Buy Canadian First - Your destination for good shopping

Cut!... as they say in the movies! The 2011 edition of TIFF  is over now, and it was a resounding success yet again. What a great way to showcase Toronto, and Canada as a whole. This year, much focus was put on the Made in Canada brand, to our absolute delight! Check-out our previous posts about our involvement in the event, as well as the great contest we ran during the festival.

Canadian-extraordinaire Georges Stroumboulopoulos (a.k.a. Strombo) went all out and created an awesome gifting lounge highlighting some of the best Canada has to offer. From Montreal Canadiens' jerseys to Motts Clamato juice, there was plenty to be proud of!

And of course, there was Myriad Pictures' party and their swag bags filled with Canadian-made products donated by great Canadian companies with the help of Buy Canadian First! And guess what? The studio's Edwin Boyd was awarded Best Canadian Feature Film! Congrats Myriad Pictures!

And while we're celebrating, congratulations to the 5 lucky winners of our swag bag giveaway! Here's what is inside each bag, valued at well over $400 each!

                     Customized socks by Reliable Hosiery

                   Shampoo & conditioner from Natureclean

              Fashion accessories from Funky Fleece

                    Welch's juice bars from Kisko

                  Chocolate-covered fruit from Brookside Foods

           Gardener's dream cream from Aroma Crystal

                 Nite-Eze & Relax-Exe from Enzed Nutricorp

                   Decal & keychain from Strong & Free

          I.C.E. tags from In Case of Emergency

             Kids wall decor from Felt Fantasia

           Snack-size Vanilla chai soy beverage from So Nice

             Special Edition scarf from Lundstrom

Voucher for free natural memory foam pillow from Essentia

               Travel-size tissues from Royale Ultra

          Special Edition mini-notebook from Ecojot

            Mini multi-bit screwdriver from Picquic

        Our Canada magazine from Readers Digest Canada

           All-natural detergent from Live for Tomorrow

       Adult Essential vitamins from Life Science Nutritionals

         Promotional info from Show Me Your Canada

The 5 lucky winners have been contacted and their prizes are on their way. Congrats to: Gary from Calgary (AB), Theresa from Amherstburg (ON), Kelly from Hornby (ON), Debbie from Hamilton (ON) and Michelle from Toronto (ON). Here's what Michelle had to say about her prize:

" So, I got my fantastic package last week, so I have tried and tested it all : )

I must say I'm really impressed with everything! the Brookeside Chocolate was oh so yummy (Acai berry was my fav) . The Adult Essentials are awesome! The *Ice tags are very handy! and the roll up the rim key chair, I never knew existed, I laughed when I seen it, now I cant wait for Roll up the rim time. the scarf was beautiful! and the aroma hand lotion smells amazing and works really well!!!! Love Funky fleece, will def. order from them, so many cute things, especially for my step daughter. Love the nature clean shampoo and conditioner!!! Must say all and all my fav. thing was the "strong and free" I love being canadian and I'm proud to represent!

I can honestly say I would by more Canadian made products, but I find them hard to find, I guess that's because not a lot of Canadian made products are advertised etc. I will def. be doing research to find more products.

Thanks again to all the awesome Canadian companies above who donated their products for this event!

See you again next year, for more fun at TIFF!

Images courtesy of Isabelle Remy.

Constable Michael B. Potvin - July 13, 2010 (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)

Constable Sébastien Coghlan-Goyette - November 14, 2010 (Sûreté du Québec)

Sergeant Ryan J. Russell - January 12, 2011 (Toronto Police Service)

Constable Garrett Styles - June 28, 2011 (York Regional Police Service)

Their names are forever etched on the glass panels erected along the perimeter wall adjacent to the Memorial Pavilion which now totals 822 fallen officers. The Service is a lasting tribute to the sacrifice of those brave men and women.

"THEY ARE OUR HEROES, WE SHALL NOT FORGET THEM/ CE SONT NOS HÉROS. NOUS NE LES OUBLIERONS JAMAIS".

In 1998, the federal government officially proclaimed the last Sunday of each September as Police and Peace Officers' National Memorial Day. This Service gives Canadians an opportunity to express their appreciation for the ultimate dedication of these police and peace officers.

The Canadian Police and Peace Officers Annual Memorial Service is organized by the Canadian Police Association (CPA), the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) and the Canadian Peace Officers' Memorial Association (CPOMA). 

The 34th National Memorial Service has been scheduled as follows:

I will never forget listening, just this Summer, to the harrowing account of Constable Garret Styles , of the York Regional Police Service. He died in June 2011, after being dragged and pinned under a van. Constable Styles' father is a respected policeman himself and Constable Styles' wife is a civilian who works in Police Service. She had given birth about six weeks before the tragedy. They also have another child who was two years old at the time.

Constable Styles was truly committed to a life of service and hearing about his death was really heart-breaking. I have nothing but admiration and gratitude for these people, who put themselves in danger on a daily basis, in order to protect the rest of us.  

Will you be watching the ceremony on Sunday? 

:: images courtesy of the Canadian Police and Peace Officers Memorial Association

Note: I'm back-dating this post to September 15 because I failed miserably to write it last month.

For the rest of 2011, I shall not set foot on foreign soil. I know that, compared to giving up non-Canadian food or television, this self-denial doesn't feel like much of a sacrifice. But I have had to forego invitations to one of the Carolinas (I can't for the life of me remember which) and Point Roberts, Washington.

Point Roberts, incidentally, is this idiosyncratic peninsula that's connected only to Tsawassen in British Columbia. Much like the Russian region of Kalinigrad, it's a pene-exclave which Americans can only reach by air, water or passing through Canada. It's full of Canadians who have bought cheap (or cheaper, at least) property for holiday homes. Hence, the invitation I had to decline.

And so I'll only travel in Canada for the balance of the year. I've done plenty of that already. I've been to Calgary, Edmonton, Quebec City, Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax since the start of the year, and I have plans to see Regina and to return to Toronto before the year is out.

That sounds like a lot of Canada, but, of course, it's just a thumbnail on the body of our great nation. I'm a little ashamed of how little of Canada I've actually seen, particular if you remove the big cities from the equation.

I have traveled outside of Canada a lot, though, and I've lived abroad in Ireland, Malta and Morocco. Nothing makes you more patriotic than watching your country from a distance, or celebrating national holidays with newfound Canadian expats.

A side note: a few months ago, I had a notion of assembling a slideshow of Google Street View screenshots of big Canadian roadside statues and monuments. This proved more difficult and time-consuming than I imagined, so I leave you with just three of my favourites, and a question: if you were going to recommend a Canadian destination to me outside the major cities, what would it be?

I

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I included a photo of the Terry Fox Memorial in Thunder Bay (by Paul Weimer) because it's a spot I've always wanted to visit, but haven't had the chance yet.

Read comments here.

Blog post re-printed with kind permission from Darren Barefoot - 1Y1C.

I think about food all the time, and I hate it. I’m only a few weeks into my all-Canadian diet, and the amount of time I need to spend shopping for and preparing food is a bit ridiculous. I also went cold turkey on Coke, a beverage I’ve drunk daily for the past, oh, 25 years. Don’t get me started on the headaches.

On a lighter note, it’s time for another contest. The good people at Saul Good Gift Company have donated a gourmet gift basket to the cause. It contains all sorts of tasty local stuff–pecan fruit crisps from Vancouver, chocolate bark from Ladysmith, season fruit preserves from Langley and so forth.

What do you have to do to enter this contest? Simply ‘like’ the 1Y1C Facebook page. Have you already liked it? No problem, you’re already entered in the contest. Not on Facebook? Good for you. Just leave a comment below and we’ll add your name to the mix. I’ll pick a winner in early October and Saul will send you the goodies.

Enter your comments here.

Blog post re-printed with kind permission from  Darren Barefoot - 1Y1C.

Image courtesy of Darren Barefoot.

Our dog, Noke, (Princess Mononoke Armstrong Gibson) will eat anything she comes across outside, if it is yucky enough. She is a twelve year old, made in Canada  Shepherd-cross with an indiscriminating palette, to say the least! Inside, though, she is the last to start eating when meals are served. She is forever concerned that Bobby, our eight year old, blind Aussie Shepherd, has better food, different food, more food,  and likes to wait until he is finished so that she can go up and lick out his bowl before starting on her own meal.

She also gets very itchy if she eats certain types of dog food, and she is prone to weight gain. I really have to keep an eye on her, to make sure that she is eating what she should and not just what she wants. Her adorable idiosyncrasies make her a delightful part of our family! 

Bobby doesn't like dry food and prefers his wet food to be 'cuts' and 'chunks' rather than 'pate', and he, like Noke, gets a shot of glucosamine in his supper bowl every evening, to keep his stiffening joints limber. 

Then there is the cat. My dear cat, Aries, friend and companion for fifteen and a half years, has developed a kidney condition, as do many older cats. This is something that silently creeps up on a cat until, before you know it, he is weak, dehydrated and near death! Cats and dogs tend to hide their illnesses for as long as possible. As a matter of fact, two weeks before we took Aries in under somewhat emergency circumstances, he had received a clean bill of health at the vet! None of us suspected that his kidneys were diminishing in any way at that time. The only clue was a slight weight loss that the vet thought might have been a result of worms. So be aware!

I am thrilled to say that Aries is out of the woods and gaining weight every day. His new food is for cats like him who have diminished kidney ability. I feed him small bits often, and stand there while he eats, to make sure that he is getting enough. I also add water to the wet food, as this really helps his kidneys to work. 

Good food really is the preventative key when it comes to healthy pet family members. You know that I would prefer to buy pet food made in Canada because I think that, aside from helping our economy, the food is fresher and takes less toll on the environment to get here, so I took a look at the dog and cat food in the house. We shop at No Frills and, for the most part, I swear by President's Choice and No Name products. I was so happy to see that the No Name and PC canned dog food our pooches get are made in Canada! But the Meow Mix Market Select that Aries was getting is made in Thailand by Del Monte Pet Products. He now eats vet recommended Medi-Cal Reduced Protein. Apparently, this is made for Royal Canin Canada Company by Mars Petcare USA. Not quite what I had in mind, so I checked out the Buy Canadian First catalogue of members and found ACANA , an Alberta company, that makes pet food and Oven-Baked Tradition , another pet food company, based in Quebec. Both are sold in pet stores near us so I'll be sure to check them out!

Remember to watch your pets for changes in their behaviour, keep them supplied with fresh water and feed them the best food that you can. This will save you money down the road, believe me and keep you surrounded by love for as long as possible!

Where does your pet food come from?

:: images courtesy of Buy Canadian First members and Wendy Gibson. 

In case you missed it, Buy Canadian First was asked to provide products Made in Canada to fill swag bags for a TIFF event taking place last Friday. Read more about it here.

We’ve been working on the TIFF event for over 2 months now, and I cannot believe it’s over already! What a crazy 48 hours that was! I arrived in Toronto on Thursday night, and headed out for drinks with Denise and Patricia of Strong & Free. Really amazing ladies; fun, passionate and proud Canadians.  Such great company! 

By the time I got to my hotel, I was exhausted and starving. I was staying at the Canadian-owned Delta Chelsea, which I found out is the largest hotel in Canada. My room was on the 20th floor with great city views. One of my favourite parts of travelling is room service, so I ordered a turkey sandwich and a glass of wine. Imagine my surprise when the tray came and included was a welcome platter of Canadian-made treats: Canada True Icewine Tea and Maple Almonds, along with a bottle of ice cold Eska natural spring water. Now that is hospitality with a capital H! Thanks so much, Delta Chelsea!

And now for the best part: the party! The event was taking place at the brand new TIFF Bell Lightbox. What a beautiful, airy, modern yet warm & welcoming building. Entire walls are constructed of glass, and the use of funky colours such as red and purple play off beautifully against the white backdrop. Breathtaking. I arrived a few minutes before the start of the event, and was happy to see our beautiful gift bags on display.

A few Toronto-area manufacturers were present, as well as the awesome girls from Show Me Your Canada. It was so special to meet & mingle with an amazing group of women dedicated to encouraging and supporting each other’s projects and businesses. I loved it!

The room quickly filled up and we had the opportunity to meet some awesome industry insiders .  The film industry is completely new to me, so it was nice to learn more about it and to hear how proud everyone was about this new and truly Canadian endeavour: Cross Country Entertainment. We made some GREAT connections and I can't wait to let you know what comes out of it in the next few months...stay tuned!

At the end of the event, I was so proud to see guests leave with one of the fabulous swag bags, knowing that is was filled with great, Canadian-made products graciously donated by awesome Canadian companies.  Thanks everyone for participating, and let’s do it again next year! 

Meanwhile, don’t forget that we are giving away 5 of those swag bags! For details and to enter, click here. But hurry, closing date is September 18th at 5:00 PM (ET)!

As far as celebrity sightings are concerned, I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Canadian-cutie Scott Speedman . I have loved him ever since the days of "Felicity"  in the 1990s, and I'm happy to report that he is aging VERY gracefully! ;-) Next year, I'll make sure I spend more time in the city to truly enjoy all the Festival has to offer! But what a great first experience! Thanks to everyone who made it possible...you know who you are!

THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. WINNERS HAVE BEEN CONTACTED.

Images courtesy of Myriad Pictures and Isabelle Remy.

It's that time of year again. Yes, back to school is on the agenda but I am really referring to birthday parties. I am sure I have mentioned my children over the years [over and over again]; the two youngest were both born in September; it makes it quite the festive month. The girls each have their own celebration on their birthdays with family and a joint party with their friends; always a great and fun day! This year is no exception, except that I was given the challenge to use as many Canadian-made  ingredients as I can. "So, feed the Canadian sprouts with a Made in Canada  meal, this should be a piece of cake!", I thought.

I was happy to see that I already had lots of ingredients that were locally found and  Canadian made in my cupboards and fridge. That helped as I created my menu for the party; pulled pork, macaroni and cheese, cucumber salad and buns. I proceeded to my local grocery store, list in hand and began scouting about the aisles. The birthday girls, drunk on excitement, ran rampant in the store as I read labels and compared products and prices. The girls had already completed one lap around the store as I picked up my pork roast which was from Buy Canadian First member Maple Leaf , I wish all Canadian made producers made it this easy!

I too made my rounds, around and around the store and finally had everything I needed; it was time to get cooking. I started with my BBQ sauce. When I cook, I rarely use measurements and I go by taste. This recipe is no different.

Dre's Pulled Pork BBQ Sauce

In a small saucepan combine:

Half a bottle of Canadian made beer (I used Sleemans Honey Brown )
Heinz Ketchup  - the biggest, longest squeeze of the bottle into the pot
125 ml of tomato sauce
Rogers yellow sugar - about a handful
30ml of Crosby Molasses
2-3 cloves of chopped garlic (found at a farmers market)

On medium low heat, let bubble and simmer until thickened. 

Pulled pork couldn't be easier. In a slow cooker combine one pork roast, some apples (crab apples were being offered for free in the learning centre at the college, so I grabbed some) a few onions (garden fresh from a friend), garlic and 125ml of water. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours. When cooked, remove from slowcooker, break apart with fork and add BBQ sauce and serve.

Quick Cucumber Salad
Cucumbers, peeled and sliced (these were garden fresh from a friend)
Dressing: 1 part Hellman's mayonnaise; 1 part yoghurt (I used Liberté greek style yoghurt ). Add a pinch of salt and some dill to taste.
Mix together and adjust for taste and sauciness.

So,  how much of this was made in Canada? All of it! The molasses and tomato sauce do not say made in Canada on them but the no name products that I compared state when they are a product of another country and Crosby's Molasses is an East coast company. Nothing a few phone calls couldn't settle! It was also quite simple to collect Canadian made foods from a small town grocer. Imagine the possibilities at a large grocery store!!

Do you have an all Canadian recipe?  

:: images courtesy of Andrea Willowcat.

Sure, we know that the Toronto International Film Festival is all about films! But don't pretend that you aren't interested in the red carpet fashions, even if it's just a little bit. Made in Canada  designs were well represented this year, as always, at TIFF.  Canadian designer Erdem dressed Keira Knightley for the after party of A Dangerous Method, held at the Grey Goose Soho House in Toronto. Her spectacular, multi-coloured dress is gorgeous!

Designer Erdem Moralioglu is loved by movie stars, political wives like Mmichelle Obama and royals, such as the Duchess of Cambridge. Kate wore a midnight blue Erdem for her first trip to Canada this past Summer. (By the way, the dress is from Erdem's Resort Collections, and hits stores like The Room at The Bay in November).

The TIFF sketchbook, by Raylene Knutson, made me laugh. The clever drawings, depicting what Madonna would look like if she wore some Canadian designers, is a great mini-intro to who's who on the Canadian fashion scene!  The Canadian designers suggested were Mikhael Kale, DSquared, Erdem, Pink Tartan and Jeremy Laing.

Another Canadian designer at TIFF  was ecocessories. This is a line of eco-friendly, designer jewellery that is handcrafted by Canadian, Jessica Hill. TIFFers had the opportunity to see and wear this unique concept jewellery, where old, broken and unwanted pieces are recycled into new, high quality, one of a kind treasures. The really cool thing about this designer is that you can bring your old jewellery in and have it completely redesigned with wire wrapped sterling silver components and chain! I have seen Jessica's jewellery and it really is lovely and eye-catching.

Buy Canadian First members Lundstrom  and Canada Goose  were also at TIFF. According to Canada Goose, they have "developed a special talent for protecting celebrities, directors and cameramen from the elements on movie sets around the world"! 

It's wonderful to see our talented Canadian designers showcasing their creations at annual events such as TIFF, where the whole world is watching. We are very pleased to have participated with our members at TIFF this year, by providing samples of their wares in swag bags! Have a look at what Isabelle has written about her adventures at TIFF ! 

What Canadian designed clothes or jewellery do you like? 

:: images courtesy of Buy Canadian First members and ecocessories .