Editor:
Nature Canada has joined with Parks Canada and the Historica-Dominion Institute to give every Grade 8 student in Canada a free pass to any Parks Canada-administered national park or national historic site.
The pass is good for a whole year, and so the family doesn’t feel left out, students can flash their pass for an instant discount on a daily family or group pass, too.
With 42 national parks, 167 national historic sites and four national marine conservation areas across the country, there are many things you can do with a My Parks Pass — hiking through the Rocky Mountains, sailing down a historic canal or following in the footsteps of Canada’s great historical figures.
Which adventure you take is up to you.
If you share your My Parks Pass experiences through photos and stories on the My Parks Pass Web site (www.myparkspass.ca) you can win great prizes. Send in a photo of your adventure at a national park, national historic site or national marine conservation area, or if you can’t make it out to one of those destinations, take a picture of yourself with the pass. Your photo could get you an iPod Touch or an iTunes gift card.
The passes were distributed to schools across the country, including Langley, so if you have a Grade 8 student in your house, he or she should have it by now. Any Grade 8 students, including home-schooled students who were missed during the distribution, can request a My Parks Pass through the Parks Canada National Information Service at 1-888-773-8888 or information@pc.gc.ca.
As Canadians, we are remarkably fortunate to have abundant opportunities to connect with nature. For so many of us, some of our favourite childhood memories involve being outdoors – and children today can still have those same memorable moments. So I encourage you to use the My Parks Pass, get outside and have fun.
Ian Davidson
Executive Director, Nature Canada