Latest news with #IcebergAlley
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
The great iceberg hunt on Canada's epic new road
A sweeping new highway – nearly 25 years and C$1bn in the making – is reshaping life in Newfoundland and Labrador and opening up Canada's iceberg coast. Standing on a windswept outcrop on the island of Newfoundland's northern coast, I scanned the churning, blue-steel sea for icebergs. Somewhere beyond the restless waves lay the glaciers of Greenland and the ice fields of Arctic Canada. I was hoping to glimpse their offspring – behemoths calved from ancient ice shelves, carried south over two or three years by the Baffin Island and Labrador Currents into a region known as Iceberg Alley, a stretch of water between the southern coast of Labrador and the south-eastern shore of Newfoundland. Squinting, I caught sight of a solid white shape; a still patch in the Labrador Sea. For a heartbeat, I thought I'd found one. Then it vanished in a burst of froth and spray. My husband Evan and I continued along the rocky trail, ducking out of the wind behind a patch of tangled tuckamore. Made up of hardy, slow-growing boreal trees like balsam fir and black spruce, the wind-contorted forest barely reached my chin. Up ahead, Evan pointed out an osprey, fragile and exposed, as it spread its wings to dry. Beyond it, the ocean vista was punctuated by sea stacks, sculpted cliffs and a small, curved bay dotted with abandoned homes. Despite the blue sky and warmth of late spring, life in Newfoundland and Labrador demands ingenuity and resilience. Like the meadow grasses and wildflowers clinging to the salt-laced soil, the people here have only ever held a precarious grip on this wondrous place. I inhaled deeply, marvelling at the austere beauty – then another glint of white caught my eye. "Only a boat," Evan said, following my gaze. One week into a two-week road trip across Newfoundland, we had yet to spot an iceberg. They were out there; each morning, the iceberg-tracking map showed giants drifting to our west. The problem was geography. Newfoundland and Labrador's pleated coastline means a berg 50km away by water could be 400km by road – and this season, they were clustered in the southern bays of Labrador, a region that was, until recently, among the hardest to reach. In a place where the ocean long served as the main highway, roads came late. When Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949, there were just 195km of pavement for a province with more than 29,000km of coastline. The obvious solution was to build roads, with the goal of improving access to jobs, schools and healthcare. But this came at a cost. Building takes time and the initial roadways bypassed many small coastal settlements, leading to the abandonment of more than 300 outport communities. "But a new road can change everything," Keith Pike, the city manager in Red Bay, an outport on Labrador's southern coast told me, after I'd continued my trip west. Just 80km north of the Quebec border and the Newfoundland-Labrador ferry terminal in Blanc-Sablon, Red Bay hugs the edge of the Strait of Belle Isle. Not long ago it also marked the end of the old gravel road; isolation that forced Pike to leave the place his family had called home for generations. But with the recent completion of the Trans-Labrador Highway – known as Expedition 51 for the latitude it follows – he has returned, and is hopeful others might do the same. The 1,200km highway, nearly 25 years and C$1bn in the making, threads across Labrador's sweeping terrain, linking inland towns, distant outports and more than 9,000 years of human history. It's the kind of rugged drive that road-trippers dream of, forming a loop through Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and even touching into the US and the French islands of St Pierre and Miquelon. While only a few people are expected to drive the entire circuit, Pike sees the road's greatest legacy in its promise. "People like me are able to come home because of the opportunities it's creating," he said. In simple terms: the places Newfoundlanders and Labradorians call home have proven to be alluring to travellers looking for wild landscapes and meaningful cultural encounters. And along Expedition 51, visitors aren't just welcome, they're needed. It's a place where thoughtful tourism can help sustain places that have endured against the odds. In Indigenous communities, the road is already sparking new ventures. Barbara Young, marketing coordinator for the Newfoundland and Labrador Indigenous Tourism Association, says local entrepreneurs are building businesses rooted in tradition. From guided hikes with Kaumanik Adventure Tours in Port Hope Simpson to Inuit art at Caribou Place in Mary's Harbour, these stops invite travellers to engage with cultures that have thrived here since time immemorial. History, too, is central to Red Bay's story. A major Basque whaling station in the 1500s, the long-abandoned settlement grew out of the whale oil that once lit Europe's lamps. Today, Parks Canada and the townspeople are betting on the new highway drawing more visitors to the Red Bay National Historic Site. They've invested in a new interpretive centre, expanded boardwalks through Saddle Island's archeological sites and improved hikes like the Boney Shore Trail where whale bones still line the coast. More like this:• Canada's remote (but accessible) dark-sky sanctuary• A cutting-edge tourism model in Newfoundland• The only land disputed between the US and Canada As Evan and I chased icebergs, I realised Expedition 51 is also opening more of Iceberg Alley. New operators like Whaler's Quest Ocean Adventures now offer boat tours out of Red Bay, often with a side of traditional music by locals like Pike. It may seem ironic that a seafaring province closely associated with the Titanic – just one of the more than 600 documented ship-iceberg collisions that have claimed more than 3,400 lives over the past two centuries – is embracing iceberg tourism. Back when most communities relied on the cod fishery, the massive bergs that drifted by each spring were deadly navigational hazards. But as coastal populations dwindled, the icy giants offered a glimmer of hope. Twillingate was one of the first to embrace the shift. Straddling two islands linked by a narrow tickle, and just 100km from Gander's airport, Twillingate gained road access in the 1970s. After the cod fishery collapsed in the 1990s, the town began to reinvent itself. Locals transformed old footpaths – once used to reach now-abandoned communities or favourite berry-picking patches – into hiking trails, launched iceberg tours and started businesses like Great Auk Winery, which uses iceberg water in its products. Drawn to the now-famous town, Evan and I continued our daily scan of iceberg-tracking sites. Even though the icebergs drifted stubbornly west, locals helped us build a very Newfoundland bucket list. We were directed to puffin and whale lookouts, tipped off about the perfect fog-free window for visiting the lighthouse, told where to buy fresh-caught lobster, sent to see several root cellars and urged to visit the Beothuk Interpretation Centre to learn about the tragic demise of the Indigenous Beothuk people. On the hiking trails, we reflected on the empty outports and watched for untracked icebergs. "They've given people a reason to come home," an employee at Great Auk Winery told us as we sampled a flight of wines. The bakeapple iceberg wine – infused with golden-orange berries handpicked from nearby bogs – offered a honeyed apricot note. Blended with harvested iceberg water, it showcased how seafaring traditions are being reimagined. We bought a bottle; even if we didn't spot one of the elusive giants, we could still savour the taste of 50,000-year-old water. In a typical year, 700 to 800 icebergs drift through Iceberg Alley; some years, none appear at all. I had nearly given up when I glimpsed my first one at Red Bay. Floating offshore from Expedition 51, the glittering hulk told the story of a snowflake's improbable journey from cloud to glacier to sea to tourist attraction. It had taken thousands of years to get here – but without the new highway, I wouldn't have seen it at all. -- For more Travel stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
CBC
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Local musician defends Iceberg Alley after lineup receives online backlash
Music festivals have started releasing their lineups for the summer season in St. John's, but not everyone is happy about it. It's prompting one local musician to speak out about the negativity. When the popular Iceberg Alley concert series announced its 10-day lineup for June, local musician Nick Earle said the response from the public was overwhelmingly opposed. Nick Earle and the Reckless Hearts is just one local band, among many more, that will get to share the bill with big-name headliners on big stages this year. "There's a lot of people being super negative on social media, just about the acts that were coming here saying 'I wouldn't pay $40 to go see this show,'" Earle told CBC News. "That's OK if the show is not for you, but don't take it away from somebody else." But while some comments online were negative, others stepped in to defend the festival and acknowledge the work that goes into putting off the event. "Shout out to the crew who put this event together! These events require a lot of time, effort and money to make it all work," one person wrote. Earle made his own post, disavowing the negative feedback. "We're lucky that it's 2025, and we have enough ambitious promoters to attempt to put off concerts in a — sometimes — really ungrateful environment," he wrote. Earle said he took it upon himself to tell people they shouldn't complain, given the logistical challenges in running a festival on an island. "A few years ago I would have to travel pretty far to see a premier act," he said. "But being able to in the summer in Newfoundland, to go check out some pretty amazing concerts at relatively affordable costs compared to other festivals, it's a pretty amazing thing to have here." Others also complained about the lack of diversity, including the lack of certain genres and lack of women — a longtime criticism of the festival. Earle said he understands the argument, but lineups depend on who is available, and if the promoter can afford them. "I don't think it's really based on anything, like we need to have 10 rock shows in a row or something," he said. Festival planning Shawn Basha, the lead producer for Iceberg Alley, says it's hard to "please everybody." "People are going to say 'this person has been here too many times,'" said Basha. "We're doing our best to … try to make something that's good for everybody." Basha says part of the planning involves bringing in emerging artists and introducing them to a new audience. For example, he said the Arkells played at the Rock House in St. John's 10 years ago, and are now a regular headlining act on the province's biggest stages. Last year, St. John's saw some big acts in Shania Twain and Nickelback at the Churchill Park Music Festival, and Bush and Billy Talent at Iceberg Alley. WATCH | Music festival lineups are often divisive, no matter how big or small the event: St. John's music festival scene is growing, but impossible to please everyone: promoter 1 day ago Duration 2:29 At one point, George Street Festival was the main musical attraction in the capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador. But with the addition of Iceberg Alley, Churchill Park, music festivals are attracting big talent. The CBC's Abby Cole talks to one promoter about what goes into securing a lineup. Basha says 2024 was "the most incredible summer for live music ever in St. John's," considering the remoteness of Newfoundland and Labrador, which can make it difficult to bring in bands. He said it takes some convincing to book artists to play in the province, some of whom often have to add an extra day to their tour schedule to travel to St. John's. "It's kind of more like a tourism pitch sometimes than it is just a pitch to have the band play at the festival," Basha said. Basha says he tries to cater to different demographics across the 10-day festival. "Trying to get those nights together, to have three bands per night that compliment each other on that particular genre each night, it's kind of like a chess game," he said. And booking the acts is a long process that involves long negotiations with agents and days of waiting for confirmation, he said. But even with the initial negativity online, Basha said ticket sales are going well so far.
CBC
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Iceberg Alley is going to rock out at Quidi Vidi for 10 days this summer
Festival season in St. John's is full steam ahead as Iceberg Alley joins the growing list of organizations announcing its musical lineup. The Iceberg Alley Performance Tent will be open for ten nights in Quidi Vidi this summer, running from June 19-29. Old Crow Medicine Show, the band that popularized a song co-written by Bob Dylan's, Wagon Wheel, is kicking off the festival. ZZ Top is also hitting the stage, along with Mother Mother, Chilliwack and many more. Filling a ten-night schedule with dozens of musical acts isn't a simple job, says festival producer Shawn Basha. "You can't have five days in a row of classic rock," Basha told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show. "We get a headliner first," he said, "we have to find two other bands that are going to complement that band on that particular night. But then the next night, we don't want the same type of genre of music so we have to try to go get something else." Earlier this week the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival announced its lineup for July 11-13. Last month the Churchill Park Music Festival announced The Killers would be its headline act. Iceberg Alley was under fire last year because of a lack of female representation on the lineup. Basha says in 2024 it was unintentional, but it's a similar situation this year. British Columbia rock band Mother Mother is the only headliner offering up any gender diversity so far. Basha says festival organizers face unique barriers when it comes to booking performers because Newfoundland is an island. His team strategically picks featured acts based on where they're touring, he says. For example, if someone has a stop in Europe, they can play in St. John's on the way there. It may be hard to get there, but Basha says the island still has a distinct charm. "Every band who plays here thinks this place is magical," he said. Iceberg Alley also makes sure local artists are getting their time in the sun, says Basha, withTim Baker, Mick Davis and Thin Love, Damian Follett and Rum Ragged set to perform. A busy summer Newfoundland and Labrador is heading into a summer packed with events like the Canada Games and other music festivals but Basha says that doesn't complicate his job booking acts. He says he also works for the Churchill Park Music Festival and they co-ordinate to make sure they go after different performers for the separate festivals. "We're trying not to step on each other's toes. And Churchill Park is a totally different thing because that is a large outdoor venue," he said. "The bands that they're going after are way out of our wheelhouse because we would never be able to afford them, because we don't have the attendance." Basha says the lineup usually isn't announced until everything is set in stone. June 26 is the only day of the festival where the lineup hasn't been announced yet but Basha says it's coming soon.
