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'It’s hopping here': plans underway in Western Canada for upcoming royal visit

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[A photo of Queen Elizabeth sits on a table in the drawing room as an employee readies flowers ahead of the royal visit to Victoria’s Government House. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito]

It’s three days before an official visit by Prince William and Princess Kate kicks off, but Victoria’s mayor says the excitement is already obvious in the B.C. capital.

“It’s hopping here,” Lisa Helps tells Yahoo Canada News. “I think we’re starting to see tourists coming into town already. The hotels are full. Airbnbs are full. There’s a buzz, for sure and I think that will only build as they arrive on Saturday.”

Preparations are also underway farther north in the province in Bella Bella, a Heiltsuk First Nation on Campbell Island.

“We’re definitely really honoured to welcome the duke and duchess to our traditional territory,” chief Marilyn Slett tells Yahoo Canada News. “Beautiful and traditional honorary gifts are being created, our children are practising our traditional dances. There’s a lot going on in our community right now and tons of preparation.”

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, along with their two young children, arrive in Victoria this weekend for a weeklong tour that will take them to seven different communities between Sept. 24 and Oct. 1.

It will be the third official visit for William, the second for Kate and the first for their children, George and Charlotte. And it is the first official visit by either the Duke or Duchess to British Columbia or Yukon.

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[During the royal visit William, Kate and their children will stay at the Government House in Victoria. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito]

The many events planned for the royal visit are tailored to William and Kate’s particular interests, Helps says.

“I know they’re looking to learn more about First Nations and the environment, so those are some of the things we’ll be showcasing,” she says.

Kate, William, George and Charlotte will learn about indigenous people in Canada through several events. They will take a canoe trip in Haida Gwaii, experience local Tlingit/Tagish traditions during a welcome ceremony in Carcross, view local First Nations art at Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre in Whitehorse and dedicate the Great Bear Rainforest — home of the Kermode “spirit” bears as part of the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy initiative.

As well, Witness Blanket — an art installation made from artifacts of the residential school era — will be viewed by the royal couple at Government House in Victoria, which will serve as their home base during their visit.

“I hope they see all the effort we’re taking as a province and a country towards reconciliation, that we’re honouring that part of our past and that part of our future,” Helps says.

There’s no better way for the royal couple to learn about the area’s First Nations than to visit those communities, including Bella Bella, Slett says. For members of the Heiltsuk First Nation this is not just an opportunity to showcase their traditional culture and the surrounding natural beauty of the Great Bear Rainforest, but also the health of their community today and the economic initiatives in place to ensure a sustainable future, she says.

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[Auxiliary worker Karen Dale polishes silver in the main dining room of the Government House in Victoria. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito]

The royals along with their children will cover ground far beyond the B.C. capital. They’ll go to Vancouver and also head north in B.C. to Haida Gwaii, Bella Bella and Kelowna. And they’ll travel into Yukon where they’ll stop in Whitehorse and Carcross.

The itinerary for the Cambridge’s will cover both the considerable history in Western Canada and modern-day life in the province. The couple will lay a wreath at the Cenotaph in Victoria in honour of Canadian military service, and will attend a reception with Canadian youth at Telus Gardens in Vancouver. In Kelowna they’ll mark the 10th anniversary of the University of British Columbia Okanagan, and they’ll visit the MacBride Museum of Yukon History in Whitehorse.

“What I hope they take away is an impression of Victoria’s British history,” Helps says. “We’ve got a lot of roots historically in little England, and strong British ties. And there’s also our really strong 21st century, innovative, creative culture that’s really leading edge in so many ways.”

Those old British ties can be seen in Bella Bella as well, Slett says. One of their heredity chiefs, who will be there to welcome the couple to the First Nation, has his own personal connection to the British monarchs.

“He’s actually our head hereditary chief, and his great grandfather was once gifted a staff from the Queen,” Slett says. “We’re really pleased to be able to share that with Kate and William when they visit our territory, to share that connection between the Heiltsuk and the Royal Family.”