$Unique_ID{COW00727} $Pretitle{408} $Title{Canada Chapter 3C. Leisure} $Subtitle{} $Author{Ivan P. Fellegi} $Affiliation{Statistics Canada} $Subject{canada parks national leisure park activities events fort time canadian} $Date{1990} $Log{Victoria, BC.*0072703.scf } Country: Canada Book: Canada Handbook Author: Ivan P. Fellegi Affiliation: Statistics Canada Date: 1990 Chapter 3C. Leisure Industrialization and technological progress in Canada have led to shorter workweeks, longer paid vacations, earlier retirement and hence has provided more time for leisure and recreation. Definitions of leisure are numerous and reflect a variety of views. Leisure can be simply defined as those groups of activities undertaken in "non-work" time; it has also been described as that group of activities in which a person may indulge as desired - to rest, to amuse, to add to knowledge or skills, to enhance personal, physical and mental health through sports and cultural activities, or to carry out unpaid community work. However, many definitions of leisure exclude activities such as sleeping, eating, commuting to and from work, household duties and personal care. Formal programs of continuing education may be regarded as personal improvement or maintenance just as much as sleeping or eating and therefore may also be excluded from leisure activity. Despite the fact that there is no precise agreement on what constitutes leisure, there is agreement on a core of activities that offer recreation or give pleasure to the participants. Examples would be playing tennis or listening to records. There are activities that may be regarded as undesired household tasks in some circumstances, yet pleasurable recreational activities in others, such as moving the lawn, cooking, dressmaking or house painting. Thus, recreation and leisure are valued differently according to personal tastes and inclinations. These may vary not only between persons but in different circumstances for the same person. There is a reciprocal relationship between work and leisure. Longer working hours mean less time for leisure. Additional work time normally provides additional income, while additional leisure time typically leads to increased expenditures. The distribution of time between work and leisure is theoretically a matter of choice, but in practice most employed persons have only limited freedom in determining how long they work. Working hours and holidays in Canada are normally fixed, either by employers or as a result of collective bargaining, according to current legislation and accepted norms. As a result Canadian workers are typically committed to working a fixed number of hours a day and days a week. The normal workweek in Canada is from 35 to 40 hours spread over five working days. Most employees receive at least 10 paid holidays annually and a two-week annual vacation, which is usually extended to three, four or more weeks after several years of service with the same employer. Allowing for weekends, paid holidays and annual vacations, most employed persons in Canada have at least 124 days free from work each year. The amount of non-work time available to Canadians depends also on the proportion of the population studying full time or in the labour force and whether the latter are employed or seeking employment. Those outside this group have more free time. Typical of these are persons who have retired early or are elderly. Events and Attractions Every year, in all parts of Canada, annual events and attractions draw large numbers of vacationers and travellers seeking diversion, excitement and relaxation. Events such as the Quebec Winter Carnival and the Calgary Stampede are organized to promote or celebrate historical, social or cultural occasions. On the other hand, attractions can be either natural or man-made physical features of a permanent nature that provide facilities for displaying distinctive architectural or geographic qualities or for recreational or cultural activities. In this category are museums, parks, mountains and city nightlife; specific examples would be a natural phenomenon like Niagara Falls or a man-made attraction such as Lower Fort Garry in Selkirk, Man. Outstanding events take place in each province and territory. One of the oldest sporting events in North America is Newfoundland's annual regatta, held in St. John's. Prince Edward Island's capital city, Charlottetown, features Country Days and Old Home Week, with musical entertainment, agricultural and handicraft displays, harness racing and parades. Nova Scotia events include Highland Games in the centres of Cape Breton, while in New Brunswick there are a variety of festivities related to the province's fishing resources, such as the Shediac Lobster Festival and the Campbellton Salmon Festival. An attraction in Quebec is Man and his World, Montreal's permanent cultural and ethnic exhibition. Drama festivals in Stratford and Niagara-on-the-Lake are examples of happenings in Ontario. Western Canada's events reflect its cultural diversity and pioneering heritage. Examples include the National Ukrainian Festival in Dauphin, Man., Oktoberfest in Vancouver, BC, the Stampede in Calgary, Alta. and Pioneer Days festivities in Saskatoon, Sask. Special events are held each summer in the North. In Yellowknife, NWT, a Midnight Golf Tournament is held each year late in June. In Dawson City, Yukon, the discovery of gold in 1896 is celebrated on Discovery Day in August by raft races on the Klondike River and by dances, sports and entertainment relating to the period. Recreation The types of leisure activities undertaken vary widely according to the age, sex, income and occupation of the individual. Popular sports or physical recreational activities include swimming, ice skating, tennis, golf and ice hockey. In recent years cross-country skiing has become increasingly popular with a participation rate of 16.9 per 100 Canadians, up from a rate of 7.7 five years previously. [See Victoria, BC.: Victoria, BC.] Popular activities in Canada include watching television, listening to radio, reading newspapers, listening to records or tapes and reading magazines. Visits to bookstores, movies, sports events and public libraries are also popular. Government Programs All levels of government play an active role in enriching the leisure time of Canadians and several federal agencies have major programs related to leisure. Among these is Fitness and Amateur Sport Canada, which is mainly responsible for recreation and physical fitness programs and which carries out a number of programs aimed at encouraging citizens of all ages to take part in physical fitness activities; it provides financial and consultative assistance to recreational agencies such as the YMCA, boys' and girls' clubs, Scouts, Guides and youth hostels. It also assists Canada's native people in increasing their participation in sports and recreation. For the area in and around Ottawa-Hull, the National Capital Commission plays an important role in conserving and developing space for outdoor recreation. The facilities it provides include Gatineau Park, an area of 357 km^2 (square kilometres) similar to a national or provincial park, a system of scenic driveways and bicycle paths and a greenbelt of land forming a semi-circle of recreational land to the south of Ottawa; it also maintains the longest outdoor skating rink in the world on the Rideau Canal during the winter and rents out garden plots in the greenbelt during the summer. Canadian Parks Service National Parks Canada's national parks system began with a 26 km^2 reservation of land around the mineral hot springs in what is now Banff National Park. From this nucleus the system has grown to include 33 national parks that preserve more than 180 000 km^2 of Canada's natural areas. The Canadian Parks Service has divided Canada into 68 natural regions; 39 of the regions are terrestrial and 29 are marine. At present 21 terrestrial regions are represented by one or more national parks. The marine parks program began in 1986; one marine park has been established in Georgian Bay, Ont. Canada's national parks reflect the amazing diversity of the land. The program now extends from coast-to-coast, from Terra Nova National Park, on the rugged eastern coast of Newfoundland, to Pacific Rim National Park, where breakers pound magnificent Long Beach on the west coast of Vancouver Island, and from Point Pelee, Canada's most southerly mainland point, to Ellesmere Island National Park Reserve, only 750 km from the North Pole. The magnificent scenery and numerous recreational possibilities of the national parks attract visitors year-round, whether to camp, sightsee, hike, mountain-climb, swim, fish, ski or snowshoe. Interpretive programs include guided walks, displays, films and brochures that explain the natural history of the park regions. National Historic Parks and Sites To preserve Canada's past the National Historic Parks and Sites Branch of Canadian Parks Service commemorates persons, places and events that played important parts in the development of Canada. Since 1917, when Fort Anne in Nova Scotia became the first national historic park, 73 major parks and sites and over 900 plaques and monuments have been established at significant sites. Sites are selected on the basis of their cultural, social, political, economic, military or architectural importance and include major archaeological discoveries. Two finds in Newfoundland are the ancient Indian burial ground at Port au Choix and the Norse settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows believed occupied about 1000 A.D. L'Anse aux Meadows National Park was proclaimed a World Heritage Site in 1980. Many historic parks and sites recall the early exploration of Canada and struggles for its possession. Cartier-Brebeuf Park in Quebec City marks Jacques Cartier's first wintering spot in the New World and is, in addition, the site of the Jesuit order's first residence in Canada. The pursuit of furs led to extensive exploration of Canada and construction of many posts and forts to expand and protect the fur trade. Such posts include Port Royal, the earliest French settlement north of Florida, Fort Temiscamingue, a strategic trading post in the upper Ottawa Valley, and Prince of Wales Fort, the most northerly stone fort in North America. Lower Fort Garry, near Winnipeg, has been restored to recreate a 19th century Hudson's Bay Company post; here one can see women baking bread and spinning and weaving fabric at the "Big House", a blacksmith at work in his shop and furs, once the mainstay of Canada's economy, hanging in the loft above the well stocked sales shop - the hub of fort activity. Military fortifications that have been protected as national historic sites range from the massive Fortress of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island, built by the French in the 18th century to protect their dwindling colonial possessions, through a series of French and English posts along the Richelieu and St. Lawrence rivers, to Fort Rodd Hill on Vancouver Island, site of three late 19th century British coastal defences. The fur-trading posts of Rocky Mountain House in Alberta, Fort St. James in northern British Columbia and Fort Langley in southern British Columbia, where the province's salmon export industry also began, recall the expansion of trade and settlement in the West. The orderly development of Western Canada was due in large part to the North West Mounted Police, who are commemorated at Fort Walsh, Sask., first headquarters of the force. Motherwell Homestead near Abernethy, Sask. portrays pioneer days on the Prairies. The major route to the Klondike Gold Rush is being marked and protected by the Klondike Gold Rush International Historic Park. In Dawson City, the boom town of 1898, the Palace Grand Theatre, the Robert Service Cabin and the paddlewheeler S.S. Keno have been restored, while other historic buildings are in the process of restoration or stabilization. Heritage Canals. The canals of Canada were initially constructed as defence or commercial trading routes to serve a new country. At Confederation, canals came under the jurisdiction of the federal government because of their importance to the nation's transportation system. Certain of these canals, with roles as commercial routes diminished, are now the responsibility of Canadian Parks Service. The canals are operated and maintained as examples of land and water adapted by man to suit his needs for transportation and communication. In addition, the canals provide outstanding opportunities for recreational use. The Rideau Canal, now a scenic waterway, was built over 150 years ago, in 1832, completing a connecting waterway from Ottawa to Kingston. Several places of interest are located along this waterway, such as the blockhouse at Kingston Mills, the blacksmith shop at Jones Falls and the foundry building at Merrickville. Boaters enjoy heritage canals in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. Heritage Rivers. Our country has an abundance of free flowing rivers which are an important part of the natural and the cultural heritage. In order to protect some of the best examples of this heritage, Canadian Parks Service, the provinces and the territories have established the Canadian heritage rivers system. Provincial Parks All provincial governments have established parks within their boundaries. Some are wilderness areas set aside so that portions of the country might be retained in their natural state. Most of them, however, are smaller areas of scenic interest, easily accessible and equipped or slated for future development as recreational parks with camping and picnic facilities. Some of the oldest parks in Canada were created by the provinces. In 1895 the Quebec government's concern for the conservation of the caribou led to the establishment of Laurentide Park, one boundary of which is only 48 km north of Quebec City. In Ontario the first park was Algonquin, created in 1897, which covers an area of 7 540 km^2 and extends to within 240 km of the city limits of both Toronto and Ottawa; this park, like many of the others in Ontario and the other provinces, features camping, canoeing and sport fishing. Tourism Tourism is a major earner of foreign exchange for Canada. At the same time tourism is a significant generator of domestic spending. It has a considerable impact on consumption, investment and employment and is a source of substantial tax revenue for governments; it also spreads its benefits widely across Canada, playing a prominent role in helping to alleviate regional socio-economic disparities. Tourism affects the lives of all Canadians. It has an impact on our lifestyle and provides a change of pace from contemporary social pressures. It also contributes to national unity by increasing understanding among people of the different regions which form the country. In the world context, Canada ranked ninth in 1986 in terms of international travel receipts and seventh in terms of international travel spending by its residents. Tourism was a business worth approximately $20 billion to Canada as a whole in 1986, an amount equivalent to 4.4 per cent of the Gross National Product. The spending of Canadians travelling within Canada amounted to $13.4 billion. The balance of $6.3 billion was earned from spending in Canada by visitors from other countries-our third largest source of foreign exchange in 1986 after autos and auto parts. In 1987, visitors from the United States numbered 12.7 million, down 6.4 per cent from 1986. Non-resident travellers from countries other than the US numbered 2.3 million, an increase of 12.0 per cent from 1986. Of this number 1,346,150 came from Europe and arrivals from the United Kingdom, the largest source of tourists after the US, totalled 446,399. Visitors from other major tourist-producing countries included 239,532 from the Federal Republic of Germany, 252,786 from Japan, 189,013 from France, 79,149 from the Netherlands, 80,790 from Australia and 79,137 from Italy. The value of tourism spending in Canada should not, however, be measured solely in terms of the $20 billion direct travel expenditure. Subsequent rounds of spending spread throughout the economy and create additional business. For example, when a traveller rents a hotel room he contributes to the gross margin of the hotel owner. Part of this margin will be paid to employees in the form of wages. These wages will subsequently be spent to the benefit of the owner of a corner store, for example. The money will then pass to the wholesaler who supplied the goods purchased and then to the manufacturer, who in turn probably purchases his raw materials from another Canadian firm, and so on. Counting this "multiplier" effect, the $20 billion generated in 1986 could have amounted to approximately $35.4 billion. Tourism also generated the equivalent of 600,000 jobs across Canada in 1986. It involved governments at every level and more than 60,000 individual private enterprises of diverse kinds, such as transportation companies, accommodation operators, restaurateurs, tour wholesalers and operators, travel agents, operators of activities and events, and trade associations. Another important feature of travel consumption in Canada is the low import content of the products consumed. As travel is predominantly service-oriented, travel spending is on goods and services with a relatively high domestic labour content. Furthermore, the goods purchased by tourists are usually home-produced - food and drink by Canadian farmers and processors and souvenirs by Canadian craftsmen, for example. Canada possesses many basic tourism assets. It has an enviable location at the crossroads of the northern hemisphere and adjacent to the world's most affluent travel market. It has an abundance of open space, for which world demand is sure to intensify. Its northern territories constitute one of the world's few remaining tourist frontiers. It possesses immense supplies of a most precious recreational resource - water - and of a most promising one - snow. Canada's scenic, cultural and ethnic diversity add to its travel appeal, as do its heritage buildings and the developing attractions of its major cities.