Monday, August 31, 2015

Canadian News in Review (CWR) 31 August 2015



I have come across the following Canadian genealogy, history and heritage websites, social media, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too.

This Week in Canadian History

In August, Fleury Mesplet, first published the bilingual Montreal Gazette, in Montreal, Quebec. It is the oldest operating newspaper in Canada today. 

To read more about Mesplet, read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleury_Mesplet






Fort Brisebois, Alberta, which had been established by the North-West Mounted Police, was renamed Fort Calgary in August, 1875. 

To see Fort Calgary, go to http://www.fortcalgary.com/

Their Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/fortcalgary

Social Media 

(Photos) Historic photos project tells Bonavista's history for Ross Abbott 


Ross Abbott, who is from Bonavista, Newfoundland, is using Facebook to document some of the town's history, through old photographs - 31,000 photos, to be exact.

(Video) St. Patrick's High School demolition begins in Halifax


The demolition of St. Patrick's High School in Halifax started Monday with heavy equipment rolling onto the property and backhoes punching holes in the walls.

Newspaper Articles

Newfoundland 

We don’t call it Fogtown for nothing


No one can deny that the weather in Newfoundland has been worst kind so far this summer.

Tara Feener's 100 Days of Newfoundland on display at Gallery 24


An artist's digital take on Newfoundland and Labrador is on display at a gallery in St. John's.

Tara Feener's 100 Days of Newfoundland is an exhibition of 100 unique drawings of people, places and popular landmarks, and it opened Thursday night at Gallery 24.

Nova Scotia

Grand Pré company’s maps travel the world


Three of Lost Art Cartography's maps have been chosen by the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) to be featured in its annual map book. The map book recognizes important and innovative accomplishments of geographic information system (GIS) users around the world.

New Brunswick

Minto murals show off town history


Some new artwork is being unveiled along the streets of Minto thanks to some residents in the town who commissioned murals to be painted by Fredericton artist Ron Sajack.

Ontario 

Champlain Week to celebrate 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain first portage in the Peterborough area


Next week marks the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain's first portage through the Peterborough region.

To honour the occasion, Mayor Daryl Bennett proclaimed next week, from Sunday to Sept. 5, to be Champlain Week.

Birthplace of Alexander Mackenzie for sale in Scotland

For less than the price of a fixer-upper in Toronto, you can own a stately piece of Canadian history in Scotland for 287,000 pounds — or about 594,900 loonies. 


It’s the birthplace of Canada’s second prime minister, Alexander Mackenzie, who was born in 1822 and went on to be Liberal PM from 1873 to 1878. 

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan skateboard company teaches riders about colonial history 


A Saskatchewan man is using his passion for skateboarding to teach others about Canada’s history of colonialism and its effect on Aboriginal Peoples, 

Alberta

“The Morrow County History Center” is name of Historical Society Museum


Morrow County Chamber of Commerce members at the August meeting were the first to hear the name chosen for the History Museum on the Mount Gilead public square. 

The Stories This Week

Now that summer vacation is over, one can tell by the weather today, that Fall is on it's way in the Norther Hemisphere. That can only mean one thing – genealogy! 

I had the occasion to write an article this week for the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors (ISFHWE), and I wrote that “The schedules for the fall genealogy meetings have started to appear in Canada. Libraries have released their course schedules for the fall, and the archives have put their exhibit schedules on their websites - so all is set. Canada will be an exciting place to explore your Canadian ancestors this fall”.

Isn't that true!

So here are some activities that you may like to attend - 

Be sure to attend the British Columbia Genealogical Society’s second annual Harvest Supper, Wednesday, 9 September, 2015 from 6-7 pm, before the General Meeting, at the Danish Lutheran Church, 6010 Kincaid Street in Burnaby.

The dinner was well attended last year and a great time was had by all, so reserve your places early. [ If you need to e-mail about the supper, send a note to bcgs@bcgs.ca

The general meeting will begin at 7:30 pm.

Group sessions after the meeting will include the English Interest Group and the USA Interest Group. 

The dinner cost is $10. RSVP to Darlene at 604-591-2841, or to Lynne at 604-942-3663 before September the 4th.

The Edmonton Branch of the Alberta Genealogical Society is happy to host an array of genealogical topics under their fall session Tracing Your Family Tree over three Saturdays. 

The date of the course will be 

Saturday, 24 October 2015, from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Saturday, 31 October 2015, from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Saturday, 7 November 2015, from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Cost for the entire course, including handouts: $80 for AGS members; $100 for non-members. 

You need to register, and this can be done at http://www.agsedm.edmonton.ab.ca/pdf/BrochureTYFT2014.pdf 

There is going to be an Open House at the Manitoba Genealogical Society (MGS) Open House held in conjunction with MB Culture Days on Saturday, September 26 from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.

Join MGS in exploring “genealogy” and family history. For beginners, our interactive Open House will introduce you to genealogy and will provide: assistance to begin your family search, a tour of our Library/Resource Center, and activities for children. For current genealogists we will have an introduction to our new online database MANI with 1.5 million records of Manitoba names. We will also have a “problem corner” to help solve roadblocks in your family search. Join us for a look back into your own family history.

This sounds great!

The website of the MGS is http://www.mbgenealogy.com/

And the Canadian Museum of History is offering a 15-minute curatorial mini-tour with historian Erin Gurski, research associate for the Terry Fox – Running to the Heart of Canada exhibit. 

See the most significant objects and learn more about iconic artifacts related to the Marathon of Hope. 

The mini-tour will be held 

Sunday, September 6 at 1:30 p.m.

Monday, September 7 at 1:30 p.m.

Meet in the Museum’s Main Lobby

Free with Museum admission


This is just of the few activities that are going to take place in Canada during the fall months. 

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Check the Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed last week’s edition, it is at
http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/08/canadian-week-in-review-cwr-23-august.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!