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From Wikitravel

Canada

Canada is a large multicultural country in North America. It shares its major border to the south with the United States of America. After Russia, Canada is the second largest country in the world.

Get around

Canada is big. The best way to get around the country is by air. Air Canada (http://www.aircanada.ca) is the main national carrier, but for travel between major centres, discount carriers like WestJet (http://www.westjet.ca) and CanJet (http://www.canjet.com) might have better fares. In general, airports are poorly connected to public transportation and railway transportation; expect to leave airports by road on a rental car, taxi or a privately operated bus.

You can also travel between most cities in Canada, small and large, by bus. Greyhound Canada (http://www.greyhound.ca/) provides much of the service, with smaller operators covering local routes. For some popular tourist routes, guided bus tours are also available. Of course, many people choose to rent a car. Although somewhat expensive if you are travelling alone, this can be an economically reasonable alternative if you are sharing the costs with others. However, beware of the high surcharges associated with dropping off the car at a different location than where it was picked up.

Passenger rail service in Canada, although very safe and comfortable, is often an expensive and inconvenient alternative to other types of transport. The corridor between Windsor and Quebec City is a bit of an exception to this generalization. Also, if natural beauty is your thing, the approximately three-day train ride between Toronto and Vancouver passes through the splendour of the Canadian prairies and the Rocky Mountains, with domed observation cars to allow passengers to take in the magnificent views.

Travellers planning to travel by train may find making arrangements ahead of time is advisable in order to find lower fares. VIA Rail (http://www.viarail.ca/) is the main Canadian passenger rail company.

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British Columbia

British Columbia (BC) is the western most province in Canada . Like much of Canada, it is a large place. British Columbia is about four times the size of Great Britain with less than one tenth of the population.

British Columbia is a very mountainous region. There are a number of major mountain ranges ending with the Rocky Mountains that divide BC and Alberta.

Like in most places worth visiting, there is a little something for everyone in this region. However, you will want to spend at least some time outside of the main cities in this region, and if you enjoy a very active and adventurous vacation, there are many options here to explore. "Ecotourism" is an often mentioned attraction in this part of Canada. Whether backpacking in the majestic forests or coast mountains, or kayaking through the many groups of islands, getting off the beaten path is sure to lead to a memorable trip.

History

  BC was the sixth province to join the Confederation of Canada, in 1871. Being on the Pacific, it has always had a strong Asian influence.
The indigenous people of BC have been called Indians or Native Canadians, but now the generally accepted term is First Nation.
  Year 1789: The Spaniards and the British fight the coasts of North America. Year 1792: Spaniards and British decide that the coasts of North America would have to be open to the interchange of boats of all the nations (Agreement of Nootka).
  Prior to arrival of Europeans BC was a very prosperous area. This was largely due the abundance of salmon. This was demonstrated by the advanced culture that existed in BC. There were literally dozens of separate languages and peoples in BC. Initially the arrival of Europeans was a positive relationship. However, eventually the Europeans brought smallpox. In a particularly disgraceful occurrence there were cases where individuals intentionally spread Small Pox amongst the First Nations. Small Pox decimated the First Nations people of the coast. There were a number of communities that were entirely wiped out.
  Many First Nations people were encouraged or even forcibly required to send their children to residential schools during the early to mid 20th century. These schools were government sponsored and church run. The primary intent of the schools was to assimilate the First Nation population. Children were not allowed to speak their native languages or return home to visit their family.
  Many of the First Nation communities have being trying to revive their culture and are now often the center of much of the ecotourism industry.
With a few exception, the BC first Nations of BC (unlike the rest of Canada) have never signed treaties or officially ceded their territory to Canada. Therefore the official ownership of much of the province is contested as the First Nations claim much of the province as their territory. The courts have generally acknowledged that their is a basis for the claims based on historical use of the land and has urged the governments to negotiate a settlement to these claims. Settling these land claims is an enormous issue that the Province and the Country have been trying to do. So far only one modern treaty has been signed in the Nis'ga territory in Northern BC.

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Hostels in Vancouver
HI Vancouver 1114 Burnaby Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 1P1 Tel (604) 684-4565 / 1-888-203-4302 Fax (604) 684-4540 Book this Hostel	Hi Vancouver Central 1025 Granville Street Vancouver, BC V6Z 1L4 Tel 604-685-5335 / 1-888-203-8333 Fax. 604-685-5351 Book this Hostel

Hi Vancouver Jericho Beach 1515 Discovery Street Vancouver, BC V6R 4K5 Tel. (604) 224-3208 / 1-888-203-4303 Fax. (604) 224-4852	New Backpackers Hostel 347, W Pender Street Vancouver BC V6B 1T3 Tel.: 604-688-0112 Book this Hostel

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