With a massive amount of coastline, Canada is home to a wide assortment of aquatic life. The diversity can be hard to imagine, especially in this landlocked part of the country, but some examples of that natural splendor are coming to Waterloo Region … in the back of a van.
The AquaVan 150 – a mobile aquarium – is trekking across the country, from the distant shores of Vancouver to the equally far-off coast of Nova Scotia, in honour of Canada’s 150th birthday. The van is making 150 stops in 150 communities, with the aim to teach people about Canada’s marine life, and the connection people have with their neighbouring aquatic environments.
The van and its curators will be making a one-day stop at the Waterloo Region Museum on July 23 to show off the critters and participate in a cleanup of the nearby Grand River banks.
“They have an actual mobile aquarium that they roll out of the trailer, and they have television screen [and some educational material],” explained Wendy Connell, supervisor of programs at the Waterloo Region Museum. “People from all ages – kids especially – can come out and look at different sea creatures and talk about their environment.”
People will have a chance to look at the exotic marine life, touch a starfish – not an everyday option in this neck of the woods – and learn while they do.
The aquarium will be viewable from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., closing only briefly for the Grand River cleanup between 1-2 p.m. Anyone looking to do a bit of good in their community, save some critters or just need something fun and social to do on a Sunday afternoon is encouraged to join in.
Volunteers can register for the cleanup online, or in person ten minutes before the event. All they need to bring is their good spirits and appropriate clothing for the weather.
After the cleanup, people can still check out the aquarium if they haven’t done so yet, or head over to the museum for the exhibits. There’s 12,000 years of Waterloo Region history on display at the museum, the Doon Heritage Village which takes visiting families back in time to the year 1914 with fun activities, and the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame. Anyone participating in the cleanup automatically get a museum pass for their hard work.
“It’s definitely something I think is really a very unique project for the Canada 150, and I’m delighted that they’re coming here. They’ve been to Toronto and they’ve been to Burlington and Hamilton … but I’m delighted we were able to get our name on the list.”
The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre team started its long AquaVan150 voyage in April, and will be on the road until sometime in October. The van is just one of the Pan-Canadian Signature Projects the country has adopted to mark the country’s sesquicentennial.
