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
Canadian Red Ensign
In 1924, the Canadian Red Ensign was given official recognition. It remained Canada's official flag until the Maple Leaf was adopted in 1965.
To read about the confuted history of the Red Ensign in Canada, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Red_Ensign
Canada's first female governor general
In 1993, former governor-general Jeanne Sauve died in a Montreal. Not only was she Canada's first female governor general, she was also the first female Speaker of the Commons and the first French-Canadian woman to serve in the federal cabinet.
For more information, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Sauv%C3%A9
Social Media
(Photos) Ottawa facing biggest urban overhaul in a half century
Canadian cities are no strangers to boneheaded urban planning decisions -- the Gardiner Expressway blocking access to Toronto's waterfront, Montreal's crumbling Turcot interchange, space-sucking viaducts in Vancouver.
But imagine hiding a magnificent waterfall in your downtown core. Take a bow, Ottawa.
(Photo) Hants History: Jan. 28, 2016
Here's a look at what was making the news 25 and 50 years ago in the Hants Journal.
(Photos) Council designates 1975 Calgary home as historical
Calgary City Council approved the bid for a 41-year-old Mount Royal home to become the youngest building recognized as a municipal historic resource on Monday.
(Video) Veteran calls out Canadian War Museum for using wrong ‘American-style’ salute on promotional poster
Details matter to army veteran and history buff Terry Hunter.
So when he noticed a Canadian War Museum poster of Second World War-era women using a wrong “American-style” salute, he decided to say something, calling out the error on the museum’s Facebook page.
(Webcam) Parliament Hill webcam still keeping watch after 20 years
Twenty years ago, what is likely one of Ottawa's oldest and longest-running webcams was set up across the street from Parliament Hill, and the man who helped install says he's surprised to see it's still operating after all these years.
Upcoming Canadian Events
Conferences
New! 2018 Ontario Genealogical Society Conference
Word has reached us that the OGS has accepted a bid to host the 2018 OGS Conference in Guelph, Ontario put forward by the Scottish Special Interest Group [SIG]. Christine Woodcock will be conference chair.
So stay tuned for further developments.
NEW! 32nd Gene-O-Rama of the Ottawa Genealogical Society
The conference will be held from April 1-2, 2016 at the Confederation Education Centre, 1645 Woodroffe Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, which is at the corner of Hunt Club Road & Woodroffe Avenue.
Registration is at http://ogsottawa.on.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/GOR-2016-Fee-Calculator.pdf
If you need further information, go to http://ogsottawa.on.ca/Gene-O-Rama/
UNLOCKING THE PAST 2016
International Genealogy Conference UNLOCKING THE PAST 2016 will be held on Saturday, April 23, 2016 at the The Beach Club Resort, Parksville, British Columbia of the Qualicum Beach Family History Society in British Columbia.
The featured speakers will be Colleen Fitzpatrick and Chris Paton, and registration is now open at http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/international-genealogy-conference-unlocking-the-past-2016-tickets-18765135024. It includes an early bird price.
The website is located at http://www.qbfhs.ca/
Genealogy on the Cutting Edge 2016
The Ontario Genealogical Society will be holding its annual conference from June 3rd to 5th at the Toronto’s International Plaza Hotel, Toronto.
Speakers and agenda has been announced this past week. Registration will open in January. Registration is now open at http://www.ogs.on.ca/conference/registration/, Keep up-to-date with the latest news by following their website at http://www.ogs.on.ca/conference/, or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/171812826485725/
Our Canada – Your Family: Building a Nation 2017
The Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society will host the 2017 annual conference, and they have a call out for presentations.
The conference will be held in Ottawa on June 16-18, 2017 at Algonquin College. The theme of the conference is Our Canada – Your Family: Building a Nation.
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS IS FEBRUARY 15, 2016
To submit proposals or ask questions, please contact the Conference 2017 Program Committee at: program.conference2017@ogs.on.ca. For more information about OGS or Ottawa Branch respectively, please visit: www.ogs.on.ca or www.ogsottawa.on.ca.
Great Canadian Genealogical Summit
The summit will be held in Brampton, Ontario from October 21 to the 23, 2016 at the Courtyard Marriott.
Newspaper Articles
Newfoundland
Twin Towns History with Clayton Billard
In Channel the news was all about the new Lodge Hall opened in February by Channel Jubilee Lodge 551 of the Brotherhood of Railway and Steamship Clerks, Freight Handlers, Express Station Employees, in conjunction with the Ladies Auxillary Royal Visit Lodge No.2 .
Nova Scotia
African Heritage Month local launch Monday
The No. 2 Construction Battalion will receive some special attention Monday at a local launch for African Heritage Month Monday at Glasgow Square Theatre.
African Heritgage Month opens in southwestern NS
African Heritage Month in southwestern Nova Scotia officially opened today, Thursday, in a ceremony that looked back to the First World War and ahead to children just starting grade school.
Black Loyalist graveyard rediscovery may shed light on early settlers
A rediscovered Black Loyalist graveyard outside a church in a Halifax-area community is shrouded in moss and mystery.
About a decade ago, membership at the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Upper Hammonds Plains was steadily rising, so a decision was made to expand. Excavation began beside the existing structure, built in 1845.
That's when workers stumbled upon a surprising find — scores of gravestones, in perfect rows.
New Brunswick
Sand Cove Road report shows history of slope failures
The slope along a section of Sand Cove Road shows signs of previous slides, according to an engineering report prepared for the City of Saint John.
Ontario
Seven deadly decisions: Who died when Parliament burned 100 years ago
On the evening of Feb. 3, 1916, as politicians debated the merits of an inquiry into the high price of fish in central Canada, Yarmouth MP Bowman Brown Law stood up and surveyed the empty seats that surrounded him in the House of Commons.
The Day Canada's Parliament Went Up In Flames
On Feb. 3, 1916, a fire started in the House of Commons' reading room (perhaps by an errant cigar) and quickly took hold.
First of its kind in Canada: Windsor Library's Auto Archives open
It’s autoutopia. It’s motor mania. And it’s in Windsor.
Windsor Public Library on Saturday (Jan. 30) will launch what it calls a first for Canada — its Automotive Archives.
Ontario to officially recognize Black History Month
Ontario’s Liberal government says it will introduce legislation to officially proclaim February as Black History Month.
The month was first proclaimed in 1993, but the government says it will introduce legislation “in the near future” to formally recognize the month each year.
Canadians return historic bell to Gouldsboro
Despite concerns some local residents had that their town’s famous bell never would be returned, it was hand-delivered amid minor fanfare Wednesday to the town by Canadian officials.
Ottawa woman's immigration mix-up solved 50 years later
An Ottawa woman who had to put her honeymoon on hold because of a 50-year-old immigration mix-up finally has an updated file and the proper documents to travel.
Local News: Town Of Port Hope Papers Returned To Archives
Port Hope Archives is excited to announce the return of the "Town of Port Hope" papers from the Archives of Ontario.
The "Town of Port Hope fonds" is a collection of papers created by the former Town of Port Hope, and serve to document a large block of time in the history of our community.
Manitoba
Nellie McClung's granddaughter feels pride as Manitoba marks women's vote
This week Marcia McClung, one of Nellie McClung's granddaughters, will be in Winnipeg to celebrate the 100th anniversary of most women getting the right to vote in Manitoba.
Nellie McClung's leadership in the women's suffrage movement helped some women win the vote in Manitoba elections in 1916.
Saskatchewan
History: Light Horses in Saskatchewan
March 1947 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Canadian Stories this Week
Canadian Stories this Week
Winterlude in Ottawa
It has been raining in Ottawa, and generally, it has been a warm winter. This has dealt a blow to the winter time activities – especially Winterlude.
This year, Winterlude in on until 15th of February, and one of the exhibits is marking the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in Canada. This exhibit was created by Library and Archives Canada www.bac-lac.gc.ca and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) in Winnipeg.
It features reproductions of portraits that celebrate the struggle for women’s rights in Canada.
Let Them Howl features portraits of Nellie McClung, Agnes Macphail, Thérèse Casgrain, Cairine Wilson, Doris Anderson, and Rosemary Brown.
A parallel exhibition is also being presented by the CMHR at the Festival du Voyageur in Winnipeg during February 16.
The title of the exhibit is taken from the quote “Never retreat, never explain, never apologize. Get the thing done and let them howl.” — Nellie McClung
The exhibit is located on the Rideau Canal, under the Bank Street Bridge. So if you are in Ottawa, take some time to go and visit it.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Wednesday was International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the date the United Nations chose to commemorate victims of the Holocaust during the Second World War. Six million Jews were murdered by Germany's Nazi regime, along with another 5 million non-Jews who were also killed.
The anniversary, marked each year since 2005, falls on the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Poland by the Russian army in 1945. One million people died there.
You may visit the Canadian Jewish Archives at http://www.cjarchives.ca/en/
Here you can go through their data on Canadian Jewish casualties in the Canadian Armed Forces include servicemen who died while serving in First World War, Second World War, and the Korean War. In addition to the date of death and place of burial, these records often include additional biographical details such as war stories and photographs.
The website is at http://www.cjhn.ca/en/explore/advanced-search.aspx
You can also go to the The Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre (MHMC) at http://www.mhmc.ca/en
If you are not Jewish, you can learn about the customs, holidays, and the cultural diversity of Jewish communities in Europe and North Africa. you can learn about the rise of Nazism and escalating discriminatory policies imposed against Jews in Germany up until the attacks on the Night of Broken Glass, Kristallnacht.
Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Black History Month
2016 marks the 20th anniversary since Black History Month was first officially celebrated by the Government of Canada.
The month-long celebration was formally recognized following a mention introduced in the House of Commons by the first black Canadian woman elected to Parliament, the Honourable Jean Augustine.
They recognize contributions and moments from early settlers, to the abolition of slavery, and back Canadians from all fields who have played defining roles in Canada’s history.
You can learn more about Canadian Black History Month by going to http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/multiculturalism/black/history.asp and this newspaper tells you about the events going on across the country during the month of February.
And that was the week in Canadian news!
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