Royal Visit to Canada 2016

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The Royal Visit to Canada has officially begun as Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, touched down in Victoria, BC along with their two beautiful children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. The Royal Family was welcomed by Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, along with Christy Clark (Premier of BC) accompanied by her son, Hamish, as well as, Governor-General David Johnston and his wife, Sharon.

This is the second royal tour of Canada for the Duke and Duchess, but their first with their children. The official welcome kicked off with a guard of honour, accompanied with a 21-gun salute. The royals paid their respects at the Cenotaph in Victoria, while pausing in silence and then laying a wreath in honour of Canadians who served and lost their lives for the country. Prince William and Kate also spent some time chatting up with the enthusiastically waiting crowd of people.

One special moment was 14-year old Victoria Foster presenting a bouquet of flowers to Kate. Victoria, who has cystic fibrosis, had this wish granted to her by the charity, The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada. Apparently, Victoria is a big fan of the Royal Family and has memorized the names of all Kings and Queens of England. That's what I call a super royal fan!

The royals will be in Canada for a 8-day long visit which will include four official events in British Columbia and three in Yukon as listed below:

1. September 24: Legislature in Victoria;
2. September 25: Jack Poole Plaza in Vancouver;
3. September 27: UBC Okanagan in Kelowna;
4. September 27: Whitehorse in Yukon;
5. September 28: Main Street in Whitehorse;
6. September 28: Carcross Commons in Yukon;
7. October 1: Official departure (Victoria's Inner Harbour).

You can check the Outline Itinerary of the 2016 Royal Tour at the Government of Canada website. If you’re interested, you can also Send Your Greetings to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Canadian Government Opens Public Consultation on Bill C-51

The Liberal Government of Canada aims at revisiting the controversial Bill C-51 which was introduced by the outgoing Conservative government. Bill C-51, also known as the “Anti-Terrorism Act” received royal assent earlier in June 2015. 

Even before the bill became law, it faced intense scrutiny because it gave law enforcement and CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) sweeping powers.

Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government believes that this public consultation will help shape this anti-terror legislation in a way that protects Canadians, and at the same time, reflects the rights, values, and freedoms of Canadians. 

As a first step in doing so, the government has opened an Online Public Consultation in hopes of soliciting feedback from Canadians. This is what Public Safety Minister, Ralph Goodale has to say about this online public consultation: 

“Today’s consultation launch is an important step in the development of our national security framework…”

David Christopher, Communications Manager of the OpenMedia (an Internet Rights group) commented on the above saying that his organization is happy about the launch of the public consultation. However, he has concerns with the wording in the consultation’s backgrounder, sighting that it is biased towards law enforcement, rather than the public.

Watch this CTV News Channel video below, as Public Safety Minister, Ralph Goodale, dsicusses the issues that will be addressed in the public consultations on Bill C-51:

The public consultation is open until December 1, 2016. This is an opportunity for Canadians to have their say on a very important subject that affects all Canadians. I would encourage you to read the background document titled “National Security Green Paper” to get a detailed understanding of the purpose of this public consultation. 

The next step, after reading the above paper would be to head over to the “Online Consultation on National Security” website to provide your written feedback. Additionally, Public Safety Canada and the Department of Justice Canada, plan to organize public events, between now and December 1, 2016, to talk to Canadians on this issue.

Canada 2016 Census: Completed Your Form Yet?

On May 2, 2016, Statistics Canada started mailing out access codes required to complete the Canada 2016 Census. I don’t ever remember seeing so many Canadians excited about completing a government form.

Twitter was buzzing with excitement as Canadians shared their enthusiasm about completing the 2016 Census. So much was the excitement that they crashed the Statistics Canada website.

I have to admit that I was excited to complete the Census form myself. Though, I decided to wait a day before completing and submitting my 2016 Census form. I got the short version of the census form and it took me less than 10 minutes to complete it online.

May 10, 2016  is Census Day, but if you haven’t yet, I would encourage you to complete the Census form as soon as possible. This time around, Statistics Canada restored the 36-page long-form census which is also referred to as the National Household Survey. However, only one in four Canadians will receive the long-form census. Canadians have the option to complete the census online or request a paper census form mailed to them.

The census is conducted by Statistics Canada once every 5 years. Legally speaking, it is mandatory for Canadians to complete the short or long-form census. Information collected from the census form will help communities with the information they need for planning purposes. You can watch the short video below to see How your community benefits from the 2016 Census:

If you complete the census form online, make sure to save your information because if you take more than 20 minutes to complete one page of the questionnaire, it will time out your session, as a security measure.

If you need any help with your 2016 census form or if you have not received your access code, you can get help by calling toll-free 1-855-700-2016 or by TTY (a telecommunications device for people who are deaf) at 1-866-753-7083. The Census Help Line is open Monday to Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., starting May 2, 2016.

Lynda Online Courses Review

I recently came across Lynda.com via an email that I received from LinkedIn. I am a member of various social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and others, I’m sure you are too. One of these social networks is LinkedIn, which is similar to other social networks, but more for professionals. Well, lest I digress, I decided to check it out and see what Lynda.com had to offer.

Lynda.com is essentially an online learning website on which you can get paid membership and take various types of online courses. The company was founded way back in 1995 and started offering online courses in 2002. Lynda.com was recently acquired by LinkedIn in May 2015. They have a ton of useful video courses, many of which I am interested in taking myself. At first glance, as I checked out the website, I found it user-friendly and easy to navigate.

Lynda.com offers a range of online video courses from learning various types of software like MS Office and Adobe Photoshop, to Photography, Web Design and Development, to 3D Animation and Visual Effects, to courses on Business like Leadership, Management, Career Development, Project Management, and many other subjects and topics. The courses are delivered via structured video tutorials and can be taken at your own pace.  Once you have a membership, you can take unlimited number of courses and several courses at once. Upon successfully completing a particular course, you will get a Certificate of Completion.

When I received the email from Lynda.com, they offered a 21-day free trial to check out their online learning platform. So I checked the course outline and contents for some course that I was interested in. I decided to take one of the courses “Marketing & Monetizing on YouTube” and successfully completed it. I found the course very useful . Below is the course certificate of completion for the above mentioned course:

There are several membership options to choose from. The basic monthly membership costs $24.99, however, if you pay for this membership on an annual basis, you can get it for $19.99 per month. Their Premium membership costs $34.99 per month and allows members to download project files. You can get the Premium membership for $29.99 per month if you pay annually. They also offer group memberships. You can get a 10-Day Free Trial that gives you free unlimited access to all the courses on Lynda.com.

Lynda.com makes a great educational gift. That’s right, you can give the gift of education to your friends or family. Lynda.com has a variety of gift options like access to courses for one month ($24.99), three months ($74.97), six months ($149.94), and one year ($239.88). These prices are current at the time of writing this review, so bear in mind that they are subject to change and may be different when you check them out. Below you will find an example video tutorial of one of the courses offered at Lynda.com:

If you’re thinking how different it is from searching YouTube tutorials on the subject and learning for free. Well, of course you can do so on YouTube and you will find some great tutorials. However, on YouTube you will have to spend time searching for the right tutorials and be overloaded with advertisements. Also, on YouTube, though you will find some very good tutorials, it may not have a structured approach like you will find in the Lynda.com courses and the learning won't be so seamless.

You can try a Lynda.com membership for free and get a 10-day free access pass and check out any of the thousands of online courses they offer. You don't need to enter any credit card or payment information.

CREDITS:
Lynda.com® is a LinkedIn Company and is a registered trademark. All images, banners, and information used with permission. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER:
If you use the links above to purchase the product/service. I may earn a commission as a Lynda.com affiliate. This recommendation and review is based on my firsthand experience using this service myself.

Employment Scams on LinkedIn™

Scams have been around for a long time now, but with the advent of the internet, they have become rampant in cyberspace. There are different types of online scams.

You name it, and there is a scam for it. Scams have become a reality in our lives and they are here to stay. That is indeed the harsh reality, however, we can educate ourselves and remain vigilant so we don’t fall victim to scammers.

In this blog post, my focus in on Employment Scams on LinkedIn™. You are probably aware of the professional network, LinkedIn™.

It’s the largest online professional network on which you will find people who have professional profiles. This social network is similar to Facebook, except that it is meant for professional use. You probably already have a LinkedIn™ profile yourself. It’s a great place to network with other professionals and companies. However, like any other popular places on the internet, LinkedIn™ has also become a breeding ground for scammers.

I’ve maintained a professional LinkedIn™ profile for many years now and it has helped me greatly. I’m picky on whose LinkedIn™ connection requests I accept, especially because of scammers and spammers. However, it’s not always easy to determine whether a specific connection is a scammer or not. So sometimes when I’m not sure, I will accept the connection request and take it from there.

Recently, I accepted two LinkedIn™ connection requests and both of them ended up being scammers. I’m not sure if you’ve heard about the Financial Coordinator or Accounts Receivable Scams, but that’s exactly what these two scammers approached me with. Basically, these scammers create fake profiles on LinkedIn™ and pose as real people.

The goal of the scammers is to target anyone, whether you’re looking for a job or not. They approach you politely asking if you’d be interested in a part-time job while still working at your current job. The scammers say that their company is expanding in your country and they would like you to be their payment coordinator. They try to get your personal information, including your banking information. These scammers make it look real by picking actual and legitimate companies that are currently in operation, and pose as if they work for that company. Check the video below to see how the scam actually works.

Both these scammers that I encountered on LinkedIn™ approached me with the same scam, but for different companies. When they started corresponding with me, I immediately knew that they were scammers. So I decided to play along to just prove to them that they were scammers on LinkedIn™.

(Excerpt of Scam Email I Received on LinkedIn)

The above image is a an excerpt of one of the scam emails I received from one of the scammers. And further down the page, you can check my video on how I went about my correspondence with the scammers on LinkedIn™. You will also find out how the scam works and how innocent people have fallen victim to it and lost their hard-earned money.

Hope this was helpful. Stay vigilant and be careful with whom you connect with on social networks, be it Facebook, LinkedIn™, or any other online networks. I’ve even seen these kind of scam emails via spam email in my inbox. As I said earlier, this is just one type of scam.

There are many other types of scams around all over the world wide web. You can check my article on The Black Book of Scams, Canadian Edition, to learn about different scams that are being used to target innocent Canadians.

Credits: LinkedIn, the LinkedIn logo, the IN logo and InMail are registered trademarks or trademarks of LinkedIn Corporation and its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries.

Niagara Falls Clifton Hill Attractions and Entertainment

I’ve visited Niagara Falls and Clifton Hill several times in the past 15 years. In a previous blog post, I covered some of the major tourist attractions at Niagara Falls. In this blog post, I will cover some of the most popular Clifton Hill Attractions and Entertainment.

Niagara SkyWheel: if you want to get a truly breathtaking view from 175 feet up in the sky, then get on the Niagara SkyWheel.

This gigantic Ferris wheel is equipped with comfortable, enclosed and temperature-controlled gondolas (or cars). So the gondolas are heated during the winter, and air-conditioned during the summer. This Ferris wheel ride offers visitors a magnificent bird’s eye view of the Niagara Falls and the surrounding areas. The SkyWheel operates throughout the year and the ride is around 10 to 15 minutes. While atop the Ferris wheel, you can take amazing aerial photos as well.

Wizards Golf or Dinosaur Adventure Golf: both these Clifton Hill attractions are great for mini-golf enthusiasts. They are both 18-hole courses that offer a unique miniature golf experience with two unique options. The Wizards Golf course is an in-door glow-in-the-dark mini-golf course that will help you get lost in the world of dragons, trolls and wizards. Whereas the Dinosaur Adventure Golf consists of dual outdoor 18-hole courses in a Jurassic Park-kind of setting with life-size dinosaurs, steam-based volcanic eruptions, and jungle sound effects to make it an unique experience. It is Canada’s largest mini-golf course covering 70,000 square feet.

Wax Museums: if you would like to experience real life-sized Hollywood and music celebrities in wax, then you’re going to love Movieland Wax Museum of Stars and Louis Tussaud’s Wax Museum. These two wax museums feature popular old and new movie and music stars like Elvis Presley, Harrison Ford (as Indiana Jones), Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, Arnold Schwarzenenegger (as the Terminator), Justin Bieber, and many more.

Other Fun Museums: if you’re fascinated by the record-breaking feats and facts, and interested in exploring the world of no-limits, then you will enjoy “Ripley's Believe or Not Museum” and the “Guinness Museum”. You will find yourself lost in this world of out-of-this-world human achievements and fascinating stories. The Ripley’s museum houses over 500 exhibits that will amuse you.

Wild & Entertaining Rides: if you enjoy coaster rides, then you will find some thrilling and entertaining fun riding the “Wild West Coaster” and “Ripley’s 4D Ride”. The Wild West Coaster is a unique 6D motion ride that you will find yourself immersed in and feel part of the action. The Ripley’s 4D Ride is a moving theatre which will thrill many of your senses while keeping you entertained.

If you’re looking for something spooky with a haunted-house like theme, then you will enjoy the “Ghostblasters Dark Ride” which is located in the Great Canadian Midway. This interactive and fun ride will keep you at the edge of your seat while you’re confronted with darkness, black-light, and animated props while you blast your way with a laser gun.

Great Canadian Midway

Great Canadian Midway: is the largest video arcade at Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls. This 70,000 square feet video arcade features 300 plus games for everyone, including a rock n' roll themed 10-pin bowling alley.

The “Wild West Coaster” and “Ghostblasters Dark Ride” mentioned above are also located in the Great Canadian Midway.

If you have limited time and want to cover some of the most popular Niagara Falls attractions, you can consider the Clifton Hill FUN PASS. This pass will also save you money and covers the following five attractions. If purchased online, you may get a discounted price or added bonuses:

• The Niagara SkyWheel
• Wizards Golf or Dinosaur Adventure Golf
• Movieland Wax Museum of Stars
• Wild West Coaster
• Ghostblasters Dark Ride
• Great Canadian Midway Tokens

Niagara Falls is the most beautiful waterfalls I’ve ever visited in my life so far. Even though I’ve been to the Falls numerous times, there is still so much I haven’t done or experienced there. So I look forward to my next visit to Niagara Falls. In the meantime, hope you found this useful to help you prepare for your trip to Niagara Falls.

Credits & Information Links:
All photos on this blog post belong to the author of this blog.
Niagara Falls Visitor & Tourism Information
Niagara Falls Visitors Guide
Municipal Parking Lots

Things To Do at Niagara Falls Canada

Niagara Falls in the Winter

Since I immigrated to Canada over 15 years ago, I’ve visited Niagara Falls (also known as the Horseshoe Falls) many times.

In fact, I lived in St. Catherines, Ontario for a couple of years which is about 15 to 20 minutes drive to Niagara Falls. Anyway, lest I digress – my point is that I’ve visited the Falls so many times that I’ve lost count.

Needless to say, every time I visited the Horseshoe Falls, I’ve always enjoyed my visit and it’s never been the same as my prior visits. One of the reasons being that every season you go to the Falls, it’s different.

Every season, be it Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, you will have a different experience. My most recent visit was during winter 2015 with a few of my friends. We went on a week day so it wasn’t too crowded and spent all day there.

There is no way, you will be able to cover everything in one day, unless you are the Flash, in terms of sight-seeing and other local attractions. Therefore, it’s important to plan your visit ahead of time. During my last visit, we spent some time at the waterfalls and experienced nature’s beauty. And the rest of the time at Clifton Hill where we had lunch and then played a couple of bowling games at the Great Canadian Midway.

Below I will list down some of the major tourist attractions at Niagara Falls:

Niagara Falls Canada

Maid of the Mist: if you are adventurous and want to get really close to the waterfalls, then you should definitely take the “Maid of the Mist” boat tours. These 30-minute boat tours operate between April and October every year and let you experience the American Falls and the Horseshow Falls like none other. You will get wet, but they do provide a disposable poncho (raincoat).

Journey Behind the Falls: is exactly what it sounds like. During the months of spring and summer, visitors can experience the Falls from behind through descending elevators and via the Upper and Lower observation decks. This Behind the Falls tour last around 45 minutes and you will also receive a disposable poncho to keep you dry.

Niagara Falls Helicopter Ride: gives you an breathtaking aerial tour of some beautiful sections of the Niagara region. This aerial tour gives you a unique opportunity to experience the Falls from the sky and take amazing pictures. It covers areas like the Falls, the whirlpool area and rapids, the Rainbow bridge, scenic beauty of Queen Victoria Park, and the Niagara river, to name a few. You can get a special discounted rate for the helicopter ride if you book your hotel accommodation at the Clifton Hill Comfort Inn.

Skylon Tower Niagara Falls

Skylon Tower: located at the heart of Niagara Falls is an observation tower towering 520 feet from street level (775 feet from the bottom of the Falls). The Skylon tower has three Yellow Bug elevators on the outside of the tower that take 52 seconds to get to the top of the tower.

There is an inner and outer observation deck a top the tower allowing visitors the highest vantage point in Niagara Falls to experience the beauty of the Falls and thousands of square miles of cityscape. The Skylon Tower has a revolving dining restaurant as well as a casual Summit Suite Buffet and much more.

Hornblower Cruises: as the name suggests, these are boat cruises. They are similar to the “Maid of the Mist” boat tour, but different at the same time. There are different cruises options: Voyage to the Falls, Falls Illumination Cruise, Falls Fireworks Cruise, and Sunset Cocktail Cruise. These boat 30 to 45 minute boat cruises allow you to have an immersive experience of the Falls in a very unique manner. You can check all the Hornblower Cruise Options.

Marineland: is great for families with kids as well as thrill-seekers. You can experience exciting rides like the world’s tallest triple tower, the Sky Screamer, Dragon Mountain roller coaster, as well as many other amusement park rides. You can attend a variety of live shows and experience trained dolphins, walruses and sea lions perform fun and entertaining tricks. You get an opportunity to interact with some of the fascinating creatures of the oceans. You can also get an up-close look at Beluga whales and Killer whales at the Arctic Cove and the Friendship Cove.

As I mentioned earlier, there is so much you can do at Niagara Falls. However, depending on how much time you decide to spend there, you may not be able to cover all the attractions. If you have limited time and want to cover some of the most popular Niagara Falls attractions, you can consider the Clifton Hill FUN PASS. This pass will also save you money and covers the following five attractions. If purchased online, you may get a discounted price or added bonuses:

• The Niagara SkyWheel
• Wizards Golf or Dinosaur Adventure Golf
• Movieland Wax Museum of Stars
• Wild West Coaster
• Ghostblasters Dark Ride
• Great Canadian Midway Tokens

You can buy individual tickets to Clifton Hill attractions, but if you buy the Clifton Hill FUN PASS, you can save up to 50% on many popular local attractions. You can also check these Niagara Falls Attraction Coupons to save some money. Children ages 12 and under get a special discounted price on the Clifton Hill FUN PASS as well as individual tickets.

Check my blog post, on Clifton Hill Attractions and Entertainment.

Niagara Falls is the most beautiful waterfalls I’ve ever visited in my life so far. Even though I’ve been to the Falls numerous times, there is still so much I haven’t done or experienced there. So I look forward to my next visit to Niagara Falls. In the meantime, hope you found this useful to help you prepare for your trip to Niagara Falls.

Credits & Information Links:
All photos on this blog post belong to the author of this blog.
Niagara Falls Visitor & Tourism Information
Niagara Falls Visitors Guide
Municipal Parking Lots