See You Next Year!
2023 was an interesting year to say the least, and good or bad we’ve collected some of the big-ticket happenings, so let’s check them out.
Enjoy! And we can’t wait to bring you more in 2024!
According to Google stats, searches for the term RV spiked highest in Canada in early July and August. With most of those searches done by people in the Yukon, then Alberta and BC.
Searches for the term Used RV spiked highest in August as well, and were most searched by people in Alberta, followed by Saskatchewan and BC (hey, maybe that’s how you found us!)
Overall, Alberta saw a huge upswing in campers whether by tent or wheels, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down! Get your reservations done early for 2024 friends – National Park reservations usually open in March.
And of course, No Bull RV celebrated our 8-year anniversary this year, and the 1-year anniversary of our Leduc location that opened in May of 2022!
In the news, we had good and bad. We’ve labeled them so you can choose which you want to focus on.
The Good:
UNESCO added two more Canadian sites to their World Heritage list, these being Anticosti and Tr’ondëk-Klondike, bringing us up to 22 sites total nation wide!
Manitoba announced that their provincial parks will see $200 million invested in the next few years. In their Provincial Parks Infrastructure Renewal Strategy, they plan to increase the number of yurts by 50%, add more campsites with electrical service, and improve interactive experiences and overall services in each of their 20 busiest parks. Along with services, they plan to develop trails and boat launches, as well as enhance climate and water protection with water and wastewater upgrades.
The national significance of two historic sites was recognized this year, with two new National Historic sites being made official by the Government of Canada: Skmaqn—Port-la-Joye—Fort Amherst and the CCGS Alexander Henry.
Skmaqn—Port-la-Joye—Fort Amherst
This was the first permanent European settlement established on Prince Edward Island in 1720 (then Île Saint-Jean) by the French. An alliance was also formed here between the Mi’kmaq and French, and is one of only two locations in North America where this was celebrated annually. Today, the fort’s ruins are still visible, and new interpretive media was launched to explore its history for curious visitors.
The CCGS Alexander Henry
This former Canadian Coast Guard ship served on the Great Lakes from 1959-1985, and acted as ice-breaker, buoy tender, navigational aid ship, while also supplying lighthouses, escorting lighthouse keepers, and performing life-saving search and rescue missions throughout that time. For performing critical duties during its operation and representing the “commitment of the Government of Canada to marine navigation in a period of expanding shipping and trade,” it now lives in Thunder Bay as part of the Lakehead Transportation Museum Society.
(Image © George Lucas, CCG, courtesy of the Transportation Museum of Thunder Bay)
The Bad:
The 2023 wildfire season saw the most area burned in Canada’s recorded history, surpassing the 1989, 1995, and 2014 fire seasons, as well as recorded North American history, easily outdoing the 2020 Western US wildfire season.
(Aug. 17, 2023, the McDougall Creek wildfire burns in the hills of West Kelowna, British Columbia)
As of October 2023, 6,551 fires burned throughout Canada, decimating 184,961 km2, approximately 5% of Canada’s forests and equal to more than six times the average for that time of year (27,300 km2).
But let’s end on
The Just Plain Cool:
RVs have also taken a few jumps in the tech world, the Romtow T8 was named one of the top inventions of 2023 by TIME Magazine. A mobile camper that “[combines] the luxury of a yacht with the technology of The Jetsons with the functionality of an RV.” A towable unit, this futuristic marvel has a ‘floating’ cabin that swivels 90-degrees to create an L-shaped floorplan with sleek finishes and your own personal deck.
And Winnebago unveiled the prototype to their first all-electric motorhome, the eRV2. Not yet commercially available, Winnebago has this unit prepped and in “real world testing” to deliver what they call “eco-friendly travel and power to boondock for up to 7 days.”
