The only remaining active steam-operated paddlewheeler in North America, Trillium celebrates her centennial this year.

Okay, I am getting the hang of this now.  Karen and I have a neat Canadian story to share.  Please read on, as you might be able to help us out!Lobster Quest From East to West!By Karen and Chris McCallum This past summer, we travelled to the Maritimes from Okotoks, AB to tour around and attend a wedding on PEI.  During our travels, we became smitten with the lobster fisheries… both the collection and consumption of!, and we were determined to bring a lobster trap back for our garden here in Southern Alberta!  When we finally found a trap to buy, we realized with sinking alarmity that it simply weighed too much.  A suitcase full of memories and golf clubs each would make this idea too costly.So we concocted an idea!  We would arrange to have the trap hitchhike its way across the nation, on the backs of friendly Canadians, right to our backyard!We lay in our bed at a rented cottage and wrote the following  rhyme:"We bought this trap to remind us of...

Hi,I'm the community editor for Our Canada online. About 51/2 years ago, I was involved in the launch of Our Canada magazine: a unique concept I thought would have great appeal to this country’s residents. And now, as the magazine hits its fifth anniversary with the January-February '09 issue, I've come full circle and am back with Our Canada for the launch of its great new website.I encourage you to become part of our online community—it’s another way to share your great stories, favourite photos and fun videos with family, friends, and fellow members. And the best part: what you post on the site, even your forum or blog entries, may make their way into a future issue of the magazine.So please create a profile, have a look round, comment on the photos you find, and share your own stories, photos and videos. You can join one or all of our groups—or create one of your own. Everyone who joins and posts content before midnight February 2, 2009, will receive a one-year subscription to eith...

Delicious  and  Easy to Make: CHOCOLATE MONKEY PANCAKES 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder2 tablespoons sugar (optional)3/4 teaspoon salt1 1/2 cups buttermilk1 egg2 - 3 tablespoons oil2 medium bananas(sliced)Mini-chocolate chips (approximately 1/4 cup or to your preference) Mix the dry ingredients together, then add the milk and eggs. Mix well and try to get some of the lumps out of the batter. Don't worry about making it perfectly smooth.  Add  chipits and mix in. Heat an oiled skillet on medium heat. When heated, scoop the pancake batter recipe into the frying pan with a large spoon to make individual pancakes. Slice the peeled bananas, into small cutlets, and place on top of wet batter.  Cover banana circles with more batter, so that when flipped they do not burn or stick to the pan. Cook on one side until the top begins to bubble, then flip over and cook on the other side. To serve: Top with extra banana slices and dust with ic...

Today, on the heels of Sunday's controversial House vote, US President Barack Obama signed into law an overhaul of the American health care system. While it falls far short of providing the kind of universal coverage that Canadians receive, "Obamacare" should be considered transformative insofar as it's the most sweeping change possible in the US's intransigent political culture. How darkly funny that we expect so little from a country so big.Canada has cropped up periodically in the current debate on health care. American proponents of reform point to our system as a positive example, while opponents tell horror stories of months-long waiting lines. The dichotomy in the American debate speaks to the peculiarity of Canadians' own relationship with health care; as a young country with little to hold on to, we celebrate beer and hockey and a medical system no-one seems particularly satisfied with.And so we approach health care reform in a uniquely Canadian way: we tap-dance around the is...

Rosetown, Saskatchewan is celebrating its 100th anniversary July 19th, 20th and 21st with activities for people of all ages.  The residents of Rosetown and surrounding area are welcoming former residents and new visitors to their celebration.  Come and join in the priarie spirit alive and well in Rosetown.  Check out the website at www.townofrosetown for more information.

Hi,As members of the Our Canada community, you can connect with others who have similar interests, or who live in the same province, city or hometown.My Hometown is a chance for you to share information about your home with members who may want to visit: what’s the best place to stay. Where’s the best diner in town? What sights should visitor’s see? And, most important, where’s the nearest public washroom? That last question is for me, in case I drop by.And if you’ve visited any of the hometowns posted, start or join a forum to share your experience there.If you live in Kelowna, B.C., feel free to join our forum to share your favourite spots or things to do there with the Our Canada community.See you soon,Cynthia Shannon,Community Editor

Enter our Sixth Annual Photo Contest! Start taking pictures. You could be 1 of 10 winners of Nikon prizes with a total value of more than $3,500!Send us your very best photograph in one of the following categories:Everyday People: Canada is home to countless faces of humanity, and we'd like to see them all.The Great Outdoors: Enter your best shots of our true north, strong and free.All Creatures Great and Small: We'll go wild for your shots of insects, wildlife, or your favourite animal companion(s).Click here to enter and read the contest rules.

1 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 cup milk 2%, 1 large egg (beaten), 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 cup butter (melted), 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips, 1 cup sliced strawberries, 1/2 cup whipped cream Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium size bowl. Mix milk, egg, vanilla and stir in melted butter in a separate bowl, add to dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Preheat waffle iron to medium-low setting. Once heated add 1/2 cup of batter to lower grid (use more or less depending on your size of iron). Close lid and when indicator light turns green remove waffle. Top with whipped cream and strawberries. ENJOY!! Ailie-Kentville, Nova Scotia  

As R. Keith Davidson of Kemble, Ont., tells us in his story about the Kemble Women’s Institute in the June-July 2010 issue of Our Canada, “The Mary Stewart Collect”  (also known as the “Collect for Club Women”) is a prayer for the day that institute members recite to begin their meetings: The Mary Stewart Collect“Keep us O Lord from pettiness; let us belarge in thought, in word and deed.Let us be done with fault finding andleave off self seeking.May we put away all pretence and meeteach other face to face, without self pity andwithout prejudice.May we never be hasty in judgment  andAlways generousLet us take time for all things: make us growcalm, serene, gentle.Teach us to put into action our better impulsesstraight forward and unafraid.Grant that we may realize that it is the littlethings that create differences; that in the big things of life we are one.And may we strive to touch and knowthe great human heart common to us all, andO Lord God let us not forget to be kind.” ...