to move up and down
Pictured again: Days could be numbered for mysterious wolf that chased motorcyle on B.C. highway
The mysterious grey wolf that gained international attention for chasing a Banff, Alta., motorcyclist along a B.C. highway seems to have appeared at least two other times, leading wolf-watchers to the grim conclusion the animal’s days are likely numbered.
“This is not normal behaviour for a natural wild wolf,” said Shelley Black, co-founder of the Northern Lights Wildlife Wolf Centre, a wolf sanctuary just one hour north of the reported sightings, which occurred in Kootenay National Park.
Whether the wolf is crushed by a passing car or winds up in the gun sights of an animal control officer, Ms. Black held out little hope for its long-term survival.
On June 8, motorcyclist Tim Bartlett was cruising along Highway 93 near Radium, B.C., when an adult grey wolf darted at him from the trees and pursued him for more than one kilometre.
“It probably got to within a couple metres, easy, maybe a metre. If I’d have slowed down, I would have definitely hit it,” he told the National Post. (Photo: Shawn Bond; Tim Bartlett)
What were they inking? An illustrated guide to tattoo trends across Canada
As one body artist described this new popularity and ubiquity of tattoos: “You might be the only one in the old folks’ home — when you get there — who doesn’t have one.” (Illustrations by Andrew Barr)
Canada struggles to shed last vestige of the notorious litterbug: cigarette butts
Decades after the litterbug was otherwise beaten, Canadian cities are preparing for the end game: Cigarette butts.
The stubby end of a smoke has become Canada’s number one litter problem, with 416,955 picked up in the 2012 Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup alone.
“It’s still considered socially acceptable to throw butts down,” said Jill Dwyer, manager of the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, run by the Vancouver Aquarium and the World Wildlife Federation, says cigarette butts are far and away the most common item the project has cleaned up from beaches every year for the past 20. “People think they’ll biodegrade.” (Photo: City of London)
Gary Clement’s Canada Day summer Twitter stories
How do Canadians celebrate Canada Day? You Tweeted and Gary Clement ‘tooned
Banff motorcyclist pursued by ‘massive’ grey wolf along stretch of B.C. highway, takes pictures
Last Saturday, Banff mechanic Tim Bartlett was christening a new motorcycle through the Rocky Mountains when he had a rare wildlife encounter that was equal parts terrifying and enchanting. On a stretch of British Columbia’s Highway 93, a massive grey wolf emerged from the trees, lunged at his speeding ride and chased after him at full speed as he pulled away.
The story would have become little more than another legend clanging around the roadhouses of Western Canada if Mr. Bartlett had not whipped a camera out of his top pocket to record the event for posterity; capturing a series of rare snapshots that have since been beamed around the world. The Post’s Tristin Hopper reached him by phone on Friday morning. (Courtesy of Tim Bartlett)
‘Because you’re Canadian’: Teen allegedly bullied by teachers for being Canuck drops out of U.S. school
Mocked for his red-and-white gym gear and derided for hailing from a nation of seal clubbers, an Ottawa-born teenager says he dropped out of a Christian school in Upstate New York because staff relentlessly teased him over his Canadian background.
“I think it started as joking and then it went too far,” said Noah Kilpatrick, speaking by phone from Watertown, New York.
Attending Faith Fellowship Christian School was otherwise fine, said Noah, but in class the teacher would often lampoon Canada as a cartoonishly small country filled with communists and people who club seals for fun.
“History class and sometimes math class … they were stereotyping Canadians and saying we were all stupid — it was offensive,” he said.
When Noah paid for his school lunch with a toonie after forgetting to bring greenbacks (the two currencies were at par, he noted later), the same teacher, who is also the school’s principal, allegedly held up the coin at an assembly to publicly remind students that toonies are not legal tender. (Photo: Tina Kilpatrick)
Steve Murray’s Unboring History Project: How booze-lovin’ Quebec, low turnout saved Canada from prohibition
Heritage Minister James Moore, eager to promote Canadian history because it’s his job, just announced new measures to get kids these days excited about our rich and varied past. From two new Heritage Minutes a year (that’s two minutes a year!) to a new Canadian History Week (July 1-7, when kids aren’t in those pesky “schools”), there’s something for everyone. But, history can sometimes be real boring, so Steve Murray’s looking for the most interesting parts that they should focus on! And you can help!
• Recommend interesting parts of our history to explore! Email your suggestions to smurray@nationalpost.com for future instalments that he can write and illustrate!
Calgary eliminates letter grades for students up to grade nine in an attempt to save children from failure
The Calgary Board of Education is moving to save children from failure. Under a proposed new marking scheme, the board is to relabel such students as “support required.” If they improve, their skills will be upgraded to “emerging.’’
The Calgary board is doing away with letter-grade assessments for children between Kindergarten and Grade 9, and is also eliminating personalized comments. On a draft of the new report card protocol, traditional letter grades and percentages have been replaced with a four-point system: “exemplary,” “evident,” “emerging” or, “support required.”
School official hope the assessments will offer additional precision, but critics don’t buy it. ‘‘I’m still searching for the benefit to the children,’’ argues Peter Cowley, director of school performance studies at the Fraser Institute. He said phrases like “evident” or “emerging” don’t seem to give parents any clearer understanding than a letter grade. (Illustration by Mike Faille/National Post)
Star astronaut Chris Hadfield to retire from Canadian Space Agency
Chris Hadfield is moving back to Canada after decades away from home. The famous astronaut announced today that he is retiring from the Canadian Space Agency next month.
He made the announcement at a news conference at the agency headquarters, near Montreal, in his first such event in Canada since his return from space.
Hadfield says he’d promised his wife three decades ago, when they moved to the U.S. to pursue his career, that they would return home some day.
He says he’s ready to pursue private interests, outside government. Hadfield says he hasn’t decided what he will do next, but says he plans to do presentations on space while reflecting over the coming year on his next move.
Truck carrying fireworks hits moose on Trans-Canada Highway, shuts down road for 5.5 hours and lights up the sky
A truck carrying fireworks hit a moose near Wawa, Ontario, early Friday morning, shutting down the Trans Canada Highway for five-and-a-half hours and creating an impressive fireworks display as the truck burned.
At about 1 a.m. on Friday morning, a truck reportedly carrying goods for Purolator, including fireworks, struck a moose about 40 kilometres outside the town of Wawa. The fuel tanks on the truck ruptured causing a large blaze. (Brenda Grundt, Wawa news)
Quebec’s Couche-Tard chain introduces pizza- and spaghetti-flavoured slushees, suggests you mix them together
This is not a joke (although it MAY be a clever marketing ploy … rumour has it the red sauce actually tastes like strawberry, and the yellow spaghetti is actually kiwi): Quebec convenience store chain Couche-Tard (Mac’s in English-speaking Canada) has introduced a new flavour of crushed-ice beverages just in time for summer — and they’re raising some eyebrows.
Called La Sloche Pizzaghetti (say it out loud — it sounds awful), the new flavour is actually two — you guessed it: pizza and spaghetti — which Couche Tard suggests are best enjoyed together in a series of commercials that romantically pair a gigantic slice of pizza and a woman made of spaghetti.
Martin Short designs $3 coin for Royal Canadian Mint: Here’s his Cottage Country tribute
Canadian funnyman Martin Short is sharing a personal slice of cottage life through the creation of a special collector coin.
Short teamed up with the Royal Canadian Mint on the $3 fine silver collector coin, which features his summer home in Ontario’s Muskoka district.
“And as much as I adore the excitement of cities, it’s rural Canada that has always had my heart. I am lucky enough to own a cottage on a lake roughly three hours north of Toronto in a staggeringly beautiful part of Canada, which I’m thrilled to share on this coin I had the privilege to help design.”
