Speakers
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Kevin Callan (a.k.a. The Happy Camper) will talk about our motivations for getting out in the wilderness, and share how to be happy, comfortable, content, skillful, and dependable while out there (and how to motivate others to get out there as well - and stay out there longer). From cool camp gadgets to skinny dipping etiquette, from cooking s'mores to making the perfect bush martini, Kevin will share the philosophical views he’s gained from countless paddle strokes through Canada’s waterways.
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Temagami is described as a remote wilderness park, full of incredible landscapes, pristine forests and waterways, and some challenging canoe routes that offer huge rewards. Over the past five years, Camper Christina has spent a large amount of time canoe tripping in this breathtaking area. Christina will be sharing a variety of canoe routes that she has experienced in this remote paradise. Christina started backcountry camping in 2002  and now camps year-round, canoe & kayak camping from Spring to Fall, and camping in the Winter in one of her 3 homemade hot tents. In 2015, having no one to go with, she began going out on backcountry trips alone. Christina now ventures into some extremely challenging and remote locations in the Canadian wilderness solo, and it is currently her preference. 
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Join canoe maker and trout bum Jon Babulic and enter the amazing world of outboard powered canoes & their evolution over the last 100 yrs. Learn how incorporating a motor into you can canoe trip kit can open up backcountry opportunities and wilderness in the same way ultralight gear does, from effortless one nighters on Georgian Bay to big water wilderness adventures. Inspired by a tiny fish called the Cockatush and an obsession with big wild trout Jon will tell the story of how modifying a 50yr old wood canoe lead him and his dad on the canoe, and fishing, trip of a lifetime. Powered canoe tripping might just be the coolest thing you’ve never of.
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Paddling through the Ring of Fire on the Attawapiskat River was “epic” for Evan Ferrari. He’ll share the joys of more than 100 sets of rapids, remarkable geography, wildlife and overwhelming volumes of insects that enjoyed his very being. But the best part of the trip surprised this well seasoned tripper. The welcome and generosity he received from two remote indigenous communities along the 700 kms was truly humbling and transformative. Evan has paddled an array of habitats encountering wildlife from polar bears to alligators - but not on the same trip! In his professional life he was instrumental in entrenching ecological integrity in the Ontario Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act. When not dreaming about his next canoe outing, he fights climate change from his home in Guelph.
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Fear of bears keeping you or your friends from enjoying the backcountry? Mike McIntosh of the Bear With Us Sanctuary and Rehabilitation Centre for Bears has been working with bears for over 25 years. He assists people with human/bear conflicts and often fields hundreds of calls a summer. Mike will cover bear behaviour, show video of bears communicating and bluffing including the sounds they make. Mike will also show how the media including nature documentaries often characterize the bear inaccurately. 
                    Schedule For the Day
9am: Doors Open, Vendor Displays
10am to 12 Noon: Mike McIntosh, Camper Christina and Evan Ferrari
Noon-1:00pm: Lunch and Vendor Displays
1pm - 3:30 pm: Jon Babulic and Kevin Callan
Click below for tickets!
Sponsored By....
Parking and Directions
Join us in our new venue: First United Church, 16 William St West Waterloo 

Parking: Parking is Free!

Park either at the Waterloo Town Square mall parking lot next to the Church off Caroline St (it is unlimited free parking on Saturdays)

or

In the free parking lot across Caroline St. from the mall 

Please do not park in the (very small) church parking lot
Have a Question? Email us at:    dbain72@gmail.com    Use Subject " Symposium"