Canada, one of the most LGBT friendly places on the planet, continues to celebrate its fantastic diversity, with over four years of legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, anti-discrimination laws in effect everywhere, a wide range of festivals and events of all kinds across the country, and official Pride celebrations in communities from coast to coast.

Much has changed in the past thirty years or so, and Pride events now take place in not only the places you would expect, but in many places that are a welcome surprise. 2009 and 2010 will see public Pride celebrations in Amherst, Calgary, Charlottetown, Edmonton, Guelph (Tri-Cities), Halifax, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, Halton, Lethbridge, London, Moncton, Nanaimo, Niagara, Montreal, Ottawa, Prince George, Quebec City, Regina, Saskatoon, Sudbury, Surrey, Sydney, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, West Toronto, Windsor, Winnipeg, and the York Region, at last count. It is easily possible to take in one or more of these exciting festivities across the land, as the dates range from early June, to mid-September.

June 2009 saw the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) hold their annual convention in Canada for the fifth time in its 26-year history, this time in Toronto, with over 350 delegates attending from over 25 countries. At this landmark event, historic Maple Leaf Gardens was opened to the public for the first time in ten years, with thousands stopping by to visit the booths of the delegate exhibitors. November 2009 will see the International Gay Rodeo Association hold their Silver Anniversary Convention in Canada, hosted by the Toronto-based, Central Canada Gay Rodeo Association. As well, February 2010 will see Vancouver and Whistler host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, with the first ever PRIDE House to be hosted at an Olympic event, in the heart of Whistler Village.

Canada’s reputation as a great, LGBT-positive place to visit, has continued in the media, and with strong showings in international LGBT surveys as a preferred destination of choice. Our community leaders and travel industry partners are also very visible and active at major LGBT tradeshows, conferences, and events worldwide.

There has never been a better time to visit Canada, or a more exciting time for fellow Canadians to get out there, to see this fabulous country of ours.

	ATLANTIC East Coast Explorations		QUEBEC Joie de Vivre
	ONTARIO Urban Adventure		ONTARIO The Central Canada Gay Rodeo
	WESTERN 1 Travel Spectacular General Info & Vancouver		WESTERN 2 Travel Spectacular Whistler & Victoria