All posts tagged with: Mr. Gay Canada

Starting April 29, 2013, WestJet will be flying daily to Dallas, Texas. The new flight is part of their 2013 expansion plan, opening up new routes to service more destinations in Canada and the United States.

If you need a place to stay, check out the Warwick Hotel.

When you go to Dallas, you gotta get the fried chicken and waffles from Lucky’s!

Dallas is a fantastic city to visit. From the Reunion tower and a bustling arts district, to authentic southern barbeque and great nightlife, there’s a lot to see and do. If you’re passionate about history, you can go to the exact location where President JFK was shot and walk through the Schoolbook Depository at the 6^th Floor Museum to see the recreation of the events of his death. For the history buff’s, there are many museums, cathedrals, church’s and other landmark buildings worth checking out too.

In addition to WestJet’s new daily flight to Dallas via Calgary, they will be launching a new daily flight to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

Starting in June, WestJet will fly from Vancouver to Victoria

In Canada, WestJet will open up new routes to Fort St. John and Nanaimo, and a non-stop flight between Vancouver and Victoria. These new routes will begin June 24 and are expected to be dramatically lower in price compared to the competition.

These new routes are all possible because WestJet is taking delivery of new aircraft, including two new twin-prop planes, which will fly under the name WestJet Encore. Advertised pricing on WestJet’s website now also displays the total cost of the flight, including taxes, fees and other charges, in accordance to new airline pricing regulations.

WestJet has has the honour of having Mr. Gay Canada 2012 – People’s Choice (that’s me!) on their flights to get to many festivals and events across Canada to support the LGBT community.

If you have a trip coming up, check out WestJet. They offer competitive fares, have super-friendly and entertaining flight crew, and now offer even more options to get you to your business or travel destinations.

See you on a WestJet flight soon!

Canadian fashion designer, Ryan McKillop, has been revolutionizing the way men wear underwear. McKillop’s designs are based on hand craftsmanship and ergonomic cuts and styles available on the market today.

“We will be outfitting the underwear and swimwear for the Thursday night Mr. Gay Canada Grand Finale Fashion Show, where delegates will be wearing custom designed Mr. Gay Canada Boxers,” explained owner and designer, Ryan McKillop.

“We are thrilled to have McKillop U/W as our official underwear for Mr. Gay Canada,” said CEO & Executive Producer of the Mr. Gay Canada competition. “”It will be great to have such premium, hand-crafted underwear to ensure the Mr. Gay Canada delegates are looking their best at all times.”

In addition to outfitting contestants of the Mr. Gay Canada 2013 competition, McKillop U/W will also be the official underwear sponsor for WinterPRIDE, which includes underwear for all the dancers performing at official WinterPRIDE 2013 events.00

“WinterPRIDE guests can expect a few little surprises in their welcome bags upon arrival, so everyone can experience McKillop U/W,” McKillop added.

Premier Redford, the first Alberta Premier to attend a Calgary Pride event, along with Mr. Gay Canada 2012 People’s Choice winner, Brian Webb.

Calgary Pride 2012 is a year to go down in their history. It was a perfect sunny day, attendance records were smashed as over 30,000 people came to celebrate culture and diversity in the community, and for the first time ever, an Alberta Premier attended the Pride festivities

“It’s fun to be here,” stated Premier Redford, the first Alberta Premier to ever attend Calgary Pride. “This is just another festival that celebrates part of our community.”

Ok, let’s be honest, gay pride isn’t exactly, ‘just another festival’, but it was a big political move for the conservative party leader.

“I’m very proud of the fact that I’m a different kind of Premier than we’ve had before,” Premier Redford explained. “I’ve been very consistent with my views with respect to the support of the gay community and human rights. I’m very proud of that.”

The Premier admitted their government has more work to do to protect the rights LGBT community.

“We are going to continue to ensure first of all that fundamentally in Alberta we have put in place what we need to ensure that all human rights are protected,” said Premier Redford. “I’m very optimistic about everyone’s rights in this province.”

The Alberta Premier was also quick to recognize the importance of celebrating diversity in the community and to keep the dialogue open.

“It’s really important that we keep celebrating and talking about this,” explained Premier Redford. “If you compare back to 1990 when 195 people came to Pride, versus today where there are 30,000 just celebrating life, that’s a tremendous accomplishment. But whether we are talking about gay rights […], it is important to talk about fundamental human rights.”

Although the Premier made no commitment for her government to tackle some of the pressing issues around protecting the rights of transgendered people in Alberta’s Human Rights Act, or any other equal human rights issues the province still faces, she was optimist about ensuring the rights currently in place are protected and respected.

“We are all Albertans,” Premier Redford stated. “We are an incredibly diverse population, and what I have committed to is making sure human rights are respected, and as people make choices in their life that we have a community that everyone’s choice is respected.”

The 2011 Ford F-150 is one fabulous ride. I had the pleasure to test-drive the Platinum series truck during the Mr. Gay Canada competition. Myself and the other delegates all agreed – it was a very nice vehicle.

From the outside, the candy-apple red, quad-cab with its short box is both urban and sporty. The chrome bumpers, tinted windows, and sleek lines give the exterior a confident and bold appearance. When the doors open, the sideboards quickly come down, making it easy to get in and out of the vehicle.

It’s not just stylish on the outside, but on the inside too. Heated leather captains seats, touch-screen navigation controls, multi-colour mood-lighting, moon-roof, and a Sony sound-system. The back seat on it’s own is like a giant leather couch, with leg-room to spare.

The instrument panel was well equipped with standard gauges and a variety of other options including fuel consumption, towing performance and off-roading – all controlled from the steering wheel.

Internet and wireless accessories including mouse and printer are available to quickly adapt into work-mode while out on the road. This is available through the Ford Work Solutions bundle.

The six-speed automatic transmission is standard and comes with SelectShift manual override. It is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 EcoBoost engine, giving it the best-in-class torque and efficiency (yes, this truck has some get-up and go!). It gets on average 12.9 city / 9.0 hwy L / 100km, which is pretty decent for a full-size 4X4 truck, especially with the price of gas on the rise.

The 20” mag-mounted, all-terrain tires hugged the road around the corners on the Sea-to-Sky highway. The truck was very comfortable to drive both on the open highway and downtown. A rear-mounted camera displayed on the dash when revering, making parallel parking almost effortless.

“For the past 33 years, the Ford F-150 has stood alone as the truck more people rely on,” said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas.

Overall, the 2011 Ford F-150 provided a safe, smooth, comfortable and most importantly a fun trip up to Whistler for the Mr. Gay Canada competition.

*Ford Canada provided the 2011 Ford F-150 Platinum truck as a complimentary two-week test-drive during the M. Gay Canada competition. There was no agreement or expectation to receive promotional coverage as part of the offer.

This past weekend at WinterPRIDE in Whistler, B.C., a panel of judges determined Thomas Egli, to be the winner of the prestigious Mr. Gay Canada 2012 competition.

“I am honoured to serve as a much-needed positive role model for LGBT youth in Canada and around the world,” said Thomas. “Popular media and gay culture bombard us with stereotypes which can be confusing for people who are just coming out. I want to increase awareness of the true diversity of  the LGBT community.”

As a role model for youth, he has had the opportunity to teach LGBT youth that being gay is not about stereotypes, but about self-expression.

“I also want to promote healthy lifestyles in the gay community,” Thomas explained. “I am thankful for all of the support I’ve received from family and friends, new and old.  The next exciting step is to prepare for the upcoming event in South Africa , where I will proudly represent Canada.”

The Vancouver based entrepreneur leads an exciting life both as an international tour leader and an ecologist. His extensive travels around the world have given him the ability to understand both culture and environmental sustainability. As a diver, Thomas has the honour of showing visitors the West Coast wildlife, and as an educator with National Geographic, he takes youth on expeditions to remote parts of the world.

Ken Coolen, Co-Executive Producer of Mr. Gay Canada said, “The Judging panel was especially impressed by Thomas’ maturity and leadership.  They are confident in his ability to represent Canada’s LGBT community to the world.”

Also awarded at the February 11th ceremonies were:

• Calan Breckon – Mr. Congeniality 2012
• Brian Webb – People’s Choice Award 2012

After three days of intensive competition held during GayWhistler’s WinterPRIDE celebrations in Whistler, BC, Brian Webb of Armstrong, BC, has received the People’s Choice Award in the Mr. Gay Canada 2012 competition. Through online voting Brian received the most votes out of the five contestants representing regions from across Canada.

Held February 9-11, 2012, the competition included a series of challenges to determine who would best represent Canada at the Mr. Gay World competition, to be held April 2012 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

“It is a great honour to be a finalist and to receive the People’s Choice Award in the Mr. Gay Canada competition,” Brian Webb stated. “i want to thank all my online followers, friends and family for their support. As a role model and ambassador for youth and the LGBT communities, I am honoured that I can continue to provide a positive image for young gay men and continue to champion gay human rights through my blog, www.myWebbSite.ca. I will continue to attend events and raising awareness of issues facing our community and youth, including safer sex, anti-bullying and self-esteem.”

Delegates of the 2012 Mr. Gay Canada competition were judged on a series of challenges and categories including a swimsuit appearance, fashion show, sports challenge, panel interviews, presentation skills and public online voting.

OUTtv, Canada’s only national gay and lesbian television network, documented the entire competition, which will air as a reality television show later this spring.

Whistler Gay Ski Week is well underway and with WinterPRIDE starting today, many more will be making their way up the Sea-to-Sky Highway to take in the 65 events. Ford Canada stepped in to help make my journey to the Mr. Gay Canada competition a little easier and a whole lot more fun by graciously providing me a 2011 Ford F150 Platnium SuperCrew 4X4. Yes folks, I will be arriving in comfort and style!

The 2011 Ford F150 boasts best-in-class torque, towing, payload and fuel efficiency. Sure, that’s all great – but above all that, the truck has amazing sleek lines, a vibrant and easy to read LCD dashboard, heated leather seats and a built-in navigation system.

See you up in Whistler, and watch for a follow-up review on the 2011 Ford F150.

*Disclosure: Ford Canada provided this vehicle for no obligation or expectation of promotional consideration. No other compensation will be provided and my opinions remain my own. All product claims should be verified with the manufacturer.

DJ Dan Murphy

It might be cold and snowy up in Whistler for WinterPRIDE, but the party will be heating up as the Mr. Gay Canada finalists make a big splash at the WinterPRIDE Pool Party on Thursday, February 9, 2012, for a late night party hosted by drag diva, Symone.

Australia’s favourite, most experienced DJ’s, Dan Murphy, will be keeping party-goes moving all night long. With a reputation for sets that a uplifting and crowd-pleasing, mixing classic with current, it’s no wonder he landed on Australia’s Top 50 DJ list three times in 2011. Dan has played at events ranging from private clubs and parties, to some of the largest events in the UK, United States and Ibiza. He has even played supporting gigs for Deborah Cox, Kelly Rowland, Adam Lamberta, David Guetta, Ru Paul, and the Freemasons.

The Pool Party is presented by the Holiday Inn Resort Aruba and is hosted at the Meadow Park Sports Centre. The is a six-lane pool, kids pool, and hot tub, all waiting for party-goers to enjoy the fun. Yes, there will be liquor too, from Finlandia Vodka, Whistler Beer and Barefoot Wine.

Tickets are available at the door for $50, with proceeds going to the Vancouver Pride Society. Guests who are planning to make a splash are reminded to bring their own towel and swim suit (clothing and lockers are available on site). A shuttle bus will depart from the Hilton Whistler Resort & Spa every 20 minutes throughout the night starting at 10pm. Pool Party goes from 10:00pm – 2:00am.