A party boat in the form of a double-decker, Mississippi-style sternwheeler isn’t what comes to mind when I think of transport to Georges Island in Halifax Harbour. But it is indeed a reservation aboard the Harbour Queen that gets me there. And yet, maybe it’s the perfect conveyance to help celebrate the opening of the island to the public after a 55 year wait. While Georges was declared a National Historic Site in 1965, it wasn’t until 2020 when Parks Canada installed a new wharf on the north shore that it became accessible.

Beechey Island beckons to all those fascinated by the story of Sir John Franklin and his ill-fated crew whose 1845 journey to find the Northwest Passage ended in tragedy, mystery and death.

The title of Marlis Butcher's new book is intriguing — Park Bagger: Adventures in the Canadian National Parks. We've asked the Burlington, Ontario-based author where the term comes from and what led her to visit all of Canada's national parks and then transform her travel journals and photography into a book.

When I went on a recent online shopping spree for Parks Canada merchandise — a retro cap, tote bags, headbands, playing cards, baby onesies — I did so feeling good that my purchases would help beluga whales in Quebec.