Paul Mason (canoeist and cartoonist)

Paul Mason (born 1961), son of the late canoeing legend Bill Mason is featured in the "Path of the Paddle" (http://www.redcanoes.ca/bill/pathofpaddle.html) series of books and films/DVDs. Paul has had an extensive career as a canoe instructor and wilderness guide, having lead groups on rivers in Ontario, Quebec, Yukon and the Northwest Territories. This has included many trips on the Nahanni River, one of Canada's premier whitewater rivers.

An open canoe freestylist, Paul has competed at the international level - World Whitewater Freestyle Championships, 1993 (bronze medal), 1995 and 1999. Paul was recently featured in Canoe and Kayak magazine http://www.canoekayak.com (Fall 2007).

A graduate of the Ontario College of Art (1985), he co-authored of "The Thrill of the Paddle", a companion volume to his late father’s instructional canoeing book "Path of the Paddle".

Paul is a freelance cartoonist and creator of the paddlesports web comic http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webcomic strip Bubble Street http://www.bubblestreet.ca.

(Add something here about choreographying the paddling portion of a recent Trudeau documentary by CBC).

On the Oct. 9, 2007 episode of the "Rick Mercer Report" (http://www.cbc.ca/mercerreport/backissues.php), with the help of Paul Scriver, he coached Rick Mercer and former Ontario Premier/Liberal Party leadership hopeful Bob Rae on whitewater paddling techniques as the two neophyte paddlers made their way through some challenging rapids on the Ottawa River - all caught on tape by CBC (http://www.cbc.ca).

Paul lives in Chelsea, Quebec (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea%2C_Quebec) with his wife Judy and two daughters.

References

Non-Fiction References:"Bill Mason - Wilderness Artist from Heart to Hand" by Ken Buck. Publisher - Rocky Mountain Books"Pierre" by Nancy Southam - McClelland&Stewart"Fire in the Bones" by James Raffin - Phyllis Bruce Books"Path of the Paddle" by Bill Mason - Key Porter Books

Periodical references:Paddler magazine, http://www.paddlermagazine.com Nov/Dec 2007, Oct 1999Kanawa magazine, http://www.paddlingcanada.com/kanawa Winter 2001Outdoor Canada magazine, May 1998Canoe & Kayak Magazine, http://www.canoekayak.com October 2007