We Love VIA RAil!

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? We're at Union Station in T.O. That's a nickname for Toronto. Toronto is a great big city. It's the capital of Ontario and Ontario is in O Canada, our home and native land.  We had fun in Toronto. Now we're gonna ride home on the train. It will take us to Windsor. Windsor is the centre of the known universe and the nicest part of Detroit. Know what?  The train has a name. It's name is VIA Rail. VIA Rail goes all over Canada and to the Knighted States, too. The best part is VIA Rail comes all the way to our house!

This is our buddy John. He works on the train. He smiles at everyone and makes them feel really special. I could work for VIA Rail,  you know. I can say, "Would you care for a snack?" I can say, "Would you like a beverage before dinner?" John asks people if they would like to read the Globe & Mail or the Toronto Star. Those are newspapers.

John's job is very important. He looks after the people on the train so they don't get cranky. Cranky people have to take naps.  Really cranky people have to sit on the Time Out Chair AND take naps. Don't be cranky on the train, okay?

We get to ride up front. That's nice. Some people ride Coach. That's behind us. I think some people have to ride Baggage. That's way at the back of the train.

John gives us chocolate milk to drink. I l-o-v-e chocolate milk. It's yummy and that's one of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide. Chance likes chocolate milk, too. He drinks chocolate flavoured condensed owls' milk. I know where condensed owls' milk comes from. It comes from condensed owls. I get to eat a whole meal. That's 'cuz I'm five and I'm pretty grown up, now. The food on VIA Rail is really yummy.

Look at Chance. He's being silly, you know. John gave me a serviette for my meal. That will keep me from getting all covered in food in case I spill some. I put the serviette in my lap. That's good manners. Chance put the serviette over his head. Now he thinks he's invisible 'cuz he can't see me. I can still see him! I can see his feet! He's underneath the serviette. I pull it off of him and shout, "Boo! Boo! I see you!" Chance makes little squeaky noises when I pull off the serviette. That means he's happy. I'm lucky to have a little brother.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? It's time to pre-board the train so we can go home.

That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. We wanna go home so I can ride my blue bike with the Canada flag on it and climb the sugar maple in the back yard and dig some really big holes, too!

Chance and me know how to use the telephone to make reservations at VIA Rail so we can go to Toronto or Cornwall or Montreal or even to your house!

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be nice to John on the train. If you are nice and polite, he might give you Smarties and chocolate milk. Oh! Wait! Come get on board VIA Rail with us! We can ride home together! All aboard! Tous a bord! Okay! Over and out!"