Crazy Damn Canadians

Alex Mackenzie is a stand-up comedian and founder of the VLOG and Podcast titled An Experiment Called Life. In 2019, Alex made headlines by quitting his six figure pulp mill job in Prince George, selling his house and buying an RV to pursue comedy as a full time career.  Now Alex is in international demand and tours arounds the world. This includes the Melbourne Comedy Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival, Perth Fringe Festival, the Hungry for Laughs Comedy Tour and more!  Orissa Kelly is one of the world’s only fire foot archery performers! All the way from Watford (England), Orissa began gymnastics at the age of 3 and went on to compete for Great Britain. At the age of 17 she cancelled her university application just months before starting and followed her heart by joining the circus! Since then she has gone on to perform for the Queen of England, appear in the Hollywood Blockbuster ‘Wonder Woman’ and travel the world twice over with her beloved Bae (her bow).   In 2020, Orissa aimed for the stars and moved to the USA, with her US TV debut on ‘The Go Big Show’ Orissa has amassed a strong following of over 1 million across her social media platforms and has reached over 100 million views through her content. She has been featured on Supercar Blondie, Ozzy Man Reviews and named ‘The Queen of Archery’ by the Lad Bible.   https://alextellsjokes.com/ https://orissakelly.com/

Richelle Maser was born Smithers, British Columbia and is the Chief  Respiratory Therapist at the University Hospital of Northern BC. This community difference-maker helped lead the resistance again Covid-19 in Northern British Columbia. In her spare time, Richelle is very active in the snowmobiling community and loves to run, hike and spend as much time in the great outdoors as possible with her three incredible daughters.

Ashley Sidhu, known as "The Malla Girl" on her social media channels, inspired thousands throughout the world as she documented her journey as a young Canadian logging truck driver in a male-dominated industry.   

Based in Prince George, BC, you can follow Ashley online at:  

 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themallagirl

 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themallagirl 

 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-sidhu-643a03129/ 

 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC50dAITPo5uakD_9tlWcNsg

Born and raised in Prince George, British Columbia, Dana Meise spent 10 years of his life hiking the Trans Canada Trail, becoming the first person in the world to touch the country's three coasts by foot as he journeyed from the Atlantic to the Pacific and finally up to the Arctic Ocean, covering over 21,000 kilometres and going through 27 pairs of hiking boots. 

When his father lost the ability to walk, Dana was inspired to hike the entirety of the Trans Canada Trail and began his journey in 2008. In November 2018, he reached Tuktoyaktuk in the arctic – becoming the first person to hike to Canada’s three oceans along the Trans Canada Trail.

During the journey, Dana posted consistently to his Facebook and Twitter pages, while filling dozens of journals with tales of his adventures.

Using his now-intimate knowledge of Canada from coast to coast to coast, he has recently started a podcast and  plans to write a book and start a docuseries in the future. 

Along the journey, Dana built relationships with Stuart McLean, Walter Gretzky, a very unique adventurer from Belgium and had many experiences with the vast wildlife, wilderness and residents of Canada. Dana truly is the epitome of a Crazy Damn Canadian.  

Website: www.thegreathike.ca

Twitter: @thegreathike

Instagram: the.great.hike

Facebook Page: The Great Hike

Email: [email protected]

Gillian Roberts is a Canadian triathlete and school teacher who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 28. Gillian created and maintains a very popular blog that tackles the highs and lows of navigating cancer as a young woman and an athlete.

Dave King, a local biologist approaching 80 years young, has hiked Mount Kilimanjaro in Eastern Africa a total of nine times!  

This Prince George, BC resident also helped find and develop local hiking trails such as Viking Ridge, Fang Mountain, Caledonia Mountain and Driscoll Ridge.  

 Dave, who is 6’5”, also spends hundreds of volunteer hours a year helping maintain and improve our local trails. In addition, he is also a founder of the prestigious Ancient Forest, 110km’s east of Prince George. 

 Dave has travelled to most countries in the world, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma,) Laos, Cambodia, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Russia, Estonia, Turkey, Mongolia, China, Peru, Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Easter Island, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Belize.  

  Dave skied in Bulgaria in the days of the Soviet Union, camped in Iceland, and has traveled extensively around Europe, including epic ski trips to Norway.   

www.crazydamncanadians.ca

Dave Horton and Kyle Sampson are two major community builders in Prince George, but also best friends who share similar passions for music, entertainment, collaboration, charity work, innovative ideas and, of course, helping others.

Wesley Mitchell and Ivan Paquette are two community difference makers located in Prince George, British Columbia. They are the founders of the UHNBC Monday Night Drum Group, which met outside the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia for 47 days straight after the global pandemic arrived in March 2020, providing inspiration and hope for hospital patients, frontline workers and healthcare staff. Since then, they've been drumming outside the hospital every Monday evening for 21 consecutive months. Wes and Ivan continue to make an inspiring impact in Northern BC communities and have been recognized by their peers on a provincial and federal level. 

Clarence Boudreau is our guest for episode #26!

Clarence, at age 90, just released his latest book titled I HEAR THE MOUNTAIN CALLING.

This book is an eclectic collection of stories about Clarence Boudreau’s life, told in his own words with his own unique style and sense of humour.

Reading this book, you will come to personally know Clarence as he shares stories about his family, his friends, and his love of the mountains and the outdoors.

At the age of fifteen he started his career as a flunky in the cookhouse, then moved on to hand-falling with a crosscut saw, horse logging, and working in the sawmill. Over the years he served as a bush foreman, rancher, snowplowing contractor, forest warden, fire fighter, bridge builder, and as the manager of a salmon hatchery.

While working to support his family, Clarence invested all his free time exploring the forests and waterways around his home town of Penny, BC., hiking and watching grizzlies in the nearby mountains, and hunting and fishing along the upper Fraser River.

Clarence lived in Penny for eighty years before relocating to his current home on the banks of the Nechako River in Prince George, BC. He currently spends his time writing songs, singing, telling jokes, and entertaining his many friends with stories of days gone by.

Karin Piche is the Founder and Captain of Wheelin' Warriors of the North. Started in 2013 as part of the annual British Columbia Ride to Conquer Cancer, Karin and her team have gone on to raise nearly 1.2 million for the BC Cancer Foundation. Karin is a local health professional, athlete, mom, grandma and terrific human being.