Travel tips from Canadian 'the world's most travelled man'

Mike Spencer Bown has been backpacking virtually non-stop since 1990, and has visited all 195 of the world's countries on all seven continents.

His grand adventure started 23 years ago, while he was looking down from a mountain in British Columbia. He told CTV Your Morning he had always been fascinated by ecosystems and was inspired to explore new ones.

“I’d seen what I could see across Canada and the States, but I was really curious about jungles, maybe the Himalaya Mountains and things like that,” said Bown, who says he first began his vagabond lifestyle to see different kinds of animals. “But then I found out that people, if anything, were actually more interesting.”

Through his travels Bown picked up a trick or two. For example, a khaki shirt with a lot of pockets is helpful for impersonating officials.

Canada's Gang Hotspots

CBC Reportage

In Atlantic Canada, the Bacchus outlaw motorcycle club runs the drug trade, according to police biker crime specialists. In oil-rich Alberta, bullets fly when the Red Scorpions clash with the United Nations crew. In the Prairies, the White Boy Posse's migration east from Edmonton has spilled blood in Saskatchewan.

Gang activity even blights Ottawa, one of the world's safest cities.

The capital logged a record 49 shootings in 2014, prompting police to address concerns about gangland disputes. Among those incidents was a targeted Boxing Day shooting that wounded one man during what investigators called "infighting" between members of the Crips.

Although Canada's crime rate is trending down, organized crime hotspots still seethe — often outside the urban hubs of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

That Quick! Fake tax man defrauded Calgary victims of $60K in phone scam

The Canadian Press 
As if dealing with the tax man isn't already bad enough, police in Calgary are warning about a telephone scam involving a caller who claims to be from the Canada Revenue Agency.

Police say it began last month when members of the public received a call from a man who said they owed back taxes and would be arrested if they didn't pay immediately.

The faux tax man had some of the victims' personal information, including their name, address and bank account details.

They were instructed to pay the debt with prepaid credit cards or through a money transfer service, and were kept on the phone until the transaction was complete.

Police say 35 victims were identified in 2014 and defrauded of a total of $60,000

Calgary New Year House Party Sees 7 People Shot, 1 Dead

Calgary Police cordon off a street in southwest Calgary after several people were wounded at a house party on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press
Gunfire at a New Year's house party shattered the predawn quiet in a sleepy Calgary neighbourhood Thursday morning, leaving one person dead and six wounded.

"All I heard was like this 'pop, pop, pop, pop.' I was half asleep, half awake, and that's all I heard, and I didn't really know what it was so I just went back to sleep,'' said Nita Nestman, who lives in a condo on the same street.

Nestman said the street had been quiet for most of the evening. When she heard the noise she didn't expect it to be gunfire.

"I was like, 'What the heck is that noise? Tires popping?''' she said.

Wish list for the seven NHL Canadian teams

The Montreal Canadiens are currently sitting atop the Atlantic Division standings with 46 points, thanks in large part to goaltender Carey Price. (Richard Wolowicz/Getty Image

Paul McGaughey, CBC 
Montreal Canadiens
It might be tough to say that a team is in need of something when they are sitting at the top of the division standings -- which is currently the case for the Canadiens.

However, the Tampa Bay Lightning have equalled Montreal's 46 points and the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs are also in striking distance with 45 and 43 points respectively.

For the Canadiens to separate themselves from the pack in the Atlantic, it may come down to a simple equation: they don't allow a lot of goals, ranking sixth at 2.37 per game, but they also aren't exactly an offensive juggernaut, ranking 19th in the NHL at 2.60 goals-for per game.

On the surface at least, that doesn't seem to leave much wiggle room for error.

Custom Seized 20 Dead Birds From Traveller At Calgary International Airport

Metro
Customs agents seized 20 dead baby birds, 100 chestnuts and six bags of homemade cracked wheat and yogurt found in the suitcase of a traveller from Lebanon at Calgary International Airport last week.

The items were first detected by a dog relied on by the Canada Border Services Agency named Rusty.

Some seeds and fruit were also seized.

“These products have a very high probability of carrying harmful diseases that could potentially cause significant harm to Canada’s agricultural industry,” officials said in a release.

Calgary dog comforts witnesses during court session

Michelle Zilio, CTVNews

As two child witnesses re-live some of their most horrific memories in a Calgary courtroom this week, they will be comforted by a special four-legged support worker.

Hawk, one of the first-ever therapy dogs to sit inside a Canadian courtroom, was there to comfort as a seven-year-old girl took the stand Tuesday, instinctively knowing when a head on the lap or a snuggle was needed.

The girl is testifying against her father who has been accused of sexually abusing her. Her nine-year-old brother will also eventually testify, with the black Labrador retriever by his side as well.

Calgary Stampeders Beat Hamilton Tiger Cats To The 102nd GreyCup Summit

Tense moment for Calgary fans. Hamilton wide receiver Brandon Banks' touch down was called back due to a flag on the play in the fourth quarter during the 102nd Grey Cup in Vancouver, B.C. on Nov. 30, 2014. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Darryl Dyck)

James Keller, The Canadian Press                                          
There was a very brief moment Sunday evening when Calgary Stampeders fan Clint Noble thought the Grey Cup was slipping through his team's fingers.

It didn't last long -- a penalty that nullified a Brandon Banks touchdown late in the game put a welcome end to the drama as the Stampeders defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 20-16 to capture the 102nd Grey Cup at B.C. Place.

With 35 seconds left, the stadium erupted in cheers and gasps as Banks returned a punt into the end zone, but an illegal block penalty scuttled the play.

"When it's live, you don't really see it on the replay, so it's hard to say if it was legit," Noble, 28 said of the penalty. "There were a few calls the other way earlier that were controversial, too."
Calgarian Merlin Radke noticed the penalty before Banks had even finished running.
"I saw the flag drop right away so I kind of sat back and laughed," said Radke, 51.

Calgary Holds The Turf As Canada Most Attractive Real Estate

File photo of Calgary's skyline. | Lynn Koenig via Getty Images

Zi-Ann Lum | Huff
A recent slip in oil prices hasn’t bucked Alberta’s housing market from being one of the country’s most affordable, according to a report released by RBC Economic Research on Wednesday.

Considered part of Canada’s current trio of “hot” markets, Calgary sets itself apart from Vancouver and Toronto because of its “attractive” affordability.

Economists attribute the province’s housing market buoyancy to factors including a strong energy-backed economy, rising incomes, and a population boom. And the results speak for themselves: home resales in Alberta increased by 0.9 per cent from last quarter, setting a new record high.

“A strong economy and rapid population growth continue to trump any possible worries that Alberta’s energy boom might bust in the near future,” RBC’s chief economist Craig Wright explained in a statement.

Nathan O'Brien Parents Establish Charity To Honor Missing Son

The parents of a five-year-old Calgary boy who disappeared in June have set up a new charity to honour his memory.

Four months after Nathan O’Brien vanished, along with his grandparents, his parents have established the Nathan O’Brien Children’s Foundation with the help of a man in North Carolina who was touched by the family’s tragic story.

The five-year-old had been staying over with his grandparents, Alvin and Kathy Liknes, on the weekend the trio went missing. Their disappearance prompted a massive search.

Though their bodies have never been located, Nathan and his grandparents are presumed dead. Douglas Garland has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one charge of second second-degree murder in connection with their deaths.

The family says they want to help their son’s spirit live on by helping other children fulfill their dreams.

Nathan’s father, Rod O’Brien, says the endowment fund is also an opportunity for his family to heal.
“We’re exchanging grief for hope, and we’re moving forward as a family, we’re reinventing ourselves,” Rod O’Brien said in an interview with CTV Calgary.

Many people were touched by the tragedy, including William Neisler, of North Carolina, who reached out to the family. Neisler has donated $1 million to establish the charitable foundation.
“Just seeing the picture of Nathan; that innocent, angelic face of his,” Neisler said. “It just tugged at my heart.”

Heroic | Calgary Flames Hold Moment Of Silence For Cpl. Nathan Cirillo

CALGARY, AB - OCTOBER 23: A giant Canadian flag is displayed in a moment of silence for the Ottawa shooting tragedy before the game between the Calgary Flames and the Carolina Hurricanes at Scotiabank Saddledome on October 23, 2014 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images) | Gerry Thomas via Getty Images

A moment of silence was observed before the Calgary Flames hosted the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday to commemorate the shootings in Ottawa and attack in Quebec.

Country music singer George Canyon sang "O Canada" as a large Canadian flag was unfurled at centre ice of Calgary's Saddledome.

The fans in attendance cheered in appreciation and loudly sang along with Canyon.

The pre-game ceremony was held in honour of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who was shot and killed on Wednesday as he stood watch at Ottawa's National War Memorial.

Gunman Michael Zehaf Bibeau was later shot and killed when he tried to enter the House of Commons.

Cpl. Cirillo was the second soldier to die in an attack this week. Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent was run down by an attacker with jihadist sympathies on Monday in Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que.

In Boston, Rene Rancourt sang "O Canada" before the American national anthem as the Bruins hosted the New York Islanders. Also, the San Jose Sharks played "O Canada" before their game with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Usually, "O Canada" is only sung in an American arena if a Canadian team is playing. Both Boston and San Jose dispensed with this formality as a tribute to Canada.

Science | Calgary university gets $10M for oilsands research

Metro file photo - The University of Calgary's main campus entrance.

Bill GravelandThe Canadian Press

Nanotechnology similar to that used to kill tumours in cancer patients could be adapted to improve in situ oil recovery in Alberta’s oilsands, says an international researcher.

Stanley Bryant, a world-leading nanotechnology expert from the University of Texas in Austin, was introduced Thursday as the latest Canada Excellence Research Chair at the University of Calgary.

A federal energy research program awards world-renowned scientists and their teams up to $10 million over seven years to establish research programs.

“I don’t need to remind this audience of the world-class petroleum resource here in Alberta. I don’t need to remind this audience either of the litany of challenges associated with that resource,” Bryant said at a University of Calgary ceremony.

“What we want to do is reduce the environmental impact of existing development strategies to come up with entirely new ways to extract energy involving little or even no environmental impact.”

Bryant will receive $10 million from the federal government and another $10 million from the university to create a chair for materials engineering for unconventional oil reservoirs at the Schulich School of Engineering and Faculty of Science.

Hockey | Jonas Hiller of Calgary Flames makes 49 stops in overtime win over Chicago Blackhawks

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh. Jonas Hiller made 49 saves and Mikael Backlund scored at 4:35 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 2-1 victory.

Jay Cohen, Associated Press 

Jonas Hiller made 49 saves and Mikael Backlund scored at 4:35 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night.

Dennis Wideman also scored for the Flames, who were coming off a 3-2 win at Nashville on Tuesday.

The Blackhawks controlled the action for much of the night, enjoying a whopping 50-18 advantage in shots on goal. But Hiller was outstanding and Backlund used a wrist shot to beat Corey Crawford on the goaltender’s glove side for his first goal of the season.

Andrew Shaw scored in the third period and Crawford had 16 saves in Chicago’s first loss in three games

The overtime began with a nice stop by Crawford on Paul Byron’s breakaway opportunity just 40 seconds into the extra period. Brad Richards had a chance to win the game for the Blackhawks, but his tip off a nice pass from Duncan Keith went wide.

Calgary | Power Out For Downtown Residents Until Thursday

Enmax work crews attend to a massive power failure Sunday morning as a fire occurred in downtown area

Power should be restored by Thursday​ to thousands of downtown Calgary businesses and residents left in the dark on the weekend by an underground electrical fire.

The power outage hit approximately 2,100 businesses and 5,000 residents on Saturday night.

Late Monday afternoon, Alberta Premier Jim Prentice and Mayor Naheed Nenshi met with impacted downtown residents at an emergency information centre set up in the Mewata Armoury.

"I think it's fair to say that once again Calgary and Calgarians have risen to the challenge and are showing incredible resiliency and community spirit," Prentice said later in a press conference.

Power should be restored to the entire impacted section of the downtown by midday Thursday, said an Enmax official.

Transportation downtown should be almost back to normal for the Tuesday morning rush hour, Nenshi said during a news conference held early Monday at the Calgary Emergency Management Agency headquarters.

Ebola News: Screenings to take place at airports in 6 Canadian cities

Reuters

Canada will step up border screening to try to prevent an Ebola importation to this country, federal Health Minister Rona Ambrose says. Screenings, more staff for Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, Ottawa, Calgary

"Our government will be taking the additional step of taking targeted temperature screens," she told the House of Commons on Wednesday, though she offered no detail about what that would mean or whether it would be only at airports or all border crossings.

The Canadian Press requested an interview with an official of the Public Health Agency of Canada to get clarification on Canada's plans, but one was not granted. However, several hours after Ambrose made her remark in the Commons, the agency issued a press release providing some detail of what increased screening will look like.

The statement, from the new head of the Public Health Agency of Canada, noted there are no direct flights to Canada from the affected countries in West Africa.

Calgary Man Shoots Himself While Hunting

A 50-year-old Calgary man has learned an important lesson about gun safety after he shot himself in the arm Monday night.

Police told the Calgary Sun the incident happened around 7 p.m. in the 11,000 block of 146 Avenue S.E.

The man was out in his truck, hunting coyotes on his acreage, when the long gun he had lying across his lap discharged, shooting him in the elbow, reports CBC News.

Police told 660 News the incident appears to be accidental and that the man was not doing anything illegal.

The man was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Calgary Snow Update: Major Power Outages During Storm

Fire crews responding to reports of a downed power line in northwest Calgary on Wednesday. Colleen Underwood/CBC

Thousands of Calgary homes and businesses are still without power after a freak September snowstorm blanketed the city, and officials are expecting some Calgarians will have no power overnight.

"We are still very much in an active situation," said Mayor Naheed Nenshi.

Emergency responders and utility workers have been scrambling to deal with power lines downed by snow-laden tree branches. They expect work to continue into Thursday, and the cleanup could take days or even weeks.

"Don't be alarmed if you hear chainsaws [tonight]," said Nenshi.

The mayor said the priorities right now are keeping Calgarians safe, restoring power and clearing the roads of debris.

Power outages expected overnight
 The city says it is waiving tipping fees at local landfills for Calgarians to dispose of debris. Residents are being asked not to put broken branches in the blue recycling bins, green organic bins or black garbage bins.

There were roughly 200 reports of outages in Calgary on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the city-owned utility Enmax said the situation is very fluid, and more power outages are expected as more trees break under the weight of the heavy snow.

If Not For Snow, You'd Think Hurricane Had Just Hit Calgary

                             
If it weren't for the snow, you'd think a hurricane had just hit Calgary.

Hundreds of trees in the western city snapped and buckled under the weight of Wednesday's heavy snow, creating slaloms for motorist trying to avoid huge limbs and debris. Other roads were blocked entirely.

Several trees were entirely uprooted, while others caused power outages after their branches broke and tore down electricity lines.

These Canadians Ain't Loyal, Two Calgary Brothers Join ISIS

Collin And Gregory Gordon, Calgary Brothers, Join ISIS. The federal government must step up its efforts to counter the radicalization and recruitment of young Canadians by extremist Islamic groups, a Calgary imam said Friday.

And Syed Soharwardy said people who return from abroad after a stint with radicals in Syria or Iraq should be under a police microscope as soon as they land.

Soharwardy made the comments following a CBC report that identified Calgary brothers Collin and Gregory Gordon as two more young men who have recently left Canada to join Islamic fighters in Syria.

Not coincidentally, the spectre of homegrown terrorism was a dominant theme in the federal government's annual national security report, released Friday by Public Safety Canada.

Terrorism remains the principal threat to national security, the report concludes, stressing the need to work with communities to counter insidious recruitment efforts on Canadian soil.

Soharwardy, who represents the groups Muslims Against Terrorism and the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada, welcomed the report's conclusions, but chastised the government for falling short of the necessary effort.

"Early intervention is needed and the government has the resources and the tools to do that," Soharwardy said.

"Communities, non-profit organizations, Muslims are working whatever they can with their own resources, but definitely it is the government role to support those activities."

Calgary Imam Raises Alarm On Canadian Youth Drafted Into Terrorism

A prominent Calgary imam is warning that Canadian youth are being recruited by terrorist groups to travel overseas and fight for Islamist militants.

Syed Soharwardy is hoping a two-day hunger strike, which began Friday, will draw attention to what he says is an increasing problem of home-grown terrorism.

"Muslim youth are getting recruited by these fanatics in Canada, in the United States, in Europe, everywhere," Soharwardy, founder of Muslims Against Terrorism,

The issue of foreign fighters joining terrorist groups in the Middle East has come to the forefront following the beheading of American journalist James Foley by Islamic State militants in Syria.

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has said the masked jihadi pictured holding a knife to Foley's throat is likely British, and linguists have said his accent suggests he is from the London area.
"If it can happen there (in the U.K.), it can happen here," Soharwardy said. "These people are Canadian who are fighting there."

Soharwardy said that after he denounced Foley’s brutal killing, he received a disturbing Facebook message from a former Ottawa high school student who now claims to be an Islamic State militant in Iraq.

“He was trying to convince me what I am saying is wrong and what ISIS is doing is right,” Soharwardy said.

University of Calgary political science professor Michael Zekulin said Canada's approach to fighting radicalization has fallen behind, and Islamic State's threat to the West should be taken seriously.

"They (Islamic State) have international appeal, but do they have the international reach to actually get people back to target the West?" Zekulin asked.

CTV