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Why is weather so important to Canadians? Why are we
obsessed with it? After all, we can't really change
the weather. There are times when Canadians seem so
disgusted by the weather, yet so secretly proud of its
power at the same time. Whatever the reason, one thing
is clear – our weather is not boring! An average
year in Canada includes three million lightning strikes,
80 to 100 tornadoes, brushes with three or four tropical
cyclones, temperatures that range from +40° to -50°C,
blizzards and glaze, droughts and floods.
David Phillips, a senior climatologist
with Environment Canada, is generally acknowledged as
Canada's unofficial weather guru. He is also the
originator and author of Canada's most popular
calendar, The Canadian Weather Trivia Calendar,
in its 20th anniversary edition for 2008.
Part of the appeal of weather to Canadians, Phillips
says, is that it is demanding and dramatic, but most
of all diverse. Arguably, weather is more important
to Canadians now than it has ever been, and is likely
to be even more important in the future because our
climate is changing and so are we. Some experts suggest
that our weather is becoming more violent and erratic,
but maybe it is simply that we are seeing and hearing
more about it, he says.
Please join The Royal Canadian Geographical Society
in welcoming David Phillips as he recounts some of Alberta's
and Canada's long and dramatic weather past and
answers some of the questions that Canadians have long
wondered about our wild and wacky weather.
CALGARY
Wed., October 3, 2007, at 7 p.m.
John Dutton Theatre in Calgary Public Library
616 Macleod Trail SE
Calgary
EDMONTON
Thurs., October 4, 2007, at 7 p.m.
Stanley A. Milner Theatre in Edmonton Public Library
7 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton
Tickets available starting September 1, 2007 at:
www.rcgs.org/tickets
or 1-800-267-0824
Admission:
$10 for RCGS members; $15 for non-members;
free for children under the age of 12 (who must have
a ticket and be accompanied by an adult).
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