Monthly Archives: January 2011

Photo Credit: North Vancouver Museum Association

Much has been made in recent years about the war effort on the home front in Canada from 1939 to 1945. Stories are now emerging about war bond fundraising efforts on the Prairies, Ontario hospitals training new nurses to specifically serve overseas and a number of “Rosie the Riveter” type recollections in the ammunitions factories all across Canada. With the 100^th anniversary of the Canadian Navy having occurred in 2010, other home front stories are now getting more attention. Canadian men and women worked side by side during the war years to build naval destroyers, corvettes, and supply ships. One such place that churned out a large number of those supply ships was the Burrard Dry Dock in North Vancouver, British Columbia.  (more…)

Photo Credit: Ian Boyle

So, have the Canadian winter blues hit you yet? Are you yearning for somewhere exotic, all inclusive, and away from all the snow, rain, and bone-chilling cold? A recent CBC news story talked about how travel agents are run off their feet every year in the month of January as they book Canadians on holidays to the fun and sun. For many of those Canadian sun seekers, a cruise is what they opt for. Whether it be a Caribbean, Mediterranean, Baltic, South Seas or Alaskan cruise they seek, their ability to partake in these cruises is in thanks due to a very small group of people throughout history who created the cruise ship industry. But perhaps the most influential of them all is a man who was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia over two centuries ago. His name was Samuel Cunard.   (more…)

Photo Credit: Gavin Stevenson

Ever since Robert (Bob) Swanson passed away I’ve wanted to write a story about him. So now that I have this site dedicated to topics in Canadian heritage and history, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to tell you a little bit about this remarkable man. His name might not be familiar if you live on the Prairies or even in Ontario or Quebec. Yet, if you’ve ever sailed on a coastal or lake ferry in foggy, rough water anywhere in the world, or heard a train’s shrilling horn as you approach a railway crossing, you have this man to thank. In 1949, Swanson patented the multi chimed air horn which revolutionised how horns are used on trains and ships around the world. This invention has saved thousands of lives worldwide and he was a Canadian from Nanaimo, British Columbia.  (more…)

Photo Credit: Toronto Public Library Archives

In our next instalment in The Great Canadian Architects series, we head back to Toronto where many great architects produced a number of beautiful buildings, many of which are municipal, provincial or national heritage sites. As promised from my story on Casa Loma, this feature will look at the works of Edward James Lennox who built over 70 buildings in the city of Toronto ranging in style from Richardson Romanesque, Neo-Classical, Gothic Revival and Beaux Arts. However, Lennox is most remembered for bringing the Richardson Romanesque style to life and helped develop the growth of Canada’s largest city.  (more…)

For those of you who live around the GTA or in southwest Ontario, there is an upcoming workshop I wanted to tell you about taking place on February 11th. It is the 14th annual Grand River Watershed Heritage Day Workshop and Celebration being held at the Breslau Community Centre from 8:30am to 5:00pm. It is a free event, with a buffet lunch included and the day is capped off with a reception at the Runways Café in the Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre.

For more information about topics covered and how to register please see the  Workshop Poster. Registrations will be taken until February 4th or until the Workshop reaches capacity. I hope to see you there!