Why Ford is Going to Win the Ontario Election

Why Ford is going to win the Ontario election

Ontario's Premier Doug Ford is one of the best from all retail politicians in Canada. Remember how he used his own car and shovel to help dig out drivers caught during the snowstorm? It made the news, and got all the attention. It played to Ford's image - a man of the people. Liberals hate him, but he knows how to do politics. Here are four reasons why he should handily win the election:

1. Justin Trudeau is the Prime Minister of Canada

Ontario is a smart province. The people of this province want different parties in power in Ottawa and Queen's Park. With the Liberals winning federally, Ontario would want a Conservative in charge of their province. Besides, if Pierre Poilievre succeeds in winning the leadership of the federal Conservatives, and turns hard right, this just plays into Ford's image as a centrist (which he is). Ontario loves their moderates.

2. The NDP and the Liberals are fighting for second place

Ford's opponents are acting as if he has already won. Do you even know the leader of Ontario's Liberals? Or recognize his face? And the leader of NDP has lost more elections than she can count. Their ideas seem all over the place as well. Liberals blamed Ford for not shutting down the province early on during the pandemic, and then held a rally. NDP, despite being on the left, supported the people not getting vaccinated as a "Charter right". Their criticism was seen as criticism for criticism's sake, and not as valid opposition. When you are seeing "doing politics as usual" you are going to lose.

3. The pandemic handling

Ford has certainly done some mistakes (I have called him out on this many times). He famously told people in March 2020 to go for Spring break and "have a good time". He was late in getting the province ready for the vaccination drive. He was late in many of the restrictions that would come into play. Yet, despite those mistakes, which every government made, he generally handled the pandemic well. Almost 90% of the province is vaccinated. Ontario had strict lockdowns, and strict vaccine mandates. Ontario kept the mask mandates the longest. Ford generally listened to the science and to the experts, even if it went against his own instincts. 

The right was angry at him for the restrictions and lockdowns, and left angry at the lockdowns and restrictions not coming down fast enough. When both extremes are mad at you, you are probably doing something right. Ford also rightly called out Justin Trudeau and the federal government for their lax security and screening (or rather, NO SECURITY and SCREENING) at the border. The 2021 autumn wave of the virus was purely due to open borders - a federal fault - that Ford rightly called out. His government, despite being Conservative, handled the pandemic with smartness and caution.

4. Keeping his promises

Ford kept most of his promises. He got shovels in the ground on Ontario's notorious on again off again public transit projects. The Crosstown is going to open soon, the Ontario Line and the Scarborough extension is well on their way, along with LRTs in other cities. He has removed the tolls on highways 412 and 418. He kept his promises to reform the education curriculum, be it sex ed or Maths. He has kept public spending in check (too much, in fact). In his battle against the teachers, the people generally support him. 

All in all, everything looks rosy for Ford. Yet, he has challenges in his second term. Healthcare in this province is at a breaking point. It is almost non-functional, except the bare basics. Education is going to be a rocky battle, as he has to take care of bigger classes, lower tax base, and a teachers' union that is in the mood for a fight. Other public unions are coming up for negotiations. Ontario is facing a housing crisis - with buyers facing high house prices, rising interest rates and higher mortgages, not to mention higher property taxes and utility costs. All these add up in higher rents, which harm renters. And the LTB is a pure disaster.

So... much fun awaits. For now, all roads lead to Ford.

How To Buy A House Without Interest

The simple answer is that you need to come up with the whole chunk of money. If your house costs $1.4m, you need $1.4m plus the other closing costs (such as taxes, lawyers, etc.) and then of course, you can buy the house without paying a single cent in interest. 

(image courtesy: Mattamy Homes)

However, for the average person, such a big amount is not possible (and hence mortgages). So here are some schemes that can allow you to have some big returns, without going into interest, so that you can start to save and / or utilize the real estate market, without getting into interest. Please do your own due diligence, and treat these ideas as entertainment only. If they work, and you are able to finally buy a house of your own without interest, please remember me and my family in your prayers.

1. Partnership

Find 20 people, each of whom can pay $25,000. That gives you half a million dollars. As of 2022, this can be enough to buy a property in many places. In Toronto, you may be able to find a small condo. The further away you go, the bigger this property becomes. In provinces such as Nova Scotia, you can buy a big house for that money. Even in places like Edmonton, or some areas of Calgary, you can find a decent property for this. Of course, you need to buy in a place where you can put it on rent, and someone can be there to manage the rental property.

Now put it on rent. Assuming it earns around $2000/month, and property tax is say $5000/ year, and budgeting another $5000 for miscellaneous expenses, that gives each of the 20 investing partners a monthly revenue of $58/month. If the rent is $3000/month, that gives a revenue of $108.33/month. So you can be making rental income of $700 - $1300 per year.

Now assume your saving is $100,000 instead of $25,000. So you can do 4 such partnerships. Now you have the potential to earn around $4000 per year. But that is not the main purpose of these partnerships. The goal is to eventually sell the property. So say, in 4 years, the price of the property has gone up by $200,000. That is $10,000 for each partner. 

If you have invested in 4 such properties, you are now reaping a pure profit of $40,000 - all interest free, along with the rental revenue stream of those years ($1300 * 4 * 4 = $20,800), giving you roughly $60,000.

Cons: Obviously, this comes with ALL THE drawbacks and risks of partnership. There can be personality conflicts, trust issues, management issues, conflicts about vision, and so on. Thus you need a good lawyer to handle these issues upfront, and someone strong enough (in personality and integrity) to manage the whole venture. There are risks of renting a property (especially in Ontario). It's a business, so obviously it can be a loss (although with property, the chance is less if you do your homework). 

Moreover, the MORE partners there are, the less is your initial investment, but this also lessens your profit, and increases the risk. Inversely, if the number of partners is less, this increases your initial investment, but also increases your profit, while reducing the risks.

Ultimately, this allows you to participate in the benefits of the real estate without interest.

2. Assignment Sale

In this venture, you don't need a partner, but you need a capital of around $100,000 to $200,000 - depending on the city and the builder. Your goal is to buy a new property from a builder, but one that won't be complete for another 2-3 years, and has the potential to rise significantly in value. In Ontario, the Durham region right now has that potential. There are tons of builders who are ready to sell plans on paper, and will start building soon.

Find a reputable builder, such as John Boddy Homes, Mattamy Homes etc., and buy a property. What you will need is an initial deposit, followed by subsequent payments every couple of months, so that in six months you will be paying them around $150,000. What you get is an assignment - a contract that will allow you to buy the property once it's finished at an agreed upon price (say $750,000). You have already paid $150,000 - so you will need to pay the remainder - $600,000 - on closing in 3 years.

Now you wait. Remember, so far you have not taken any interest, nor any mortgage. You are paying NOTHING per month. A year passes. Perhaps another 6 months. You still have another year and half to go.

This is where you (or your realtor) start looking for people to buy this assignment from you. The value of this property may have gone up by $100,000 (real example from 2020-2021 in Durham). It has the potential to go up another $50,000 by the time the property closes. So in effect, you will be paying $750,000 total for a property that as soon as you get it, will be worth $900,000. 

You now have two choices. You can close on the property, and then sell it - but that would mean interest and going into mortgage. What you want to do is sell the assignment before you get the property. So someone will buy the assignment from you for say $250,000. In other word, they will pay you $250,000, and then assumes the contract with the builder as is, and will pay the builder $600,000 on closing (as your original assignment). 

So from the new buyer's perspective, they are getting a $900,000 property at $850,000. From your perspective, you have now made a profit of $100,000 (your initial deposit was $150,000 and you have sold this assignment for $250,000). 

Cons: Obviously, you are depending on the property going up significantly in value so that an assignment sale becomes profitable for all. If no sale goes through, you will have to end up closing the sale. There are also realtor fees and lawyer fees to consider, as well as the fact that some builders do not allow sale of assignments, or charge a fee to transfer an assignment (this fee can vary, and I have seen figures of $7000 for this). 

3. Leveraging Income Differential 

In this venture, you will be earning in a place where property is expensive, and cost of living is high, and so your remuneration is high. However, you will be buying a property in a place where it is cheap, but has the potential to go up significantly. 

So for example, let us say you are earning $150,000 per year in Toronto, but you are looking to buy a house in Saskatchewan where in certain cities, a whole house is available for $100,000 - $200,000. A year's (or two's) worth of total income savings (such as your spouse's) is enough to buy a property in many places in Canada. I know people who are living in Toronto but have bought places in Halifax or Edmonton, where it's still cheap (as of 2022). 

And then, you collect the rental income in the interim, as you wait for the property to appreciate in value. And once the property significantly appreciates, you can sell it off, and repeat the whole cycle again.

For some people, they do this internationally. Earning income in Canada, but buying property in Bangladesh, where the Dhaka market has gone crazy in the last decade. Others live in Canada but buy properties in USA, such as Florida, where they can use it for AirBnB or as holiday rentals.

Cons: Obviously the biggest drawback is that you need someone to manage the property where you buy it, as you do not live there, which can have its costs. You also need to find an area where the property is cheap enough so you can buy it without paying interest (as that is our main qualification criteria).For some people, they can combine this with the first idea. An example is a condo in Calgary, which can be bought by 3 people (rather than 20) together. Again, this comes with the risks of partnership, and also chances of property depreciation.

Conclusion:

All these ideas are obviously business ideas, which always has the potential for loss. They come with other risks of real estate, such as potential for market crash, bad tenants, etc. The revenue stream may not be as rosy as depicted (especially in these uncertain times). None of them will give you $1.5m in a year. At the end of it, in hot markets such as Toronto, you can never save enough from normal streams to buy a house outright, since the rate of real estate increase is far higher. 

However, these ventures allow you to buy property and participate in the benefits and profits of real estate, without potentially paying a single cent in interest.

The Ridiculous Social Message of Yeh Na Thi Hamari Qismat

Let's talk about this new Pakistani serial that is taking the desi world by storm.

Yeh Na Thi Hamari Qismat

It is a story of two sisters who get married in strange circumstances. The marriage episode (or circumstance) itself is the ultimate in cringe worthiness but let's skip past that to the premise of the story. I will come back to it, I promise.

THE GOOD STUFF

First, let's talk of the two good things about this serial. The acting is good, and there IS something in the direction of the story that makes you want to watch the next episode ... just to see what happens. That is good in any TV drama where it can capture and hook an audience (sadly lacking in The Fame Game or How I Met Your Father). Now let's come to the ridiculousness.

The story is of two sisters - the "good" sister and the "bad" sister. Now why is the good sister good? Because she serves her in laws, tolerates all their insults, goes to office and earns, and then comes home and does ALL the domestic chores, and all the times remains silent at any injustice done to her. And why is the bad sister bad? She is stubborn, and does not speak to elders with respect, does not tolerate any insults tactfully, and is too lazy to do any housework. Oh, and she is 20 years old.

THE BAD STUFF: ALL WOMEN ARE EVIL

The show is very popular amongst women, which is surprising when you think that ALMOST EVERY woman portrayed on the drama is shown as a scheming villain, except the main character and her mother. EVERY WOMAN is bad. Almost EVERY GUY is good. One has to ask, is this realistic?

I know Pakistan is a conservative country that likes to promote joint families, but if reality is that in every joint family all the elderly women are villains who make the life of the new wife hell, then why is the young girl who wants to live on her own shown as a bad girl? And how does this show purport to promote family values when your mother-in-law, aunt, cousin etc. are all evil, all the time?

THE BAD STUFF: JOINT FAMILY IS IDEAL AND ANYTHING ELSE IS EVIL

This is particularly nauseating. Granted, it's a desi show, so they are likely to toll the virtues of a joint family. But the talk of having your own household is treated as toxic (whereas the family itself is shown to be the ultimate toxic one, but you have to "tolerate" it like the 'good' girl). Even Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)'s own daughters lived in their own household with their husbands, but this is shown as something only the 'bad' girl wants. How hard is it to show reality, that different families have different needs?

THE BAD STUFF: THE MARRIAGE EPISODE

This is really stupid. I told you I will come back to the marriage episode. The elder sister is supposed to be married to Yaser, who, by the way, has the hots for his fiancée's younger sister. On the day of the marriage, the 'good' sister meets with an incident and is unable to get to the venue on time. As you watch this, you ask yourself, DOES NO ONE HAVE A PHONE? Not even the police, the ambulance or the hospital, to alert the parents? And then this lady - who by the way was robbed at gun point - is branded characterless for showing up late to her own reception. And again, everyone seems OK with this! Even the parents of the girl, while not wondering where she is, decides it is better for the younger sister to get married in place of the older sister, because "log kya kahenge" or what will people think. 

Again, she was robbed at gun point and is late, but somehow this is a big disaster and the young  sister must save the day. And of course, Yaser is behind himself with glee, telling his new younger wife that God stepped in to make him marry her…..essentially saying that God had the older sister attacked to please Yaser. But hey - the men are supposed to be religious here, and the women the villain. 

We are not done. As the older sister appears, the family keeps worrying about her reputation and her "dagh" (mark). WHAT MARK? WHAT REPUTATION? SHE WAS ROBBED!!! So she has to get married immediately to the first available guy, because, you know, who else will marry her!! I don't know ... someone who has a bit of sense? But because she is the 'good' girl, she has to tolerate this.

A GUILTY PLEASURE

I accept that drama always get a bit exaggerated because you know drama. But this over the top ridiculousness. My post is not just about how ridiculous it is, but how it is pretending what is pathetic behaviour (forced marriage , tolerating toxic abuse , age old fashioned thinking) as good, progressive and religious. This show, while remaining a guilty pleasure, certainly does not deserve to be called a good show.

Condemning the Illegal Invasion of Ukraine

In 2003 the US invaded Iraq - a sovereign nation under a dictator - using the "weapons of mass destruction" excuse. At that time, many of us denounced that invasion and condemned their war. Canada did not join "the coalition of the willing". It was Jean Chretien's greatest moment. Ironically, the Conservatives were wetting their pants trying to get Canada to join this illegal war. Stephen Harper, then the leader of the Opposition, wrote a letter in the Wall Street Journal of how wrong Canada was in abstaining from this war. History proved Canada - and the Liberals - correct.

In 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine - a sovereign democratic nation - using the excuse of "denazification and threats posed to Russia by Ukraine". But this time, some people who said US invasion of Iraq was bad are suddenly cheering for Russia and saying it is all NATO's fault.

While living here in Canada enjoying NATO protection.

You can't have it two ways. If tomorrow India feels threatened by Bangladesh's increasing closeness to China, and buying of Chinese weaponry (Bangladesh is on a course to vastly modernize her army), then will you support India invading Bangladesh and bombing Dhaka, just because they "feel threatened"?

The law - even international law - doesn't work like that. An illegal invasion is an illegal invasion, doesn't matter who does it to whom. The fact that Ukraine may have supported Israel, or sold weapons to Myanmar, or some people there right now are being racist towards Africans in Ukraine - all of that doesn't matter. The fact that sovereign nations are freely choosing to join NATO does not matter. 

This is an illegal invasion by Russia, and as a person living in the West I do not want to see a Russian dominated world (or a Chinese dominated world). And in this case, the West is right. 

3 Key People When Buying a House

This is post is mostly geared to first time homebuyers (or more precisely, those looking to be first time homebuyers). You have looked at the market, you are worried about the way prices are going up, you have some savings that you can put towards a down payment, and now you are thinking of buying a house. Who are three most important people that will help you with this?

1. Your mortgage agent / finance person

Contrary to most assumptions, the first person you should consult is your finance person. You can start by contacting your bank, and speak to a mortgage specialist. They will take all your numbers (your salary, your spouse's salary, your savings and the down payment amount etc.) and then tell you how much loan they can sanction you for. This will give you a rough idea of the price you can look at. After this, look for a trusted mortgage agent. I advise almost NEVER to go through a bank's agent as they can only give you rates from their bank, whereas a mortgage agent can compare and contrast and give you the best deal from multiple sources. They may often have means to qualify you for a higher price.

A word of caution: like any industry there are some people who do shady business. Never falsify papers or your income etc. to try and qualify for a higher loan.

2. Your realtor

When you are buying a property, your realtor becomes very important. The higher a selling price of a house is, the higher the commission of the realtor. Hence there is actually a conflict of interest - your realtor when you are buying should be trying to get you the lowest price, but if the price is higher it is actually better for him or her. So it becomes very important to seek a realtor whom you trust, especially in a market like today. Talk to your realtor about your budget (you have the numbers from the bank), what you are looking for, and where. Your realtor should be able to give you an idea of what you will find. You may have to compromise on certain things, but again this is where a trusted realtor becomes very important.

A way to gauge a good realtor is word of mouth. If your friends have used a realtor's services and have highly recommended the person, that's a good sign. Another sign is how the predictions of the realtor match the result. For example you see a property, and then your realtor should be able to give you a narrow range of what this property will go for. After that, if you are not putting an offer on that property, watch it (you can use House Sigma app, for example). When it finally sells, see the price it went for and compare with what your realtor said. Whatever questions you need to ask about the whole process, your realtor should be able to answer it.

3. The lawyer

When you have put an offer on a house and it is accepted, it is time to get the mortgage paperwork done (this is where your finance person / mortgage agent comes in). Once the paperwork and mortgage is secured, the next (and final) important person is the lawyer.

He or she will be in charge of making sure the property legally becomes yours. About two three weeks before the closing date, they become active. They will exchange paperwork with the lawyer from the seller's side, have meetings with you where they walk you through all the paperwork, have you sign what is needed and explain what's going on. The lawyer is very important because they have to properly transfer over every title deed to you. Not only for the house, but they have to ensure all other things with the property, such as hot water unit rental if it's there, or title insurance, or other conditions, etc. are all taken care of. The bank will be sending the cheque to your lawyer, and you will also be giving (wiring) the deposit to your lawyer. It will be held in trust until all the closing is done. Once again, you need someone who is good, capable and experienced to be taking care of every little detail. Some properties, for example, have two PINs instead of one (this is a legal term). Both should be transferred over to your name. So look for a good lawyer (again, word of mouth very important). Your realtor may also be able to suggest one for you.

Hopefully this post will help you know what to look for when you search for these three people. I have left out lots of other folks such as the cleaning crew, movers etc. as that all happens after closing. Good luck!

Banff, Yoho and Jasper 2021: A Full Itinerary

Here's a list of all the posts about things to do and see in Banff, Yoho and Jasper that I covered in 2021.

• Place to visit in Yoho National Park, BC
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Things to do in Banff on a Rainy Day
  
  
  
  
  
• Moraine Lake, A Jewel of Banff National Park
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Lake Louise, The Crown Jewel of Banff
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Surprise Corner, Two Jack Lake and Banff Ave
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Icefields Parkway: Things To See On the Drive
  
  
  
  
  
  

Hopefully you have a pleasant stay in these national parks and find the information here helpful. I am also including a link to my past travels to these places.

Western Canada (2016 and 2019)

Icefields Parkway: Things To See On the Drive

Continued from Surprise Corner, Two Jack Lake and Banff Ave

There is a highway the likes of which are rare in the world. The Icefields Parkway links Lake Louise, Alberta with Jasper, Alberta. Many lists of top drives or top beautiful journeys in the world include Icefields Parkway amongst the very top. 

The Icefield Parkway is a 232 km stretch of double-lane highway winding along the Continental Divide through soaring rocky mountain peaks, icefields and vast sweeping valleys. You don't get sights like this on most highways. There's more than 100 glaciers dotted all across the highway,  cascading waterfalls, dramatic rock spires, and emerald lakes set in sweeping valleys of thick pine and larch forests.

I first travelled on this road in 2016, and then later again in 2019, and still I am in awe of this majestic drive. Here are some stop overs you should take when you head from Banff (or Lake Louise) towards Jasper.

Bow Lake (39 km from Lake Louise)

This is one of the first stops you should make on the way to Jasper. It's a beautiful, not too large a lake, with a magnificent mountain behind it. 

There's a lodge (Num Ti Jah Lodge) nearby (if you want to stay the night), and from the lookout point off the highway you can climb down a bit to the edge of the water.

Peyto Lake and Bow Summit (44 km from Lake Louise)

Unfortunately this year the Bow Summit was closed for visitors, as Parks Canada is doing some renovations. It was scheduled to be open in August 2021, but there must have been some delay. You can take a look at my pictures from my last visit there in 2019.

Waterfowl Lake

This is honestly one of the most peaceful and serene scenes I saw from my trip.

There is a campground nearby (which was full). Honestly, as you stand there, taking in the beautiful sight, the cries of the birds (water fowls) and the slow lapping of the waves on the shore, you have to be moved at the peaceful, pristine nature of the place.

Untouched by human activities that require motorized (and hence has the possibility of oil leaks), these lakes were shimmering, lovely, untouched, and gorgeous to look at.

Beautiful sunny weather, blue skies, a gorgeous warm temperature and only a slight breeze made this a fantastic place to photograph, and spend some time just soaking it all in.

And of course, as the clouds moved across the sky, you couldn't help but think - just how big are the mountains, and so how big MUST be the cloud that can cover a WHOLE mountain?!

I had to wait for a long time so there was no body on the shore, just so I could take this picture. I would say this was worth the wait!

Big Hill and Big Bend (114 km from Lake Louise)

It is just as the name sounds like. If you are driving, you KNOW when you are there. The descending road clings to the wall of a mountain and offers expansive views of the valley and river below. Though it sounds dangerous, it's really not. It just is ... BIG. 

And the Big Bend is the famous hairpin turn that wraps in a circle below towering peaks. You can see in the picture where we were (the road below) and where we are now (how high).

Remember: If you choose to stop, please ensure that you are completely off the road. There's places to pull over.

Columbia Icefield (128 km from Lake Louise)

As our drive continued along this beautiful highway, at one point we left Banff National Park and entered Jasper National Park.

Pretty close to this place is the Columbia Icefield. These glaciers are the largest south of the Arctic Circle.

In the picture above, you can see the glacier on the other side of the road, and the parking for visitors on this side of the road. And then you see the notice - what it says is that a 100 years ago, the glacier used to cover the parking lot (where it is today). This is how much our activities have contributed to global warming.

These icefields receive up to seven metres (275 inches) of snowfall per year. During the summer months visitors to the area can travel onto the glacier in the comfort of large "snowcoaches". Since I have already done this in 2016 and again in 2019, we just stopped by the side of the road to take some pictures, and then was off again. However, I would advise any first time visitor to visit these icefields. You don't get an opportunity to walk on a glacier all the time. Be sure to do the Glacier Skywalk as well.

Sunwapta Falls (177 km from Lake Louise)

As you continue your journey along this road, you will notice that while Banff is somewhat developed, Jasper is still untamed. It's still wild. During our visit previously, we often saw wildlife on the side of the road in Jasper.

The Sunwapta Falls is a class 6 waterfall, located south of the Jasper town site.

It has a drop of approximately 18 metres (60 feet). The falls are particularly impressive in the late spring and early summer when snow pack run off is high. 

The mountain on the horizon, the trees and the colour of the falls makes for an exquisite picture. There is a bridge here that is one of the most popular places in Canada for selfies (as noted by me from my own experience).

Just see how many folks here are taking pictures! Thankfully there's guard rails to protect visitors from walking too close to the edge.

There is this small island there - but you cannot visit it just by swimming across (don't try).

The Sunwapta Falls are fed by the Athabasca Glacier. Speaking of Athabasca ...

Athabasca Falls (200 km from Lake Louise)

Among the most breath-taking and powerful falls in the Canadian Rockies, the Athabasca Falls are located 30 kilometres south of Jasper town site. 

The falls are impressive for the volume and force of water, less for its height. The falls can be safely viewed and photographed from various viewing platforms and walking trails.

What is really unique here (as opposed to Sunwapta) is the multiple action taking place everywhere. It's not just one place the water is falling. It is carving into two or three different streams because of the rocks, all flowing down and curving with tremendous energy, before going under and coming around again way below to combine again into one river.

Continuing on, you can visit the town of Jasper. There's lots of things to do there, but we had been there before, and it was time to make the return to Banff. It would take almost 3 hours to return, but when the view is as pretty as this, can you complain?

In the picture above, you can see Bow Lake in the distance.

Dinner was some lovely Yakitori Chicken in Canmore.

My return flight to Toronto was the next day. It is hard to leave Banff, but you leave with precious memories and snapshots. Hopefully to return again soon. The picture below is showing Wasaga beach catching the morning sunrise, as seen from my flight.

Home Sweet Home!

Overall, the Covid19 situation has shut off all international tourism to Banff and Jasper. As (fully vaccinated) Americans slowly return, the crowd was still far less compared to its usual. Which made it perfect for Canadians to take advantage of this pristine place. After all, when was the last time you can just decide to go to Lake Louise, and go, with your own car?

Till next time, Banff!

Surprise Corner, Two Jack Lake and Banff Ave

Continued from Lake Louise, The Crown Jewel of Banff

If you are an early riser like me, and have already done a few hikes and trails by lunch, you now have a few hours to kill before the sun goes down. Quite a few, actually, as sunset here can be 9.30 pm in the peak of summer, and 830 pm by late August. What do you do?

Surprise Corner

There is a small spot in Banff called Surprise Corner. Why "Surprise Corner"? Who knows ... but the sudden appearance and incredible view of the Banff Springs Hotel (known as the "Castle of the Rockies") is the incredible reward.

From this spot, the hotel has Sulphur Mountain behind it, while in the foreground the majestic Bow River cascades down into the Bow Falls. It looks like a painting, especially when you come early morning, or about 2 hours before sunset. The majestic glow covers everything with a golden hue.

This is an iconic view of the hotel, as well as of Bow River, and is found in many postcards, pictures and movies. There is a small amount of parking, and it also connects to a few trails.

There are quite a few view points once you park your car. You can walk on the road on the cliff (careful!) and see the view closer to the river. Or you can climb up a few stairs to a pavilion and take in the view from there.

When crossing the street, be careful of the traffic. And when driving, be on the lookout for pedestrians! Surprisingly, despite multiple blog posts, tweets and lots of videos on YouTube on this, Surprise Corner is still not that busy, especially in the late afternoon.

Two Jack Lake

Not far from downtown Banff, Two Jack Lake is a picturesque emerald green lake with a grand view of Mount Rundle. 

Unlike many other lakes which known for scenic views, Two Jack Lake seems to lie low under the radar, but is very popular in the summer with families.

The landscape is great for those in search of some fresh air and some distance from crowds. It's quite near to the town (about 10 minutes drive) and is a great place to catch sunset or sunrise.

During summer, visitors can enjoy swimming, kayaking, stand-up paddleboard, and hiking. We saw multiple families enjoying a summer picnic or some casual fun in the water.

Lake Minnewanka and Johnson Lake are two other lakes that are quite near to Two Jack Lake. However, Lake Minnewanka is the more famous one of these three, and Johnson Lake hardly has any visitors.

If you are doing the Lake Minnewanka cruise, it makes sense to stop by Two Jack Lake when you are done. It's a big lake, and the beach is very accessible.

 Like Vermilion Lakes, it’s another fantastic lake with Mount Rundle views.

With Mount Rundle in the back, and other small mountains nearby, Two Jack Lake is one of the most scenic views in Banff National Park. If you are into photography this is a great spot, and always makes for a great background, especially if you catch Two Jack Lake at sunrise or when the evening light hits Mt. Rundle.

Banff Ave

You will need to buy souveniers. If you have loved ones back home, you may need to buy some gifts.

What better reason that these to explore Banff Ave! You may also need to eat ... and of course Banff Ave has restaurants galore.

Our hotel was on Banff Ave, which made life considerably easier. If you have to stay somewhere in Banff, stay on Banff Ave, as close to the centre of the town as possible.

These are pretty much some of the highlights of Banff. On this trip we didn't do the Sulpher Mountain Gondola or the Lake Minnewanka Cruise, as we had done those many times before. Rather, our focus was to explore some spots we hadn't seen before. Every time you come here, there's more to do.

Up next: Highlights of the Icefields Parkway to Jasper