Category Archives: Canadian history

Active History on the Grand: Rural Raids and Divided Loyalties – Southwestern Ontario and the War of 1812

Rural Raids and Divided Loyalties – Southwestern Ontario and the War of 1812 is a new documentary in the works that examines little known stories of the American raids on Southwestern Ontario.

Reflecting on Kan’s “Shamanism and Christianity”: Making Sense of Family Conversion Narratives

Brittany Luby reflects on how her studies, particularly Sergei Kan’s “Shamanism and Christianity” inspired critical reflection of her own family’s conversion narratives.

Strengthening Community through Digitized Local History

      1 Comment on Strengthening Community through Digitized Local History

The Black Creek Living History project is a great example of how community history can be told over the internet.

The “War on the Car” has a long history

      2 Comments on The “War on the Car” has a long history

Last week, newly-elected Toronto Mayor Rob Ford continued his campaign rhetoric by proclaiming that “the war on the car is over.” On the first day of his mayoralty, Ford announced he intends to halt construction of a light rail transit line on Sheppard Avenue.  The mayor says a subway under Sheppard Avenue should be built instead of the surface light… Read more »

Step-by-Step: Looking Up an Ancestor’s First World War Record

This is a step-by-step guide to accessing military records both through LAC’s website but also on-site.

Active History on the Grand: Brantford Up-date

      1 Comment on Active History on the Grand: Brantford Up-date

If you’ve read my previous blogs, you’ll notice that I talk a lot about Brantford, Ontario.  Since completing my PhD in History from McMaster University I’ve been working as the Executive Director of the Canadian Industrial Heritage Centre (CIHC), a not-for-profit organization in Brantford dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Canadian industrial history and the establishment of a museum… Read more »

Let’s talk about race, Canada

      3 Comments on Let’s talk about race, Canada

Talking about race in Canada is a lot like talking about sex in the old days. There is so much imposed silence on the subject. We skip around it, pretend that it is not there, and pray that it will go away.

History Matters podcast: Megan Davies and David Reville on Parkdale’s mad history

Megan Davies and David Reville recently presented an engaging talk on the ways in which mental health deinstitutionalization impacted psychiatric survivors and the Parkdale neighbourhood of Toronto.  In front of a packed audience at the Parkdale library, “Locating Parkdale’s Mad History: Back Wards to Back Streets, 1980-2010” examined the motivations behind deinstitutionalization and showed how community members are remembering the… Read more »