Elgin, ON, Jan 31, 2011 — Mention skating the Rideau Canal and it's hard to not think of Beavertails. But there are other comfort foods associated with outdoor skating. In the Netherlands one would be "snert." That's Dutch pea soup, thick enough to stand a spoon and considered even better a day or so after it's made.

Snert is an old stand-by for some, for others it's a brand new experience. Tracey Boyd copied an expert and finally got the hang of it, in time to feature hot snert at a busy fund-raising booth for last Saturday's "Skate the Lake" event in Portland, Ontario. She's today's Heard Up North.  Go to full article

Jul 29, 2010 — Canada and the Netherlands forged deep ties over the past century. Members of the Dutch Royal Family took refuge in Ottawa during the Second World War, and it was largely Canadian forces that liberated the Netherlands from harsh German occupation.

When the war was over, a grateful Holland sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to Canada's capital, a gesture that led to the current Tulip Festival. And tens of thousands of Dutch came to land-rich Canada seeking new homes and new lives.

At this year's Pioneer Day event in Vernon, Ontario, Lucy Martin found the local co-authors of "They Ventured Forth," a new book telling the story of the post-war Dutch migration to the townships of Osgoode and Russell.  Go to full article