Last week the remote Northern Ontario community of Peawanuck First Nation welcomed home Charlie Hunter. Charlie passed away in 1974 while attending St. Anne’s Residential School in Fort Albany. He died while saving a fellow student who had fallen through ice near the school. Following his death Charlie Hunter was buried in Moosoonee without the consent of his family. The… Read more »
Toronto Public Library is pleased to announce the 2011 History Matters series. This year these lectures focus on two themes—labour and environmental history in the Toronto area and beyond. Part of TPL’s Thought Exchange programming, these lively talks will give the public an opportunity to connect with working historians and discover some of the many and surprising ways in which… Read more »
Wolfram Alpha lets users interact with over 10 trillion pieces of information curated by a large research team. You just type in what you want to know, the engine tries to figure out what you’re asking it, and you’re presented with a remarkable array of information (as well as ways to refine your subsequent searches). This has tremendous historical applications, both for teaching and for historical research.
As I write, I am supposed to be hard at work on the last chapters of my doctoral thesis… The final throes are not an attractive sight to behold. And the situation is made worse by the recent rhetoric on refugees, illegal aliens and war criminals in Canada. As someone studying the history of 20th refugee policy, much of the… Read more »
Growing up in Cambridge next to Soper Park, the park became an extension of my backyard. I spent many days exploring the park, wading in the creek, catching crayfish and racing home-made boats. As a child the creek seemed mysterious and ancient. It was dammed with stone and concrete dams, and walled in with massive stones, broken by sets of… Read more »
We Demand: History/Sex/Activism in Canada Conference is being held August 25-28, 2011 at the Coast Plaza Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia. On-line registration is available until August 17th, and on-site registration (cash-only) will be available at the conference. For more information about registration fees as well as the conference and film programs check out the conference website or email wedemand2011@gmail.com. … Read more »
Toronto city councillor Doug Ford, brother of city mayor Rob Ford, recently ignited public controversy over potential cuts to the city’s public library services when he claimed not to know much about author Margaret Atwood, who had spoken out against possible cuts to services and closures of library branches. Councillor Ford’s insistence that Atwood “get democratically elected” so that she… Read more »
How does it feel to arrive at work one day to find the doors locked permanently? Most of us can imagine how cataclysmic an event this would be; unfortunately, 1200 more workers had to experience this recently, as IQT Solutions closed its doors in Canada. Claiming bankruptcy (no official filing could be immediately located), the call centre abruptly terminated workers,… Read more »
By Mathieu Brûlé The relationship between the City of Toronto and the city’s queer communities has been a popular topic of discussion in Toronto over the past few weeks. Prompted by Mayor Rob Ford’s decision to forego Pride Week’s festivities in exchange for time at his family cottage, many, critics and supporters alike, have expressed disappointment in the mayor’s decision to… Read more »
The Halifax Regional School Board’s decision to rename Cornwallis Junior High fits into a long Nova Scotian tradition of changing names with evolving social and political conditions in Nova Scotia.
