Three reasons why I hate Montreal
–> Some might say that Montreal is over-represented in 50 Canadians. And, yes, within its pages we do find Leonard Cohen, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Guy Laliberte, Louise Arbour, Oscar Peterson, Jacques Plante, Michaelle Jean, Romeo Dallaire, and Celine Dion. But I only included them because they made me do so. Fact is, much as I…
Read MoreRob Ford turned me into a private eye
Rob Ford followed me to Ottawa. I thought I would escape him by coming here to do a book signing at Books on Beechwood. En route, I read about him in two newspapers, the Star and the Globe. Then I read about him in the latest issue of MacLean’s. That might have been the end…
Read MoreOcean-to-Ocean Book Tour Extravaganza Heads East
Part Two of the journey begins in Toronto next Thursday (Nov. 7). Yes, we’re talking The VIA-Rail, 50 Canadians, Ocean-to-Ocean Book Tour Extravaganza. We’re promoting 50 Canadians Who Changed the World by train. So far, we have whistle-stopped through Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary, Canmore, Banff, Jasper, and Vancouver. Now, we travel east: Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and…
Read MoreThree reasons why I hate Vancouver
–> You knew it was coming. And now, having been here almost 24 hours, I stand ready to deliver. Why do I hate Vancouver? The first reason is the Seawall that encircles Stanley Park. Today is nothing but sunshine here and of course we went walking along that wall. Yes, in T.O. we have the…
Read MoreJasper marks the spot where the railway meets Canada’s most spectacular drive
Jasper has had a 40-foot Haida totem pole since 1915. The original Raven Totem arrived four years after the railway, and ten years before the train station in which I sit. I know these things because we contrived to spend a couple of hours rambling around Jasper after driving here from Banff. Yes , the…
Read MoreIn praise of the Banff Springs Hotel . . . .
And so we arrived at the Banff Springs Hotel. Yes, there are other contenders. But for me, this is it: the flagship of Canada’s fleet of historical railway hotels. From our window, we can see a statue of William Cornelius Van Horne, the visionary who built both the CPR and, not incidentally, this extravagant…
Read MoreOur Hero regrets omitting Mordecai Richler
–> I omitted Mordecai Richler from 50 Canadians Who Changed the World. Now I am sorry. I realize that I was wrong. At a recent promotional event, someone asked me, “Have you discovered any omissions during this trip across Canada? Anyone you feel you should have included but did not?” At the time, I said…
Read MoreThree reasons why I hate Calgary
–> I have learned to hate Calgary for three reasons. And speaking earlier tonight, at Pages on Kensington, I laid them out to an audience of book-lovers. The first is Naheed Nenshi. We were here when Calgarians elected this brilliant, charismatic leader to a second four-year term. Meanwhile, Toronto has yet to rid itself of…
Read MoreCalgary set to join ocean-to-ocean, 50 Canadians extravaganza
–> Great to see this article turn up in today’s Calgary Herald. Looks like my old home town is ready. I’ll be at Pages on Kensington Tuesday evening, at Global TV on Wednesday morning, and then at Cafe Books in Canmore that evening. By Eric Vollmers, Calgary Herald Pride is a peculiar thing. It…
Read MoreThis castle on the river is a Canadian landmark
–> Which grand railway hotel turns up on an album cover? Answer: the Delta Bessborough, a Saskatoon landmark known as The Bezz. The album is Clouds by Joni Mitchell, who grew up in this town on the South Saskatchewan River. She painted a self-portrait for the cover, and there, in the upper right-hand corner, we…
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