"Guiding Tourists Professionally Locally and Worldwide"

-- Please note the possibility of other events - which could come up at any time -- if they do, we'll post those details on this page. Please check back with us on a regular basis.

>Our monthly Members Meetings are usually held on the last Thursday of most month's, however due to the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in February and March, meetings will either be moved up or postponed. Please check this page for updates.

NOTE: Begining in April 2010, our monthly Members Meetings are moving to the 3rd Thursday of most month's...

January

(Sunday January 3rd; The Annual Brackendale / Squamish Eagle Count takes place.)

+Our first regular Members Meeting of the new year will take place two weeks early, on Thursday evening January 14th, 2010 at the Delta Vancouver Suites Hotel, 550 W Hastings Street (at Seymour) Vancouver. We have arranged for a special guest speaker from the Vancouver Olympic Committee. We are also expecting someone from the City of Vancouver to speak on the road and traffic situation during the 'games.' Doors will open at 6 pm with the meeting starting at 6:30 pm. No need to rsvp. This will be our last meeting till after both sets of the Olympics.

(Thursday Jan 21st; The new free Olympic Line Streetcar service begins...till March 21st, 2010 along the south shore of False Creek from Granville Island to the 2nd and Cambie Olympic Village Canada Line Station.)

(Many of the people [10,000 media, 5000 athletes and thousands of others] who are coming to Vancouver and Whistler for the Olympics will begin arriving in late January, and early February. Expect certain roads to be closed, or at least some lanes will be off limits. For more details, either visit the City of Vancouver website, or vancouvdfascec

(The 21st Winter Olympic Games begin in Vancouver and Whistler on Friday February 12th, 2010. The opening ceremonies begin at 6 pm at BC Place Stadium. The closing ceremonies, also at BC Place, take place on Sunday February 28th.)

(Sunday Feb 14th; Valentine's Day)

(Chinese New Year is also on Sunday February 14th, 2010. The annual parade will start at 9:30 am at Pender and Abbott Streets, Vancouver. It will be the year of the Tiger.)

+Due to the Olympic Games, the CTGA will be unable to hold a regular Members Meeting, or any event, in February.

(Thursday Feb 25th; Women's Olympic Hockey Gold-Medal Game.)

(Sunday Feb 28th; Men's Olympic Hockey Gold-Medal Game. Last day of the Winter Games.)

March 2010

(On Monday March 1st, the day after the Olympic Games concludes, Vancouver International Airport is expecting their busiest day ever. Almost 40,000 people are expected to leave town throughout the day. Expect delays.)

(Week of March 8th to the 12th; Spring Break for most kids, but some school districts made changes due to the Olympic Games and they might not be out this week...)

(The Winter Paralympic Games in Vancouver and Whistler runs from Friday March 12th to Sunday March 21st.)

(Sunday March 14th; Daylight Savings begins - move your clocks ahead one hour.)

(Wed March 17th; St. Patrick's Day. There will not be an annual parade downtown this year, due to the Paralympic Games.)

(Saturday March 20th; Paralympic Sledge Hockey Gold-Medal Game.)

+Our regular end-of-the-month Members Meeting will take place on Thursday evening March 25th at The Delta Vancouver Suites Hotel, Seymour at Hastings Streets. Doors will open earlier than usual at 5:30 pm to allow for more time to socialize after the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Special guest speaker Gordon Price will address us from 7 pm to 8 pm. Following this we'll have more news on up-coming CTGA events, plus a First Aid Course and more. No need to rsvp.

(Saturday March 27th; Earth Hour, turn off your lights at home from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm.)

+Wed March 31st, 2010; The CTGA of BC will indeed hold our "How Do I Become A Tour Guide?" seminar on this date at The Delta Vancouver Suites Hotel, 7 pm to 9 pm. For full details, please click on that button from our 'Home' page.

April

NOTE: Begining in April 2010, our monthly Members Meetings are moving to the 3rd Thursday of most month's...

(Thursday April 1st; Transit Fares go up as do parking rates in most of the downtown and West End. This is not an April Fools day joke...)

(Good Friday is April 2nd, Easter Sunday is April 4th, Easter Monday is April 5th, 2010.)

+CTGA Member Donna P will instruct a First Aid Course for one and all on Saturday April 10th from 8 am to 4:30 pm. Members will receive a discounted rate of $88 and you must pre-register and pick up course materials at St. John House, 6111 Cambie (at 45th Ave). Please register immediately.

+Date Change: Our regular Members Meeting will take place on Thursday evening April 15th. We are now planning to hold our monthly meetings on the 3rd Thursday of most months... Tonight we'll be at The Lookout at the Harbour Centre Tower, Hastings and Seymour. Doors will open at 6 pm, meeting will start at 6:45 pm. Two guest speakers; Phyllis Grant Lavelle, a local author and volunteer at the historic Roedde House in the West End, and John Morton, the owner of Wild Birds Unlimited. No need to rsvp.

(Thursday April 22nd is Earth Day. Please be kind to Mother Earth.)

>Wed April 28th will be the date for the very popular 10th Annual Vancouver's Tourism Showcase...from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm at the new Vancouver Convention Centre. Free. No need to rsvp. This is a drop-by event, but plan to spend at least an hour. There will about 150 booths showcasing a wide variety of products and services aimed at locals and tourists alike. Presented by Les Clefs d'Or BC and by Tourism Vancouver.

>Friday April 30th will be the date for the Annual Capilano Suspension Bridge's Tour Guide and Driver Appreciation Day Breakfast. This year celebrating their partnership with Raptors Ridge. An RSVP is needed, please either call 604-985-7474, or email to schala@capbridge.com. Note: The CTGA might also make a visit to a new venue in downtown Vancouver later this same morning. Members should watch their emails for more information.

May

(Sunday May 2nd; The Annual Vancouver Marathon. Expect traffic delays from early morning to early afternoon.)

(Sunday May 9th; 1) It's Mothers Day. 2) Because of the Olympics, this is the date of the 25th Annual Vancouver Sun Run. Expect traffic delays. In 2011, the Sun Run returns to April [on the 17th]. In 2009 this was the second largest 10 km run in the world.)

+Due to the volume of work this month, our regular Members Meeting, originally planned for Thursday evening May 20th, will not take place. We are hoping to hold one or perhaps two smaller events over the coming months. Please check back with us... Otherwise our next regular Members Meeting will take place on October 21st.

(Monday May 24th; The Victoria Day Holiday.)

June 2010

(Bard On The Beach 2010: Begins June 3 till Sept 25 at Vanier Park Vancouver. Much Ado About Nothing, Antony And Cleopatra, Falstaff (Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2) and Henry V. Tickets range from $20 to $38. More info at www.bardonthebeach.org or 604-739-0559.)

+CTGA of BC Members have been invited, along with other industry participants, to the second annual Prospect Point Cafe invite on Tuesday June 8th, 2010. Watch your inbox for more details, and how to RSVP.

(Friday June 11th; The FIFA World Cup International Soccer Tournament begins. Runs for a month in South Africa.)

(Sunday June 20th; Fathers Day.)

+CTGA of BC Members have been invited to tour one of the Alaska Cruise Ships at Canada Place on Wednesday June 23rd, 2010. Members will receive all the details via email. An RSVP is needed.

>CTGA Summer Meetings? As a rule we don't usually hold any formal meetings in June, July, August or September. However we've been known to hold the occasional summer social. Please check this space again...

July

(Thursday July 1st; Canada Day - Happy 143 ! ! ! And BC taxpayers start paying higher medical premiums and carbon taxes, plus the HST begins. Enjoy the day anyway...)

(Sunday July 4th; Happy 234th Birthday to our US of A friends...)

(Sunday July 11th; FIFA World Cup Final Match from South Africa. Not a good day to be trying to get any Europeans onto your tour bus, or onto an airplane...)

(This years Celebration of Light fireworks will take place on the following dates; Wed July 21st - USA, Sat July 24th - Spain, Wed July 28th - Mexico, and Sat July 31st - China. All shows go rain or otherwise over English Bay at 10 pm and can also be heard on 104.3 Shore FM.)

August

(Sunday August 1st; Vancouver's Pride Parade - down Robson to and along Denman and then Beach Ave to Sunset Beach...It usually starts around noon or 1 pm.)

(Monday August 2nd; Happy 152 British Columbia ! ! !  Take the day off...)

(Saturday August 21st; Wow, has it been 100 years already for the Pacific National Exhibition? Yes and it starts today at Hastings and Renfrew - til Labour Day on Monday Sept 6th. Special for this year, the return of the PNE Parade [on Fri Aug 20th only] along Beach Ave after 6:30 pm...)

September 2010

(Monday September 6th; Labour Day. Last day of the PNE. Schools, university and college's re-open tomorrow.)

October

>Wednesday October 6th will be the date of this years Tourism Vancouvers Open House. At Burrard and Cordova, from 4 pm to 7 pm. No need to rsvp this year, register as you arrive. Open to Members of Tourism Vancouver only (the CTGA of BC is a Member of TV, so our Members [only] may attend this event).

(Monday Oct 11th; Canadian Thanksgiving.)

(Tuesday Oct 12th; The Annual Sunwapta Falls Guide and Driver Party - south of Jasper Alberta in the Canadian Rockies. Note: This event has been moved up this year to Tuesday Oct 12th.)

+Our first CTGA end-of-the summer Members Meeting will take place on Thursday evening October 21st, 2010. We have two excellent guest speakers - both of whom have presentations. Jane Hall, author of "The Red Wall - A Woman In The RCMP, and Howie Robins of the Artificial Reef Society of BC. At the Delta Vancouver Suites Hotel, on Hastings at Seymour, Vancouver. Doors open at 6 pm, meeting starts at 6:30 pm. No need to rsvp.

>Thursday October 28th will be the date of this years 21st annual Vancouver Tourism Awards. From 7 am to 9 am at the Vancouver Convention Centre East (Canada Place). The deadline to purchase tickets (for $45), is Wed the 20th of Oct. Visit vancouvertourismawards.com.

(Sunday October 31st is Halloween. Drive carefully.)

November

(Sunday November 7th; Daylight Savings Time Ends. Set your clocks back one hour.)

(Thursday November 11th; Remembrance Day. Ceremonies across the country begin by 10:30 am)

+The CTGA of BC's Annual General Meeting will take place on Thursday evening November 18th at the Delta Vancouver Suites Hotel, 550 W Hastings at Seymour, Vancouver. Doors open by 6:15 pm with the meeting starting around 6:45 pm. No need to rsvp. Reminder: This isn't a regular Members Meetings where we have one or two interesting guest speakers, this is our yearly Annual General Meeting to discuss the associations state of affairs, and to elect a new Board of Directors for the following year. Please join us.

(Thursday November 25th; US Thanksgiving Day.)

(Sunday November 28th; The CFL's 98th Grey Cup Championship Game from Edmonton Alberta.)

December 2010

(Sunday December 5th; The Annual Santa Claus Parade begins along Georgia Street from Bute to Howe, then down to Davie Street at 1 pm. Draws about 300,000 people so expect traffic delays throughout downtown.)

+Our CTGA annual Christmas Party will be held on Monday December 6th, 2010. Something very different this year... Join us for a special late Afternoon Tea at the Shangri-La Hotel on Georgia at Thurlow Streets in Vancouver. At 4:30 pm, or meet an hour earlier for a site inspection of the hotel. Open to Members and guests; there is a cost and you must RSVP. Full details were sent out by email. Please contact us if you need more information.

(Friday December 17th; Today should be the last day for school till Monday January 3rd, 2011.)

+The annual Christmas Lights Tour will be held on Saturday December 18th, 2010 - visiting the many beautifully lit homes in Vancouver and Burnaby. Once again we'll be with Members of the Transit Museum Society aboard their new and heritage buses. 3 Vancouver Pick-Up Points: 6 pm at the Marpole Bus Loop (under the Airport Bridge at Hudson and Marine Dr.); 6:10 pm inside the bus loop at the Marine Drive and Cambie Street Canada Line Station; 6:30 pm at the 29th Ave SkyTrain Station. Cost: more details will be posted here within the next 24-hours, but it's usually around $10 for adults, less for children. Open to Members and guests. RSVP to Jeff via email or telephone 604-876-2576 asap.

(Saturday December 25th; Christmas Day.)

(Sunday December 26th; Boxing Day. As a result of Christmas Day and Boxing Day falling on a Saturday and a Sunday, most shops and services might not be open on Monday and Tuesday December 27th and 28th.)

(Friday December 31st; New Years Eve.)

-- Our "Next Meetings 2011" page will has now been added, please check it out.

-- As other 2010 events and meetings are announced, they will be added to this page as details become available. Please check back with us again.

Thank you for your interest in the Canadian Tour Guide Association of British Columbia. We hope to see you at one of our future meetings or to hear from you again - soon ! ! !

As most all of our Members now have access to the internet, they receive weekly guiding news and tourism related information through our closed-circuit E-group e-mail system, plus our Members Only section of our website. Members without e-mail are contacted.