by Meredith J. Batt Atlantic Canadian port cities have some of the most colourful and vibrant queer spaces and stories. Saint John, New Brunswick is no exception. In 2020, the first summer of the pandemic, I celebrated my 25th birthday in Saint John by attending a drag show hosted by Justin TooDeep (portrayed by Alex Saunders) and Saint John’s jewel of… Read more »
The Indigenous and Northern Housing plan within Canada’s current National Housing Strategy is a good start, but it does not go nearly far enough to meet the long-standing housing needs of First Nations communities. With the new Liberal platform prioritizing the rapid development of affordable and sustainable homes, Prime Minister Mark Carney has a chance to begin remedying some of the historical and ongoing injustices that First Nations peoples encounter regarding housing on reserves. This can be accomplished by integrating the AFN’s proposal into the National Housing Strategy, providing a streamlined process for First Nations to benefit, and working directly with First Nations to meet the specific needs of each community, steering clear of the paternalistic dynamics that have largely fueled the housing crisis experienced by First Nations communities throughout Canada.
A Conversation with Sarah Worthman Sarah Worthman is executive director of the NL Queer Research Initiative (NLQRI), a social science research collective based out of Newfoundland and Labrador. In February 2025, she sat down to talk with series editor Jess Wilton about her work on queer history in the province. Jess Wilton: What type of work do you do at the NLQRI? Sarah… Read more »
by Meredith J Batt and Jess Wilton The queer history of Atlantic Canada is embedded in the region’s landscape and its people. As we guide you across the region exploring some queer nooks and crannies along the way, we will introduce you to the way queer pasts, presents, and futures collide and overlap. It’s spring and we begin in Northern… Read more »
by Jess Wilton Cradled by the Atlantic Ocean, the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island (PEI), and Newfoundland and Labrador occupy a unique place in queer and Canadian history. “Queering Atlantic Canada: Stories, Histories, and Archives of Atlantic Canada” is an ActiveHistory.ca series guest edited by Jess Wilton. Over the next year, this series will offer an introduction to the work… Read more »
https://media.rss.com/whatsoldisnews/2024_11_21_18_13_38_2ebd34b5-ffb5-4e95-9f8b-7641b4bf0779.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadBy Sean Graham This week I talk with Cristina Vatulescu, author of Reading the Archival Revolution: Declassified Stories and Their Challenges. We talk about the Soviet archives that have been declassified over the past 20 years, how to approach newly available material, and how trustworthy the Soviet documents can be. We also discuss the individuals… Read more »
https://pdcn.co/e/media.rss.com/whatsoldisnews/2024_05_28_11_02_25_3419d11f-0356-4e86-ac18-3e91b5f3f8cc.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadBy Sean Graham This week I talk with Jennifer VanderBurgh, author of What Television Remembers: Artifacts and Footprints of TV in Toronto. We discuss the challenge of studying Canadian television, how to find old programs, and why television researches often rely on the public. We also talk about Toronto as a television Canada’s television… Read more »
Jazmine Aldrich Anyone who has been conducting historical research (or attempting to do so) over the past two years, has likely faced challenges ranging from closed facilities to limited hours due to COVID-19. Archives, museums, historical societies, libraries and all manner of cultural heritage institutions have felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even as the fog lifts and some… Read more »
Krista McCracken It’s nearing the end of Pride Month. As a non-binary, queer scholar who offers workshops on gender and queer identities, June is a busy month. Throughout the month I’ve received a number of requests for reading recommendations about teaching about gender, history, and pride in Canada. In light of those requests I’ve created a list of ten books,… Read more »
Krista McCracken The Shingwauk Residential School operated in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario from 1874 to 1970. In 1971, Algoma University College – today known as Algoma University – moved onto the Shingwauk Site. Since 2010, I’ve been part of the staff at the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre (SRSC) that seeks to promote sharing, healing, and learning in relation to the… Read more »
