World YYD

Guide To The Kelowna Campus of University of British Columbia

March 3rd, 2008 / No Comments

The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a province-supported university which was established in 1908. With campuses located in Kelowna and Vancouver, it is rated as one of Canada’s top universities and is known worldwide.The Kelowna campus, which opened in September 2005, is a small university campus which is more known as UBC Okanagan. It is located on the former North Kelowna Campus of Okanagan University College. The Okanagan campus is experiencing a rapid expansion with construction of several new residential, teaching and research buildings now underway. Students who wish to enter UBC Okanagan will be awed with a campus life that will enable them to build cultural and social connections, and to learn, grow and express themselves.

UBC Kelowna, with a land area of 260 acres, currently has a student population of 4,864 but they are aiming to have as much as 7,500 by 2009. For students who would like to stay in campus, a campus housing good for 815 students is open. There are 259 professors and instructors who are spread out into the seven faculties and schools of the university.

For prospective students who would like to consider studying in UBC, here are the Faculties and Schools of the university.:

1. Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences

Offering courses in the Arts, the Humanities, and the Social, Natural, and Physical Sciences, the School comprises a far from traditional approach to these seemingly traditional disciplines. All programs are typically four years in length and lead to either a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree.

Here is a wide variety of programs to choose from:

Agro-ecology, Anthropology, Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Earth and Environmental Sciences, English and Modern Languages, Environmental Chemistry, Freshwater Science, Gender and Women’s Studies, Geography, History, Indigenous Studies, International Relations, Mathematics and Statistics, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology.

Students in these programs will have the opportunity to think critically, to do research and to communicate your findings and ideas - core skills of any career in the information age.

2. Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies

Here aims to bind together traditional disciplines related to the creation and analysis of art. Students who have interest in Art History, Creative Writing, Cultural Studies, English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish and Visual Arts are the most welcome to enter.

3. Faculty of Education

Leading to a Bachelor of Education degree, the Faculty of Education educates teachers to aim academic excellence and personal growth. Students can either choose the Elementary Teacher Education Program (ETEP) or Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP).

4. Faculty of Applied Science

Also known as the School of Engineering, the Faculty offers a Bachelor of Applied Science Degree. The program merges theory, experiments, experience and judgment to create new devices, improve and maintain products and processes predict performance and develop systems. On the first year, the program introduces the students to all engineering disciplines, wherein the student can choose the specialization he would choose in the latter years of the program. Students who would choose to continue with the program on their sophomore year will have to transfer to UBC Vancouver.

5. Faculty of Health and Social Development

This offers courses in Nursing, Social Work (where the student can specialize in either Child Welfare or Aging), Health Studies (which is collaborated with the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences) and Human Kinetics (where one can either specialize in either Clinical Exercise Physiology or Community Health Promotion).

6. Faculty of Management

The Bachelor of Management Program gives students a wide array of careers in both the private and public sector. They will be trained to achieve the track they want: from project specialist to consulting and from marketing manager to human resource specialist. Students are trained to address different types of challenges in the most creative and innovative manner possible.

7. College of Graduate Studies

Prospective students who wish to continue further studies may choose to go to UBC’s Gollege of Graduate studies. UBC Okanagan offers Masteral courses in the following programs: Biology, Chemistry, Education, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Mathematics, Nursing, Psychology and Social Work. Courses which offer Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) are Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Mathematics and Psychology.

Posted in Regions
Winter and Snowboarding in British Columbia

January 25th, 2008 / No Comments

The winter experience in British Columbia is invigorating, fun and full of adventure. A haven of majestic blue skies, gust of cold wind and mountains, alpine meadows and hills covered with white blankets of snow, its breathtaking beauty allure tourists to experience the thrill of the mountains, without the fear of sliding down solo. This art of Mother Nature is considered the perfect place for skating, skiing and snowmobiling.Snowmobiling offers tourists the mobility to explore remote back country areas of British Columbia. British Columbia offers world class snowmobiling terrain, from gentle slopes to switchbacks. Every region has excellent sledding conditions with groomed trails and varied terrain for all levels of snow mobilers from beginner to advanced riders.

Some may opt for a more tranquil glide down the mountainside alongside skiers and snowboarders. The Sno-Limo is designed for comfort and convenience. It’s like a ski stroller for adults. the passengers will be strapped securely into a seat on skis and will be escorted down the slopes by an experienced skier who knows how to maneuver and control the contraption’s speed and angle of the commute.

Other ways of traveling through the snow is dog-sledding, a mode that have been around for a long time. The dog-sled is composed of a team of six excited dogs in harness. The whistle of the driver, or musher, signals the dogs to take off, tearing along a snow-covered path and travels through a telemetric journey.

There are many family-oriented ski resorts in British Columbia. Reaching these resorts could be a challenge as it involves driving roads which conditions vary that may result for a travel of about 6 hours. These resorts are highly recommendable since they offer a variety of enjoyable activities for kids, accommodations and lighter and drier snow.

For a safe snow experience, always check out snow conditions. Never refrain from contacting local snowmobilers for updates about conditions of the area. Check for possibilities of an intending avalanche if planning to head to the mountains. Take along common spare parts for the machine, carry a first aid kit, extra food and water. The most important rule of all: always let someone know the details of destination so that when emergency happens, there are people who are always ready for rescue.

Posted in Outdoors
The No. 1 Ski Resort Is In Whistler

October 16th, 2007 / No Comments

And we’re talking the number one ski resort not in Canada but in the world. Ski Magazine has consistently rated Whistler Blackcomb as number one due to its extensive terrain, good snow, and a highly-rated nightlife. The facilities and ski areas are so highly rated that the Village of Whistler will co-host the 2010 Winter Olympic Games with Vancouver.

The Whistler Blackcomb resort were two separate entities before but merged into a single resort ten years ago. The first to open was Whistler Mountain. The resort was a product of a group of Vancouver businessmen, led by Franz Wilhelmsen. The skiing resort opened its doors to the public in February, 1966.

The skiing resort quickly earned a reputation due to its vertical drop, good snow conditions, and huge alpine area. The resort offered something new aside from the vertical drop being the biggest in North America, the ski season was also quite long. The season stretched from early November until late May.

Soon, the mountain expanded and along came Blackcomb Mountain in December 6, 1980. The new resort had 5 triple chairs and an additional 1,240 vertical meters (4067ft) of skiing. Being competitors back then, Whistler developed a whole new network of runs on its north flank.

At the almost the same time, Whistler Village sprang up between the two resorts. The Village opened in 1980 and along with the emergence of Hotels and restaurants.

Whistler Resort was the first mountain resort outside of the USA that received the distinction of being named #1 by a major American ski magazine. Then in 1996, it became the only resort in history to be simultaneously named #1 by Snow Country, SKI and Skiing Magazines.

In 1997, Intrawest Corp., the company that owned Blackcomb, bought the Whistler Mountain Ski Corporation.
The resulting merger was the biggest and most exciting mountain resort complexes in the world. The combined mountain resort have more than 200 runs and 33 ski lifts. It offers more than 28,000 hectares or 7,000 acres of skiable terrain in winter, and endless outdoor activities in the summer.

More than two million visits Whistler Mountain every year. The mountain resort has the most ski-in and ski-out accommodation of any mountain recreation resort in North America. In fact, it is estimated that there are 15,200 pillows within 500 meters of the lifts and ski-in/ski-out accommodation represents more than 75% of all existing rental pillows.

Moreover, the resort features 12 massive Alpine bowls, and 3 glaciers. Whistler Mountain has an elevation or 2,182 meters (7,160 feet) and Blackcomb Mountain has an elevation of 2,284 meters (7,494 feet).

The resort is quite accessible. Located on Highway 99, 75 miles (120 km) north of Vancouver, Whistler can be reached by car, limousine, van, scheduled bus, train, or chartered helicopter or floatplane.

Posted in Outdoors
BC’s Britannia Beach

October 15th, 2007 / No Comments

Just a forty-five minute drive up north of Vancouver is a place where you can totally unwind and enjoy year-round outdoor activities and visit various cultural, geological and historical landmarks. This is Britannia Beach, a small unincorporated community in the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District and lies on the Sea-to-Sky Highway on Howe Sound.

The town’s population is about 300. The village’s appeal lies not only in the stunning scenery of mountains and fjords but also in the sense of history and the different and unique arts and crafts of the area.

This scenic town began as a mining community and remained so for almost seventy years. In the late 1890s, mining engineer George Robinson convinced several finance moguls that the areas was a good investment. The Britannia Mining and Smelting Company was then formed and mined that area for copper ores for almost seventy years.

In the 1920s and early 1930s, the mine was a huge success. It has become the largest producer of copper in the British Commonwealth. But by the 1940s the Britannia mines were unionized. They suffered a first union strike in 1949. Then in the next ten years, the mines entered a slump. Due to the low copper prices, the Britannia Mine Company was reduced to seven employees and in 1959 the company went into liquidation.

The Anaconda Mining Company took over in 1963. It continued operation for another eleven years until the mines were finally closed down on November 1, 1974 due to high operating costs and taxes.

A year later, the BC Museum of Mining opened in Britannia Beach. The site was named a National Historic Site in 1988 and was designated as a British Columbia Historic Landmark a year later.

Today, daily public tours and pre-scheduled group trips allow people to see and appreciate the fascinating mining history of British Columbia. Visitors can tour the old mine site where they can see a variety of displays and exhibits. There’s also an Underground Train which brings passengers into the real hard rock mine.

Being on the eastern shoreline of Howe Sound and between Lions Bay and Squamish is quite a great advantage to the tourism industry of Britannia Beach. Their location allow them to provide different outdoor activities that appeal to tourists.

For example, they can go to the Shannon Falls Provincial Park which is a very popular picnic spot. About three miles south of Britannia Beach is Porteau Cove Provincial Park which gives scuba divers a whole lot to see. There are about 100 marine species in the cove.

Meanwhile, Murrin Provincial Park is just about 2 miles north of Britannia Beach. The park is on the west side of Highway 99. Also, hiking is a popular outdoor activity with The Deeks Lake Trail waiting for willing explorers. The trail is an 8 mile/13 km return which can be accomplished 3-4 hours each way.

Britannia Beach is a unique industrial heritage site, offers a wonderful world class mining museum, and now is a major tourist attraction in British Columbia.

Posted in Travel
Vancouver Eating On A Budget

September 28th, 2007 / No Comments

Known for its wonderful restaurants and great food, traveling to Vancouver is a treat both for the eyes and the stomach. For the first time travelers to Vancouver, the city has its own Pacific Northwestern cuisine, a local style of cooking where cooking methods use only a selection of the most fresh of ingredients.

Specialties in Vancouver include crab, scallops and sablefish. Also, the city is known as a mixing pot of immigrants from all over Asia and Europe which influenced the variety of dishes and style of cooking available in the area. You can see a seemingly perfect synergy of Asian restaurants may they be Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese or Thai, and European establishments like French, Greek, Italian, Spanish and Mexican restaurants.

But for the lowly traveler who eats on a tight budget, one does not need to use all their travel allowance to get to enjoy the Vancouver food. The following are some of the well known restaurants in the city that offer the unique tastes of Vancouver at very affordable costs.

The Samurai Sushi House
Located at 5888 Cambie St., Vancouver, BC, this small shop is quite popular because of their relatively large servings. Fresh sushi, cheap and pieces so large that it is absolutely hard to complain.

Stepho’s
If you get tired of Sushi, you should try Stepho’s. This one is a Greek restaurant located at 1124 Davie Street. For less than $10 CDN you can get a huge delicious meal. Be sure to go there early though, since the place is so popular that you can expect a line out the door after after 5:30pm.

Cheesecake Etc.
A small dessert place on Granville Street. The ambiance is great but the place is really tiny so sitting a whole pack of friends can be a little troublesome. It’s more of a date place. They offer wonderful specialty coffees for $3 or less and the desserts are to die for.

Shabusen Yakiniku House
This time its a Korean BBQ dining place. Located at 202 - 755 Burrard St., this restaurant serves Korean BBQ and sushi for a little over $20. It can be a little pricey compared to the other establishments mentioned so far, bu still the grilled marinated meat won’t leave you hungry.

Gigi’s Pizza Spaghetti House
If you want to go Italian, this is the place to be. Imagine tasty and filling pasta dishes for under $10. The baked pasta dishes are big enough to share so you can actually save more if you’re with a group.

Guu Izakaya
Some say that Guu Izakaya is Vancouver’s best kept secret. The restaurant serve small dishes of Japanese food but the place is very authentic. You can see a lot of Japanese eating here, mostly exchange students.

Posted in Attractions
The Energetic City

September 14th, 2007 / No Comments

Located in the northeastern part of British Columbia is a small city that is known for its natural resources of oil, natural gas, forestry and agriculture and a generally young, energetic and enthusiastic populace. The City of Fort St. John is known throughout Canada as the “The Energetic City.”

This small city of about 17,000 people is a member municipality of the Peace River Regional District. The city has a land area of about 22 km² (8 mi²), the largest city in the northeastern British Columbia. Fort St. John is actually on a plateau above the Peace River Valley and is 73 kilometers (45.5 miles) northwest of Dawson Creek and 387 kilometers (240 miles) southeast of Fort Nelson.

It was the early pioneers that built Fort St. John. It began as a trading post in 1794 and is now considered as the oldest European-established settlement in present-day British Columbia. The construction of the Alaska Highway in 1942 and the discovery of high-grade oil in 1951 created the city as British Columbia’s Oil and Gas Capital.

From the trading posts of old to being the main transportation hub and oil capital of present day British Columbia, the city of Fort St. John has evolved into a great place to live, work, raise a family and retire. It is a place people can enjoy the low unemployment rate, affordable house prices, stable economy and lots of recreational activities like hiking, fishing, hunting and golf, downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, skating, curling and ice fishing.

If you happen to be in the city, some places that you need to see are the North Peace Museum, the North Peace Recreation Centre which is a multi-purpose facility that is mainly used for figure skating, hockey, and public skating, and the North Peace Cultural Centre where you could find the public library, Peace Gallery North, and a 413-seat live theatre.

You can also get to enjoy fresh farm produce during local farmers’ market fair. Homegrown tomatoes, bison steaks and fresh apple pies are just a few of the delicacies that you can get to sample during the Saturday market days. The farmers’ market is open May through December at the North Peace Arena.

Some of the yearly activities include the annual Great Canadian Welding Competition which is held in August. The welding competition features artists creating statures based on a given theme. And in January, there’s the High on Ice Winter Carnival which is also a yearly affair.

The city hold the distinction of hosting the BC Winter Games in 1984 as well as the Northern BC Winter Games five times, first was in 1975, then 1976, 1994, 2000, and lastly this year.

Posted in Attractions
Salmon Fishing

September 7th, 2007 / No Comments

One of the reasons why the great outdoors of British Columbia attracts a lot of people is because the region is famous for fishing. Anglers from across the country and even around the world go to British Columbia to partake in this extraordinary sport.

Fishing for sturgeons, chinook salmons, sockeye salmons, coho salmons, pink salmons, steelhead, cutthroats, and rainbow trouts are popular targets. These are but a few of the fish species that can be caught in British Columbia. Some other fishes that come to mind include the cod, burbot, trout, and whitefish. Salmon fishing in particular is quite popular, with the fish being especially plentiful around Vancouver Island and the Kootenay Rockies.

The different species of salmon offer anglers a varied fishing experience every time. For the newbies, it would be great to learn to distinguish between species as well as get to learn where to cast the line and tackle and bring it in once you feel a bite.

The Chinook salmon or Spring salmon is the biggest species of salmon in British Columbia. That’s why the Chinook salmon is also often referred to as the King salmon. The King salmons are the largest of the salmon species, with some growing to over 60 lbs. They are extremely powerful and can spool 200 yards of 30 lb. line quite fast. Most of huge clusters of Chinook Salmon can be found in the Fraser, Chehalis and Chilliwack/Vedder Rivers of British Columbia.

Coho salmons are smaller fish which ranges only 25lbs in size. However, the Coho salmon stocks have been diminishing in numbers in the past years and is already being eyed to be included in their conservation listings. Cohos are identified with black spots on top half of tail, black mouth, and white gums.

Chum Salmons on the other hand have more than enough stocks. In fact, anglers even find them as a nuisance during their migration route. The Chum salmons weigh almost the same as Cohos at 20 to 25 pounds. These are very stubborn salmon species and are more noted for their aerial display. It can be hard to catch one since they are large and strong enough to offer a good battle for an angler. They are not considered that best species for eating and are often released after being caught and being photographed with it.

Another salmon species known for aerobic performances are the Sockeye salmons. These species are often considered as the best fighting salmon for their size. Catch and release fishing is also the most popular fishing method applied for sockeye salmons.

Pink Salmons enter the river in late August on odd years 2005, 2007, 2009, etc. and can reach weights of 7 lbs. These are another rather aggressive salmon species and can always offer anglers a good fight. The fish is identified by large black spots on tail, greenish color males, hump on back.

Posted in Outdoors
Biodiversity of British Columbia

August 31st, 2007 / No Comments

British Columbia has a rich biodiversity having four climatic conditions, dry, humid temperate, and polar climates. In fact, British Columbia holds three-quarters of Canada’s mammal species. Twenty-four mammal species are exclusive to the province. There are 488 species of birds, 468 species of fish, 142 species of mammals, 22 species of amphibians, and 18 species of reptiles in British Columbia. Insect species number around 35,000.

Rich in forested areas, British Columbia has an estimated 2790 species of native vascular plants, about 1000 bryophytes or mosses and liverworts, 1600 lichens, 522 species of attached algae and more than 10,000 species of fungi.

However, despite the rich and unique habitat that British Columbia has, 152 wildlife species and sub-species are considered candidates for endangered, threatened, or vulnerable status. The Burrowing Owl, and the American White Pelican and the Vancouver Island Marmot are already considered as endangered by the British Columbia government. The Sea Otter, meanwhile, is designated as an already Threatened specie.

However, British Columbia’s rich biodiversity is still under threat from rapid urbanization which replaces the greeneries with buildings and pavements. Urbanization also destroys the province’s wetlands which is home to the Sandhill Crane and the Great Basin Spadefoot Toad.

Because of the rich biodiversity of British Columbia, wildlife viewing has been a part of the eco-tourism of the province. Hiking, camping and viewing the wildlife, however, should be responsibly and with respect. There are designated trails and roads for such activities. It is also a policy of the province to never feed or touch wild animals. Not only could contact with wild animals disturb the fragile ecosystem, but could be dangerous to you as well.

There are packaged tours and cruises which offer tourists an opportunity to visit the British Columbia wilderness. There are different kinds of tours to choose from. There are tours for to see the migration of Pacific Gray Whales along the British Columbia Coast, view the Pacific salmon species migrating into the province’s interior, get to ride the current of the Fraser River, and get to see wildlife animals like the mountain goats, moose, caribou, and bighorn sheep. There are even guided tours that can take you to place where you could see cougars, black bear, grizzly bears and the kermode bear.

When viewing the British Columbia wilderness, however, you would need an expert guide if you have no outdoor experience under your belt. There are several information and seminars on basic wilderness survival that are included in tour and cruise packages. But, do bear in mind that such short courses are mere introductions and graduating from such does not make you experts in the field.

Wilderness survival training is a continuing process. Everyone who intends to experience the wilderness of British Columbia should be armed with knowledge about the outdoors, clothing, equipment, emergency food and various survival techniques.

Posted in Outdoors
Visiting the Ksan Village

August 24th, 2007 / No Comments

The Ksan Historical Village, near Old Hazelton is considered as a major cultural heritage site of British Columbia. Located near the ancient village of Gitanmaax and right where the Bulkley and Skeena Rivers crosses. It is both an important tourist attraction and a cultural site for the Gitxsan people.

The site faithfully recreates a traditional Gitxsan which are also known as the people of the river of mists. The Gitxsan communities of the 1800’s feature cedar plank communal houses and totem poles with figures from Gitsxan clans and legends. The Ksan village is a reconstructed native village which showcases the arts and crafts of the northwest tribes.

The Ksan Village also houses a Museum where very important collection of First Nations artifacts are placed. Together with the museum, the whole Ksan Historical Village had been receiving visitors from all around the world for more than 30 years now. With an average of 50,000 visitors annually, the village hope to disseminate information about the Gitxsan culture and serves as a center for the Gitxsan people.

The entrance to the village is marked with totem poles which are an attraction by themselves. You can find several other totem poles in the village itself. One of the poles is the Pole of the Silkscreen Studio which contains a crest for each of the four Gitxsan Clans, namely Frog or “Lax See’l”, Wolf or “Lax Gibuu”, Fireweed or “Gisk’aast”, and Eagle or “Lax Skiik”.

The Gitxsan were originally of the Pacific North Coast of North America. Their territories extend from the watersheds of the north and central Skeena, Nass, and Babine Rivers stretching for almost 22,000 kilometers all in all.

The Gitxsan have built their homes near the rivers. They settled mainly on the banks of the Skeena River and its tributaries. The present communities are the Gitwangak, Gitanyow, Gitsegukla, Gitanmaax, Kispiox, and Glen Vowell.

Gitwangak is approximately 240 kilometers (150 miles) from the coast and is the most western Gitxsan village. Gitanyow is located between 22-24 kilometers (14-15 miles) from Gitwangak north on the Kitwancool River. Meanwhile, Gitsegukla is between Gitwangak and Gitanmaax on the Skeena River. Gitanmaax is at the junction of Skeena and Bulkley Rivers and is estimated to be 264 kilometers (165 miles) from the coast. The settlement of Kispiox is about 32 kilometers (20 miles) from Gitanmaax and just at the crossing of Kispiox and Skeena rivers. The village of Glen Vowell or Sigit’ox was the latest one, being only a hundred years old. The last village is between Kispiox and Gitanmaax on the Skeena River.

Posted in Attractions
The Kootenay Rockies

August 17th, 2007 / No Comments

British Columbia’s Kootenay Rockies has been described as the region’s mountain oriented vacation spot featuring Canada’s most stunning mountain view.

The Kootenay Rockies starts from the Okanagan Valley in the west and stretches to the Alberta border in the east. Including the Rockies, there are four mountain ranges in the region, the other three being the Selkirks, Purcells, and Monashees. A lot of mountain climbers have come in the region to scale mountains and tackle peaks like Mount Findlay and Hamill Peak, which are both over 3,600 m (12,000 ft).

The Kootenay Rockies offer a number of clean, natural, uncrowded outdoor activities including a rather lively mountain biking culture. The Kootenay provide various trails for riders to take. Plus, towns in the region are quite appreciative of the biking culture. In fact the city of Rossland was crowned the mountain biking capital of British Columbia some time back.

But biking is not the only outdoor activity that is popular in the Kootenay Rockies. Different ecosystems found in rivers, lakes, waterfalls, beaches, mineral hot springs, alpine meadows and snow-capped mountains provide outdoor enthusiasts with a bag full of things to do like canoeing, boating, cycling, windsurfing, water-skiing and whitewater rafting. The region is also known as a great fishing area where vacationing anglers can hike to alpine lake the Elk Valley, Flathead, St. Mary and Findlay river pools. The lakes around Creston seem to be filled with largemouth bass and lunkers.

Water sports and outdoor activities are quite common in the region and for good reasons. The Kokanee glacier is the source of freshwater of 30 lakes and river systems in the region.

The list above is only a partial listing of things you could do here. With this list in mind, it is not surprising that Kootenay Rockies has been called as “British Columbia’s Mountain Playground.”

Although summer and spring activities are quite exciting and highly enjoyable, there’s another outdoor recreational activity that is quite popular int Kootenay. The region is also a popular winter vacation destination. Skiers and snowboarders go to the area to enjoy the impressive downhill ride. With an average snowfall of 171- 206cm (67 - 81 inches), the region is a lucrative business for ski resorts.

Others things to see include the National Parks Corridor, The Valley of a Thousand Peaks, The Elk Valley, Kootenay Lake, Central Kootenay, and The Arrow Lakes and Silvery Slocan.

Posted in Outdoors