Bear is right. The term "bear" has a very specific meaning in the gay men's community. If there's a gay mens community fair or gathering of some sort happening anywhere near the same time, it would be good to not confuse the two things! Vancouver has a very large and very vibrant gay community, centered around the West End.

I used to go to Vancouver now and again when I worked for a Canadian UNIX operating system training company, and I love the city. If you have the time, start a walk in the West End, and go right 'round Stanley Park. Wear good walking shoes! It'll take 4hours or so. Walk around Stanley Park, go under the bridge and then along the Bay and down the Creek to Granville Island. There are number of good pubs on Granville island. The Vancouver Maritime Museum is on the south shore (not on the island) and is a nice place to visit, too. Ditto for the Stanley Park Aquarium.

Take the ferry over to Nanaimo if you can, that's a great way to get out on the water. Take binoculars. With any luck at all you'll see orcas and bald eagles, when you get near Nanaimo.

Alan