About Us
Roadstories.ca serves as an outlet for some of our Canadian photography and ideas and allows us to share our love of this gigantic piece of geography and the people who call her “home”.
This website is maintained by Glenn Cameron and Judy Hammond (aka Canada’s Boomergirl), with contributions and guest posts by a handful of fellow Canada-lovers. As partners in CLEAR Communications Inc., we concern ourselves with promoting the Canadian tourism industry with marketing materials and expertise, content, communications planning, product development, media relations and a host of related tasks. In the course of our work we never run out of places to explore and people to meet in Canada. In our spare time, when we can steal a few days away from the demands of the job, we like to, er, travel in Canada.
If you have something to say about one of the posts on Roadstories.ca, please leave a comment in the FEEDBACK section following that post. We will never use your email address, it’s required for anti-spam purposes only.
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Contributors
Carol Patterson
View ArticlesLearn more about this contributorCreating a Flying Zoo program in the 1980s where her Cessna 172 passengers had fur, scales or a beak, Carol Patterson’s adventures spurred her to leave a career as an oil and gas accountant to see the world’s wildlife. In the quarter century since, she has inspired everyday explorers by writing and speaking about being chased by elephants in Africa, sliding through bat guano in Borneo, and breaking her ankle in Bhutan. When Carol’s not writing about the best of Canadian wildlife trips, she daydreams about spreadsheets.
Carol Patterson is a two-time winner of the Travel Media Association of Canada’s award for Best Environmental/Responsible Tourism Feature. She can be reached at www.carolpatterson.ca and Instagram: thecarolpatterson.
Hans Tammemagi
View ArticlesLearn more about this contributorHans’ writing is eclectic including travel (ecotourism, soft adventure, history) and environment. He is also one of Canada’s most prolific writers about First Nations’ culture and tourism. He has penned 10 books (one national best seller) and his articles appear in newspapers and magazines across North America. As a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists and former adjunct professor in environmental sciences at Brock and Victoria Universities, he has a strong affinity for nature and the environment around us. He lives in British Columbia, Canada, where he enjoys kayaking, hiking and cycling.
Mark Stevens & Sharon Matthews-Stevens
View ArticlesLearn more about this contributorMark Stevens has covered Canadian destinations for newspapers including the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Toronto Star and magazines as diverse as Dreamscapes, Sailing and Saltscapes. His writing has garnered numerous awards, including two Ottawa Tourism Travel Writing Awards, three Canadian Tourism Commission Northern Lights Awards. He has been a finalist three times in the Ontario Tourism Travel Journalism Awards.
Mark Stevens won a first place TMAC Award in the “Best Spirit of Canada” category for a story that he wrote for Roadstories.ca in 2014.
A three-time finalist in the travel photography category of the Ontario Tourism Awards, Sharon Matthews-Stevens is a multiple-award winning photographer. Her work has appeared in publications ranging from Ensemble Vacations to Canadian Yachting. A graduate of the Humber programme in digital photography, Sharon also produces fine art photography and her work has appeared in both juried shows and art galleries.
Read Mark and Sharon’s little piece on the Îles de la Madeleine for Roadstories and check out their website at www.travelwriteclick.com.
Pat Brennan
View ArticlesLearn more about this contributorPat Brennan is a Canadian freelance travel writer who spends much of his time roaming the back roads of North America in his 22-foot motor home. He spent 33 years at The Toronto Star as a staff writer/photographer and now writes for a variety of publications in the real estate and construction businesses as well as producing travel stories for Postmedia Network, Canada’s largest newspaper chain. Pat has an insatiable, newspaperman’s curiosity and loves to sit around trading yarns.
Robin & Arlene Karpan
View ArticlesLearn more about this contributorRobin & Arlene Karpan are Canadian freelance travel writers, photographers and book publishers based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. They specialize in the natural world: nature and wildlife photography, wilderness areas, hiking, canoeing, and travelling off the beaten track. Their extraordinary work has appeared in hundreds of publications around the world and we are happy to feature them here on Roadstories.ca
“Unfortunately, it is natural areas almost everywhere that seem to be disappearing the fastest. If the world’s special places and special creatures are to survive, it will be because people know about them and care about them. We hope that our work can play a role in raising awareness and fostering an appreciation of our many extraordinary places.”
Check out Robin & Arlene Karpan’s work at PhotoJourneys.ca and ParklandPublishing.com.
Cinda Chavich
View ArticlesLearn more about this contributorCinda Chavich is an award-winning Canadian journalist specializing in food, wine and travel writing. Her work has been published in many major newspapers and magazines, from the Globe and Mail, Canadian Living and Maclean’s, to Cooking Light, Relish, Wine Spectator and Australia’s Get Lost. She is the author of six cookbooks including her latest, The Waste Not, Want Not Cookbook (TouchWood Editions, 2015), which addresses the global issue of food waste and was a finalist for the prestigious International Association of Culinary Professionals award. Cinda is also a Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC) Awards winner. A longtime advocate of sustainable, local cuisine and eco-tourism, Cinda travels the world to uncover new stories. Learn more about Cinda’s latest adventures on her blog, TasteReport.com or on Twitter @TasteReporter.
Josephine (Jo) Matyas
View ArticlesLearn more about this contributorJosephine Matyas is a full-time Canadian freelance writer whose work has appeared in publications around the world. She often travels and writes with her husband, writer and musician Craig Jones and their dog Rigby. Their consumer website, Travels With Rigby, has a focus on RV travel, pet-friendly travel, food and music destinations. Follow Jo Matyas and her adventures at travelswithrigby.com
Camilla Cornell
View ArticlesLearn more about this contributorAs an award-winning career freelance writer, I’ve penned articles about everything from the toilets of Tokyo (yep, if you ever get a chance...) and the spectacular red-cliff ruins of Petra in Jordan. And if there’s a museum to be found, I’ll suss it out. (“Oh mom, nooooboody goes to museums in Las Vegas,” my son once famously whined as we trouped through the Liberace Museum.)
But, although I’ve travelled the world, in my humble opinion, few spots on earth can compete with Canada for sheer beauty and for an ability to embrace the many cultures that have made their marks on this country.
Oh, and did I mention we’re polite. Recently in Amsterdam, the woman sitting beside me on the subway asked if I was from Canada. “Yes!” I replied. “How did you know that?” Her answer: “When someone bumped into you on the platform you said, ‘Excuse me.’”
Now for the boasting part: over the years I’ve been honoured to receive numerous awards for my work, including a Travel Media Association of Canada award, a Rogers Award for Editorial Excellence and three National Magazine Awards.
Brian Robert
View ArticlesLearn more about this contributorSemi-retired from a thirty four year career of teaching Geography to students and teachers in Ontario, Brian is looking forward to sharing his passion for Canada in a new medium. He has taught thousands of students about the Geography of Canada, as well as a variety of courses about Travel and Tourism in five high schools in Ontario and Australia.
As an instructor for Queen’s University he still gets a chance to interact with Geography teachers in Ontario and elsewhere in the world as he guides them through a variety of online courses. Brian directed three different international language and arts camps, playing host to young people from around the world who came to Ontario’s cottage country to learn English and enjoy Canadian camp life. He has also coordinated student and adult tours to ten different countries as well as wilderness trips in Ontario and New Hampshire. New to the world of travel writing, Brian is enjoying another chance at reinvention.
Janet Podolak
View ArticlesLearn more about this contributorJanet Podolak is a longtime travel and food editor for The News-Herald and Morning Journal newspapers in suburban Cleveland, Ohio, covering food, travel, religion & health, people & events. Her passion lies in scuba, cooking & wines. She has traveled by train in the Andes, Italy, Spain, France and Australia, but especially enjoys traveling in Canada.
You can follow Janet Podolak on Twitter: @JPodolakatwork
Doug O’Neill
Learn more about this contributorDoug O'Neill is an established travel writer who is passionate about nature and the outdoors. He has written for various travel publications including Canadian Geographic, Explore magazine and Canadian Traveller. O'Neill is currently a member of the Adventure Travel Trade Association of Canada as well as a certified Hike Leader for Hike Ontario and an ambassador for the Trans-Canada Trail. He lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Jamie Ross
Learn more about this contributorThe first time I met James Ross I could tell he had been a few places and met a few people. That's because he has a degree in journalism and at one time or another has worked as a newspaper reporter, cowboy, horse wrangler, mule packer, mountain guide, museum curator, dogsledder, canoe guide, movie stuntman, animal trainer, photo double, writer and author of two books: Cottage Daze and Still in a Daze at the Cottage, celebrating the Canadian Cottage Experience. Check out his personal website at cottagedaze.ca We are delighted to have him sharing some of his experiences with us here at Roadstories.ca
Katharine Fletcher
Learn more about this contributorKatharine is a writer, author and artist who’s happiest in the wild. Whether it’s paddling Manitoba’s Bloodvein River; snowshoeing Kenauk’s Nature Reserve; or horseback-riding during exhilarating two-week expeditions in Northern BC’s Muskwa Kechika, Katharine’s soul soars in serious backcountry. A diverse writer, however, you just might find her quaffing a microbrewery beer in PEI, or tapping her toes at a Newfoundland cèilidh. Katharine has contributed to many publications such as Moscow Today, Canadian Living, Canadian Traveller, Explore magazine, and in 2019 she won honourable mention for Ottawa Tourism's Media Award, for her story "For the Love of Ottawa’s Wild Places", published in Canadian Traveller. Katharine is dedicated to sustainable tourism and committed to environmental issues. She writes Our Environment, her bimonthly column for three Outaouais newspapers. See more at katharinefletcher.com
Connie Boland
Learn more about this contributorAward-winning journalist, writer, and communications professional Connie Boland was born in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador. She liked the city so much she still lives there. Connie is an avid hiker and lover of all things outdoors. She worked for 10 years as a newspaper writer and editor, then branched out into freelance writing.
Connie has written for Today’s Parent, Saltscapes, Atlantic Business, Downhomer magazines, The Evening Telegram and The Western Star. She was twice a finalist for Atlantic Journalism Awards in the magazine and newspaper categories and received Canadian News Awards for Outstanding Editorial Achievement.
After more than 20 years working as a communications manager with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Memorial University, Kids Eat Smart Foundation Newfoundland and Labrador, and other organizations, she has returned to her first love – creating stories.
John and Sandra Nowlan
View ArticlesLearn more about this contributorSandra and John Nowlan are award-winning travel & food writers and photographers based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They've travelled to and written about all seven continents and more than 120 countries. Their articles and photos have been published in magazines, newspapers and travel/cuisine websites across Canada, the United States, Britain and Australia. Check out their website at nowtravel.ca