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In case you didn’t know, Halloween is a big deal, especially when you are four years old.
My son is at that age where you have more costume ideas than time. Or resources. Or your parent’s money.
 
While I navigate negotiating costume expectations vs reality; my wife and I also have to ensure we have a Halloween outing that is fun; (hopefully) memorable; and safe.
 
When it comes to safety and Halloween, some things are obvious but we often miss other aspects as we stockpile our candy in September.

Three years ago, I encountered my first winter in Canada and to this day I still remember the very first snowflake that fell on my hand. It was magical. 

However, my fascination quickly turned into horror as I found myself walking through 20 cm deep snow embraced by the minus 30°C temperature. This is how my home city, Winnipeg, jolted me into the realities of winter. Or as Winnipeggers called it, ‘Winterpeg’.

Strong storms, including tornadoes, can and do happen in Canada. If we can’t control the weather, we can at least prepare for it.
 

In this digital age, there are many tech tools available to help you prepare and safely weather storms. Here are some tips for using tech to prepare for hurricanes this season. 

Jim and his wife always remind their friends how important it is to wear their lifejackets when they go out on the water.

A few years ago, they were out fishing in a Saskatchewan provincial park with another couple. Jim remembers asking his wife if she had caught a fish. That’s when he noticed that she appeared to be dozing off.
 

When our daughter Ruby was six months old, we enrolled in Red Cross lessons at our local pool. Those first few lessons were tough, with a crying unhappy baby but we stuck with it. Very quickly Ruby started to gain confidence, and with that a love of the water. She is so proud of every level she completes and looks forward to spending time at the pool each week. This past winter Ruby started synchronized swimming, and those Red Cross swimming lessons helped her pick up the choreography and strokes more quickly.  Those basic swimming skills are the foundation of all water activities like diving, snorkelling, paddle boarding, skim boarding and more. 
 

Swimming back to shore wasn’t exactly how the kayaking day trip was supposed to end. It was a warm, sunny day in July when Serge, his wife Carole and their youngest son, Xavier, decided to head out in their sea kayak to explore Skull Island, not too far from their cottage in southeastern New Brunswick. The water is usually relatively calm in the bay and warm, perfect for kayaking.
 

Ah August, when summer is in full bloom. It’s a beautiful time of year with hopefully plenty of sun and heat. It is also the time when you have to start thinking of autumn. For us, that means thinking of activities for our son, particularly swim lessons.