are changing colour, but the Musquodoboit Trailway is always worth a visit!
Flower: Mayflower/Trailing arbutus
License Plate Motto: Canada’s Ocean Playground
Bird: Osprey
Tree: Red Spruce

Attraction: The beautiful 27-acre horticultural Kingsbrae garden in Saint Andrews is worth travelling across the province for! The gardens contain over 50,000 perennials in many themed gardens, abundant local wildlife, an annual National Sculpture Competition, ponds, streams, old-growth Acadian forest, interactive art classes and activities for children and much more.
Flower: Purple violet
Bird: Black capped chickadee
Tree: Balsam Fir

Attraction: Cavendish Cliffs. These dramatic cliffs highlight the trademark red soil of PEI. Amazing trails along the shoreline provide panoramic views. Apparently, it’s particularly beautiful to walk the cliffs at sunset.
Flower: Lady Slipper
License Plate Motto: Birthplace of Confederation
Bird: Blue Jay
Tree: Red Oak

Attraction: Burin Peninsula. If you’re in Newfoundland and Labrador, you may never have explored the Burin Peninsula along the Southeast Coast. Burin Peninsula is one of the province’s best kept secrets. Stunning landscapes and walking trails hug the coastline and a visit to the Burin Heritage Museums will teach you about the resilient people who established the towns.
Flower: Insect Eating Pitcher Plant
Bird: Puffin
Tree: Black Spruce

Attraction: Baffin Island is Canada’s biggest island and a major home of Inuit culture. The mountains in the Auyuittuq National Park are a popular skiing destination, and house the world’s biggest sheer rock cliff; Mount Thor’s sheer face scales 1250 metres. Arctic safaris, the arts and culture in Cape Dorset and fresh bannock are all reasons to visit this rich, dynamic part of the territory.
Flower: The purple saxifrage
License Plate Motto: Explore Canada’s Arctic
Bird: Rock Ptarmigan

Attraction: Kluane National Park and Reserve is hard to get to, but well worth the visit. Located among the enormous mountains of southwest Yukon, Kluane has lots to offer in every season. The park is home to Canada’s highest peak (5,959-metre Mount Logan), its largest ice field and a thriving grizzly population. This summer, visitors can explore alpine passes of raft past calving glaciers.
Flower: Fireweed
Bird: Raven
Tree: Subalpine Fir

Attraction: The Tuktoyaktuk PingosPingos are an unusual feature of the arctic landscape. Essentially mounds of earth-covered ice, pingos are found in the Arctic and subarctic and can reach up to 70 metres in height. They take decades to form, typically only growing a few centimetres per year. Tuktoyaktuk has one of the world’s highest concentrations of pingos and is well worth the visit!
Flower: Mountain Avens
License Plate Motto: Spectacular N.W.T
Bird: Gyrfalcons
Tree: Tamarack Larch

On Tuesday, June 23rd, Mindy presented a zoom webinar to the International Executives Association on Workplace Happiness. She spoke about the necessity to support employees as workplaces change under social distancing measures. She shared stories, tips and tools to uplift your team and how create a culture of gratitude in the workplace.

Here's one of Mindy's inspirational talk from March 4th, follow this link to Green & Green's YouTube channel.

Interested in a webinar for your workplace please send us an email at info@greenNgreen.com.

Happy Summer
All my very best,

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