End of One Canal Season; the Start of Another
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Some friends in Ottawa think of this as the saddest time of year: the days in October when the Rideau Canal is drained in preparation for the skating season, still months away.
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Scottish Month plans for a Third Big Event
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In the nation’s capital, Scottish Month is about to get even bigger with the traditional Rabbie Burns dinner expanding to become a full fledged charity gala, with a ceilidh added for good measure. Mark your calendars for January 19, 2019.
Read MoreKingston considers Sir John A.'s Legacy
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In an effort to get ahead of the issue and provide a forum where different versions of his history can be discussed, the City of Kingston today launched a consultation through its "Get Involved" website. Residents are also invited to bring their comments and suggestions to City Hall. The City’s website includes a very good summary of the issues involved.
Read MoreMark your calendars: SNALC October 19-21, Detroit
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This year, the 15th annual SNALC will be held October 19-21 at the Kilgour Centre in Troy, Michigan, hosted by the Detroit St. Andrew's Society. The will be "Transferring our Scottish Heritage to the Next Generation through Music, Art and Culture."
Read MoreSir John A. and D'Arcy McGee -- the Judgement of Our Times
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We keep judging the conduct of past generations. In Canada, the controversy continues about whether to remove statues of Sir John A. Macdonald. And last week in Ireland, D'Arcy McGee -- who delivered the support of Irish Canadians to Sir John A. and for Confederation -- stood on trial before a jury of his... well, not his peers, exactly, given that his jury was very much alive while he, the witnesses, and the court officials were not!
Read MoreBBC Scotland looks at the Macdonald Controversy
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The potential withdrawal of the Scottish Government's support for anything associated with Sir John A. Macdonald has drawn the attention of the media in Britain to the kilt skate phenomenon. The Scottish Society of Ottawa has been in discussions with the Scottish Government on the future of the event. On Tuesday, August 21, Mhairi Stuart of the BBC Scotland drive home show "Newsdrive"interviewed the originator of the kilt skate and the former organizer of the national event, Don Cummer, on the issue.
Scottish government is actively distancing itself from John A. Macdonald: report
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As statues of Sir John A. Macdonald are vandalized or removed in the country he founded, the late politician is also being disavowed by the country where he was born. A Monday report in The Times wrote that “all references” to the Scottish-born leader are being excised from official Scottish government websites and documents.
Read MoreMacdonald, McGee and the spirit of Reconciliation
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His determination to find ways to reconcile opposing views came from a lifetime of wrestling with issues and being willing to change his opinions if he came upon new evidence. It also helped that he was working alongside a group of individuals who themselves were gifted in their unique abilities and their capacities to work together to make Confederation happen: George Brown with his vision for westward expansion; A.T. Galt with his financial acumen; George Etienne Cartier with his ability to work with partners outside of Quebec; and bringing them all together with his good humour, constitutional expertise and unsurpassed leadership, John A. Macdonald.
Read MoreThe Times of London on Scottish Government and Sir John A.
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A government spokesman said: “We acknowledge the controversy around Sir John A Macdonald’s legacy and the legitimate concerns expressed by indigenous communities on the commemoration of his life. The views of these communities must be respected, and we will continue discussions with Kilt Skate organisers and indigenous representatives on the branding and purpose of the event before taking a decision in respect of future funding.”
Read MoreWarriors and Other Runners
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What happens when you bring 2,000 runners together to race eight kilometers while dressed in kilts? You have the makings of the worlds largest kilt run.
Read MoreNational Organizers Stepping Down
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Don Cummer and Sue MacGregor have announced to the Scottish Society of Ottawa that they are stepping down as national organizers of Sir John A's Great Canadian Kilt Skate. Cummer, who began the tradition of kilt skating to celebrate the birthday of Canada's first Prime Minister, helped organize the first national kilt skate in 2015 and has been the event's public face ever since. MacGregor volunteered in hosting the 2016 Ottawa event when she and her husband had returned from diplomatic postings, and organized the operations of the national events in 2017 and 2018.
Read MoreReport to the Scottish Society of Ottawa Annual General Meeting
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The national event was the most successful yet in the four years of Sir John A’s Great Canadian Kilt Skate. With $15,000 in funding from the Scottish Government, sponsored events were held in seven cities (two more than last year), and the attendance numbers in most of the cities increased significantly from the previous year.
Read MoreIrish Month has a Scottish flair
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The City of Ottawa has declared January to be Scottish Month, but surely the month of March belongs to the Irish. St. Patrick's Day is still a week away, but already the stores and pubs across town are filled with Irish themes. And when Beau's Brewery decides to host a St. Patrick's party on March 10 rather than the 17th, well who are we to refuse an invitation to enjoy a good time? Especially when a group of former hockey parents haven't seen one another in a while.
Read MoreWrapping up the season at Rideau Hall
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The Rideau Canal Skateway has closed for the season, the lights are out at the Canada150 rink, and across Ottawa, the outdoor hockey rinks are covered with snow. But there is still great skating to be had at Rideau Hall, the residence of Canada's Governor General.
Read MoreFamily Day on Bowness Lagoon
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In 1990, the province of Alberta proclaimed the first "Family Day" holiday in Canada -- a chance to get together and, hopefully, get outside with the family for a mid-winter break. In Calgary, a good place to get together is Bowness Park. In summer months, it's an amusement park where you can rent canoes, go for a ride on a miniature railway, or enjoy the kiddy rides. In winter the lagoon of the Bow River is maintained as a skating rink.
Kilt skating the Rockies
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We've celebrated the last of the official kilt skates, but the joy of skating in the kilt lives on. And when the Rocky Mountains beckon, why not don the kilt, pack the skates and the saltire, and head west out of Calgary.
Read MoreWinnipeg: kilt skating at 30-below
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The temperatures in Western Canada on the morning of Sunday, February 11, dropped to the minus-20 range. In Calgary, the skaters were sheltered somewhat by the tall buildings. The Riley Family Duck Pond in Assiniboine Park, on the other hand, has little to shelter it from winds that sweep down from the Arctic. Wind chill made the temperature feel like it was 30-below.
Read MoreCalgary: a braw, bricht day for a skate
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In some ways, Calgary is the spiritual home of the kilt skate. It's where my pride in my Scottish forebears was nurtured. And it's a place where people are thrawn enough not to care that it's 20-below. They go skating in kilts anyway.
Read MoreNorth Glengarry shows us a different way
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Weather in the Ottawa Valley has not been kind to plans for kilt skates. When they first envisioned a kilt skate for North Glengarry, the Clan Donald Society imagined kilted skaters on the Alexandria Mill Pond. But the deep freezes and the rapid thaws and occasional rains of the past weeks made a pond skate impractical. So they decided to do something different.
Read MoreWinnipeg: a seventh kilt skate city!
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WINNIPEG – On Sunday, February 11, at the Riley Family Duck Pond, Qualico Family Centre, Assinboine Park, the people of Winnipeg will take to the ice in their kilts, tartans and other Scottish regalia in an effort to claim the title of “Kilt Skate Capital of Canada.”
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