Nuffield #9 No Bears Please

Deep in the middle of the pandemic, when you weren’t allowed to visit your neighbour let alone fly across the Atlantic, I had a succession of Zoom calls with Canada. I spoke firstly to Nina von Keyserlingk, a researcher at the University of British Columbia who works on cow-calf contact and on issues of social licence (amazing work) and then with a couple of farmers in Vancouver who she suggested I contact. At the time my travels in North America were focused south of the border- I planned to visit the dairy hub of Wisconsin and the intensive systems of California. However, I couldn’t find any farmers to speak to. One mention of bull calf euthanasia or markets for bull calves and laptops (and figuratively, farm gates) slammed shut.

In contrast, the Canadians opened up about their industry, their challenges, and all the reasons why Canada is better than America. They were almost gleeful that my experience reflected their opinion of the American dairy industry. After making some enquiries into the racing industry in Canada, and speaking to a fellow cow/horse woman, I decided that Alberta was the state I needed to visit. And so, on Saturday afternoon, I landed in Calgary on the triple mission of Nuffield travels, national park exploring, and finding out if Australian singer Kevin Wilson is correct and you really can’t say c**t in Canada….

Getting There…

The last few months have been pretty rammed (I can actually hear you mutter “You can’t be as busy as me!” to which I say… okay, but give me this one) and so this trip had crept up on me. I sorted my visa out quickly, but my final visits were only confirmed last week, my ArriveCAN app was filled in on Friday morning, and it was the evening before I left when I decided to find out what paperwork I needed to pick up my hire car.

Unfortunately, I soon realised that Canada is one of the only countries were my rental company insists on blocking the insurance excess on a credit card. Elsewhere they’ll accept a debit card. Not in Canada.

While paying an entry fee for a dressage competition a few days previously I’d noticed that my card expired at the end of April, and hadn’t thought much more about it. Now this became an issue, as I would collect my car on the 30th April… and return it in May. I was certain that at some point I had been sent a replacement card, but had no idea where I’d put it.

So ensued an epic search. I turned over every piece of paper in the house, emptied our invoice tray, crawled under the bed, and sorted through a load of interview notes that should have been binned months ago. No sign of the card.

I contacted the rental company (via Facebook messenger…) and they confirmed that there was absolutely no way they’d let me;

(a) pay by debit

(b) use my expiring card

(c) use a card in someone else’s name

I was at the point of working out where I could get with public transport and asking the people I was visiting to collect me from stations, when I found the new card. In my purse. I figured if nothing else, I really needed the “break” of a five hour train ride to London.

To Calgary

To my great relief we took off on time from Heathrow. On board I was extremely happy to see that the in flight entertainment included Sex and the City sequel And Just Like That- meaning that I could watch it without having to pay for Now TV (worth the flight cost in itself tbh). Unfortunately I was four episodes in before I realised that they didn’t have the whole series- just the first half. I’m still hoping that they might upload the rest of them by the time I leave.

For reasons that I can’t quite work out, the flight was dark almost immediately after take off (midday) and remained so until we were putting on our seat belts for the descent. The flight map showed that the path went just south of Iceland, across Greenland, and entered Canada from the cold part, but I would have thought that day length in the Arctic in May would be fairly long? Answers on a postcard…

Working in the industry, I am well aware that our approach to biosecurity in the UK can be a bit… poor. Denmark was obviously really hot on it, which I attributed to their massive pork industry (as pigs and poultry are miles ahead of dairy on this topic). Canada is also very much invested in keeping disease out. I was told that I would have to leave a set amount of time between visiting a UK farm and a Canadian farm, and was questioned beforehand about whether I would bring my own overboots or if I needed to be given some on this side. The landing declaration asked me if I had been on, or would visit, a farm in Canada, and I was stopped at security and questioned about it (last time I was stopped at security it was because the border officer didn't expect me to have a British passport…). Weirdly his sole probing question was whether I had soil about my person. Having scrubbed my boots with FAM30 and left two boxes of soil samples in the garage at home for a courier to collect, I confidently said that I didn’t. There were no questions about livestock biosecurity, or about what sort of farm I had been on/was planning to visit.

Will also say that Air Canada’s gluten free lunch was vile (a fruit salad is NOT a pudding, it is a snack, or a main course if served with cheese), but they made up for it with a salmon and cream cheese roll just before landing, when everyone else was given a chicken pastry. Winning. Baileys on tap was a nice touch too…

Around Calgary everything was straight lines and brown fields, which I shall explore in greater detail later this week…

Banff

When I booked my flights I made sure to give myself at least one free day to see Canada in a broader sense. Being in Alberta it seemed ridiculous not to head over to Banff National Park. In order to get the full experience, I even paid to go on a riding tour, smug that they opened for the season on 1st May… the day I had free.

The best laid plans however, gang aft a-ley (as Robbie Burns warned us) and last week the company emailed me to say that they would have to cancel, as there was still ice on the trails. Most people I’m sure would just shrug and decide to do some hiking, but I was uncomfortable with the idea after flicking through a Rough Guide and having it made very clear that hiking = bears. Meeting a bear it appears, is the end. You are f***ed. For example, should you meet a bear, these are the consequences…

Run away= you’re f***ed. Bear chases you.
Scream= you’re f***ed. Bear screams back i.e. eats you
Climb a tree= you’re f***ed. Bear climbs the tree. Or if it doesn’t, you are stuck in a tree.
Stand there = you’re f***ed. Bear eats you.
Fight the bear= you’re…. You get the picture

At least of course it wasn’t a cougar. The guide didn’t expand on cougars other than to say that it would be “unlucky” if you met one. UNLUCKY.

Reason #186490338 why I don’t want a solo encounter with a bear

I did think at first that it would be a nice idea to spend the day skiing. I even packed my gloves and goggles, donned my ski coat, and tried on my salopettes (they were… tight. I was a lot smaller when I last went skiing). I found somewhere that would rent everything else to me, and looked at ski passes. Then I thought about what I wouldn’t see when skiing, and remembered that I am a pretty poor skiier (everyone needs at least one thing that they really enjoy but are terrible at) and I wouldn’t appreciate the subtle differences of skiing in the Canadian Rockies v the European Alps. There was also a chance I’d break a leg, and I didn’t think that would go down well with Nuffield. So I scrapped it, spoke to a few people, and revised my schedule.

For those wondering, driving to Banff from Calgary is actually a joy. The Rockies loom large in front of you, and you quickly leave behind the flat prairies for clumps of snow, glacial rivers, and signs warning of crossing elk. In the national park the road is fenced to prevent wildlife causing accidents, and they have really cool bridges for animals to use- they have trees on them!

Warning though: provincial Canadian radio is a little bit behind in their song choices, and tends to repeat the same songs ad infinitum. I heard Doja Cat’s Woman no fewer than three times in one journey. It wouldn’t be my first choice of song, although it is quite catchy.

My Airbnb was basic but in a good location. There was a slight issue when I was unpacking and a couple unlocked the door and walked in… as the host had given them the second set for my room. Could have been worse I guess…

Banff is also a nice town. I walked into it last night from said Airbnb, resisted spending a fortune on local art from the many galleries, and patted a Papillon dog named Skittles. In a liquer shop I bought Freddie some Canadian whisky, and got ID’d (legal drinking age here is 18- so I look over a decade younger than I am, thanks retinol), then I found a vintage clothes shop and bought a new (but not new) pair of jeans. Everything in Banff stays open until late, and it is a really pleasant place to wander around in the evening.

Banff Gondola/Sulphur Mountain

Having sacked off skiing I bought a ticket for the much recommended Banff Gondola. At the base I was reassured on my er, bright, coat by a Canadian man with long hair who told me “flamingoes are always a vibe”. Once in the gondola and easing up the mountain I remembered exactly how much I dislike heights. At home I exercise my power as employer to send a staff member up the ladder to flick the trip switch any time the high pressure hose trips it. One of the things I hate the most is when ski lifts stop and you’re left suspended in the air, swaying in the wind. Shudders.

The height however didn’t distract me from noticing that the clouds looked… low. As I had paid to travel in the gondola specifically for the promised panoramic view at the top of Sulphur Mountain, this was somewhat disappointing.

At the top it was snowing pretty heavily, but I trekked along the boardwalk to an old research station, and spent some time at the top with a hot chocolate. The cloud lifted very briefly, in one place, to give a glimpse of the valley below- lower peaks and glacial lakes and the town of Banff- before settling in again for the day.

Sharing the fridge at the visitors’ centre with Diet Coke and iced tea

Lake Louise

After taking the gondola back down I headed deeper into the Rockies to Lake Louise. I had been told that the lake was frozen, but what I didn’t expect was that it would also be covered with a layer of snow, and that everyone walks on it. The layer of snow was actually not that thick, and could easily be scraped away to show the glowing blue ice below. I did walk the entire length of the lake on the snow, but walked back on the lakeside path. On that side it was starting to thaw, and I did wonder at what point/how it was decided that the lake shouldn’t be walked on anymore.

Lake Louise has a big car park, which even with it frozen and months away from its peak blueness was very busy. However, most people only walk out far enough to take a selfie with Chateau Lake Louise (a hotel) in the background, and I even saw one woman wearing sandals (!) so further out its very peaceful.

The lake is fed from the end opposite the hotel, and a trickle of water could be seen entering from beneath a frozen waterfall. Although it probably is more spectacular in the summer, even frozen it was an amazing place, and extremely quiet away from the crowds. I still can’t process the scale or the sheer magnificence of the Rockies- it was a brilliant place to visit and I’m so glad I made the effort before the work part of this trip begins.

Starting to thaw where water feeds the lake

The Real Reason I’m Here…

Of course the reason I’m in Canada is to add to my Nuffield scholarship. I’ve got what I think will be a great programme of visits ahead; Monday and Tuesday will be spent on racehorse aftercare, Wednesday I am touring beef feedlots, Thursday is two dairy farms who run foster systems, and Friday I am finishing up by visiting a research centre before flying home on Saturday.

What I’ve Learnt So Far…

Canadians drive on the right. I found this out before I got here (I’m not that bad) but was convinced that they drove on the left because Commonwealth and because being different to America
Even on the west side of Canada, all the signs and food labels are bilingual English and French
The scope of Earl Grey tea here includes “creamy” and “extra bergamot”
Highways have a number and a name, the signs say one and Google maps says another
People will walk on a frozen lake in shorts
People will think about it in sandals
Ammonites discovered in Canada are pearlescent and colourful and as a result are cut up into jewellery and flogged at tourist attractions
I look 18 AND have a nice accent :-P