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Your Last-Minute Long Weekend Guide to Alberta
HOW is it almost the August long weekend already?! If you’re anything like me, this weekend somehow manages to sneak up on you every year. It’s not until someone inevitably asks ‘Any plans for the long weekend?’ that I realize I’ve failed to see it coming yet AGAIN, as I answer ‘This weekend is the long weekend?? Well I guess I have no plans!’
So while I do think there’s a lot to be said for the ‘no plan-plan’, it’s not too late to make some actual plans for the upcoming weekend. And no matter where you are in the province, there’s something great happening- here are just a few!
Polynesian Days at Alberta Beach
For over four decades, Alberta Beach has hosted Polynesian Days (Poly Days) over the August long weekend. Over 20 great locally-sponsored events occur throughout the weekend, with the main attraction being the Alberta Beach Music Festival, located in Gazebo Park and running all afternoon and evening on Saturday! There’s also a great kids area featuring face painters, balloon artists, slides and bouncy castles!
JAWS at the Lake – Sylvan Lake
Imagine watching the movie JAWS… while in the water! Well you can on August 6th when the Town of Sylvan Lake, in partnership with Fresh Air Cinema and Movies on the Beach presents Steven Spielberg’s 1975 classic. So be sure to bring your floatie, or if you’re more of a cautious type, the double sided screen lets you watch from dry land too. The event is FREE, dependent on the weather and JAWS is rated PG13. There’ll be food trucks on hand for when you get hungry and and special deals from Sylvan Lake Aqua Splash!
Loud as Hell Festival – Drumheller
The Loud As Hell Metal Festival in Drumheller is one of the top underground music festivals in Canada and is celebrating year 6 for 2017! Organizers say ‘We encourage everyone to camp and probably consider booking Tuesday off to recover your ears, livers and lungs. We’ve got our best lineup yet, ready to melt your face and kick off our biggest festival to date!’ The event is all ages but keep in mind there are licensed beer gardens as well, so organizers just ask that everyone respect those around them.
The Edmonton Heritage Festival is a three-day event where you can try delicious food, watch dozens of great performances and truly experience the multiculturalism of Canada! Make sue you bring your walking shows when you take in the tastes, sights, smells and sounds from 100 countries and cultures at 71 pavilions. Exploring the festival and enjoying the entertainment is free and food tickets can be purchased on site. Check out the menu here!
Hike to the Drive Lanes: Moon of the Buffalo Rut – Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo-Jump
On Saturday August 5, take in some fascinating history as you hike to ancient buffalo drive lanes accompanied by Blackfoot guides! You’ll hear stories of how the plains people hunted the mighty buffalo as you navigate this amazing World Heritage Site. You’ll need to be prepared for an off-trail hike and you should dress appropriately for inclement weather. You’ll also want to bring lunch and water bottle along. Register in advance as space is limited. This program is not recommended for small children.
Crowsnest Pass Open Doors and Heritage Festival
The Crowsnest Pass is excited to launch its 12th annual Doors Open and Heritage Festival weekend! The theme is Lawmen: Rum Running in Crowsnest Pass. Throughout the weekend, the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre and the community of the Crowsnest Pass will be highlighting the story of the Rum Runners. You’ll enjoy guided hikes, presentations and events highlight the Crowsnest Pass and the amazing stories of Emilio Picarello, the Red and Black Routes and the Whiskey Six, just to name a few. The Crowsnest County Market, Car Show, Teddy Bear Picnic, and Coal Miners’ Picnic are just a few of the great events taking place over the weekend- click here for a full list of events!
Pigeon Lake Music Festival – Mulhurst Bay
To commemorate it’s 30th anniversary, Hilah Ayers Wilderness RV park will be hosting the inaugural Pigeon Lake Music Festival on August 5th &6th- visitors, campers and music-lovers alike are invited to attend what is sure to be an unforgettable affair! An impressive roster of emerging, iconic and talented musicians has been assembled guaranteeing the weekend will be filled with memorable performances and good times. Organizers say the outdoor ambiance, intimate & interactive setting, and event exclusivity will create an experience you’ll be talking about for years to come. Click here for the full line-up.
That’s just a handful of things happening over the next several days- for even more check out these great resources:
Whatever you end up doing this weekend, have lots of fun and stay safe!
From the Fraser Institute
By Jake Fuss and Grady Munro
There would have been 1.5 million more Canadians who donated to charity in 2023—and $755.5 million more in donations—had Canadians given to the same extent they did 10 years prior
According to recent polling, approximately one in five Canadians have skipped paying a bill over the past year so they can buy groceries. As families are increasingly hard-pressed to make ends meet, this undoubtedly means more and more people must seek out food banks, shelters and other charitable organizations to meet their basic necessities.
And each year, Canadians across the country donate their time and money to charities to help those in need—particularly around the holiday season. Yet at a time when the relatively high cost of living means these organizations need more resources, new data published by the Fraser Institute shows that the level of charitable giving in Canada is actually falling.
Specifically, over the last 10 years (2013 to 2023, the latest year of available data) the share of tax-filers who reported donating to charity fell from 21.9 per cent to 16.8 per cent. And while fewer Canadians are donating to charity, they’re also donating a smaller share of their income—during the same 10-year period, the share of aggregate income donated to charity fell from 0.55 per cent to 0.52 per cent.
To put this decline into perspective, consider this: there would have been 1.5 million more Canadians who donated to charity in 2023—and $755.5 million more in donations—had Canadians given to the same extent they did 10 years prior. Simply put, this long-standing decline in charitable giving in Canada ultimately limits the resources available for charities to help those in need.
On the bright side, despite the worrying long-term trends, the share of aggregate income donated to charity recently increased from 0.50 per cent in 2022 to 0.52 per cent in 2023. While this may seem like a marginal improvement, 0.02 per cent of aggregate income for all Canadians in 2023 was $255.7 million.
The provinces also reflect the national trends. From 2013 to 2023, every province saw a decline in the share of tax-filers donating to charity. These declines ranged from 15.4 per cent in Quebec to 31.4 per cent in Prince Edward Island.
Similarly, almost every province recorded a drop in the share of aggregate income donated to charity, with the largest being the 24.7 per cent decline seen in P.E.I. The only province to buck this trend was Alberta, which saw a 3.9 per cent increase in the share of aggregate income donated over the decade.
Just as Canada as a whole saw a recent improvement in the share of aggregate income donated, so too did many of the provinces. Indeed, seven provinces (except Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador) saw an increase in the share of aggregate income donated to charity from 2022 to 2023, with the largest increases occurring in Saskatchewan (7.9 per cent) and Alberta (6.7 per cent).
Canadians also volunteer their time to help those in need, yet the latest data show that volunteerism is also on the wane. According to Statistics Canada, the share of Canadians who volunteered (both formally and informally) fell by 8 per cent from 2018 to 2023. And the total numbers of hours volunteered (again, both formal and informal) fell by 18 per cent over that same period.
With many Canadians struggling to make ends meet, food banks, shelters and other charitable organizations play a critical role in providing basic necessities to those in need. Yet charitable giving—which provides resources for these charities—has long been on the decline. Hopefully, we’ll see this trend turn around swiftly.
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