UNESCO Sites Within Canada

In the same manner as the display series on Plaza Bridge, each summer, a series of display panels are set up on the terrace below the Chateau Laurier that leads the visitor towards Major's Hill Park. This year, the theme is UNESCO sites in Canada. This refers both to World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Regions. There are 22 of the first in the country, and 19 of the other. This year, the government shone a light on some of them.

SGang Gwaay (Haida Gwaii) is off the coast of British Columbia, a traditional Haida village that has been set aside and protected.

Gros Morne National Park, in Newfoundland, is a landscape where mantle rock from deep within the earth has been pushed up to the surface in an extraordinary landscape.

In Alberta, Writing-On-Stone/ Aisinai'pi preserves the petroglyphs and pictographs of the Blackfoot.

The Rideau Canal marks its two hundredth year this year, and is a World Heritage Site. This photograph captures the view behind me as I was taking these shots- the terrace is visible below the Chateau at left. It is here where the Canal meets the Ottawa River at the Ottawa Locks, in a saddle between the Chateau Laurier and Parliament Hill.

Riding Mountain National Park is in Manitoba, home to a diverse ecosystem and a diverse landscape.

Dinosaur Provincial Park is in Alberta. This amazing landscape of canyons is home to one of the richest deposits of fossils on the planet.

In the Yukon, Kluane/ Wrangell- St. Elias/ Glacier Bay/ Tatshenshini-Alsek is a broad bioreserve crossing the border with Alaska, and dipping into British Columbia.

The old historic district of Quebec City is also a World Heritage Site, with its rich history and architecture.

In the Northwest Territories, Nahanni National Park is a vast landscape of the far north that most people will never see.

The Bay of Fundy is home to the world's highest tides, where at low tide the visitor can walk on the ocean floor. I have been there twice.

The Canadian Rockies are home to seven parks on either side of the Alberta and British Columbia border that make up a large World Heritage Site of some of the most spectacular scenery you will ever see.

Lunenburg is a traditional fishing and shipbuilding village founded in 1753 in Nova Scotia, known for its colourful homes.

Second Star To The Right

 Canadarm2 is the second generation version of the Canadarm, used aboard the ISS. Here we see Chris Hadfield working with it.

David Saint-Jacques set a record for the most time spent in space by a Canadian astronaut in 2019.

Jenni Gibbons served as Capcom for Artemis II.

Josh Kutryk has been assigned to NASA's Commercial Crew Program. 

Dextre is a more recent addition to Canadarm2. It is a two armed robot meant for specialized work outside the ISS.

Much of what is done in space applies to earth, with research being done that applies to medical cases here. Canadian research has been instrumental in that.

Steve Maclean went to space twice, aboard Columbia and Atlantis. 

Canada is one of the partners in the ISS, along with NASA, Europe, Japan, and Russia.

I took some perspective shots of the displays and the surroundings.

Into The Final Frontier

 Each summer, the government puts on a series of display panels on Plaza Bridge near the Government Conference Centre. This year, the theme is Canada In Space. Canadians started working with NASA in the 70s, particularly on the development of the Canadarm. 

In 1983, the first Canadian astronauts were selected.

The first Canadian in space was Marc Garneau, who flew three shuttle missions in 1984, 1996, and 2000. He later went into politics, and recently passed away.

Jeremy Hansen is a much more recent example of a Canadian in space, having had been part of the Artemis II team going to the Moon.

Roberta Bondar was the first Canadian woman in space, and the first neurologist.

Chris Hadfield went to space three times, including a stint as a station commander for the International Space Station.

Robert Thirsk went up with Columbia in 1996, and in 2009 spent a half year aboard the ISS.

Dave Williams went to space twice aboard Columbia.

Canadarm marked the beginning of the collaboration between the Canadian Space Agency and NASA. 

Here we have the full crew of the recent Artemis II mission.

Julie Payette was the first Canadian astronaut to board the ISS during her trip aboard Discovery, and later returned to space on Endeavour.

Bjarni Tryggvason went to space aboard Discovery.

Legacies Of The War

 To this day, the Civil War remains the pivotal moment in American history, endlessly debated and studied.

A display case here is filled with books and other items from the Friends of the Canadian War Museum. They operate a used book store in the building, and I've picked up books from them on occasion. The variety speaks for itself.

The Civil War had been fought between North and South, with the South attempting to make a new nation for itself, ultimately failing. Yet a new nation did rise as a direct consequence of the Civil War. Canadian leaders banded together during that period, saw the need for unity and a different way of creating a system of government, and created the country that we have since become. Commentary by some of the scholars we've seen along the way rounds out the exhibit, talking about the long term influence of the Civil War on Canada, and how Canadians responded to that cataclysm south of the border.

One more look at that display case.

And then I departed out from the gallery. This was a fitting final image for this tour.