May
20
On May 20, 1986 Sharon Wood (who was born in Halifax, but raised in Vancouver) reached the summit of Mount Everest. In reaching the summit, she became the first North American woman to climb the tallest mountain on earth.
May
13
On May 13, 2002 the Ontario provincial government made it illegal to discriminate against people who are on social assistance.
May
11
On May 11, 1942, World War 2 reached Canadian territory when a German U-Boat sunk two freighters in the St. Lawrence River. The first freighter (the Nicoya) was torpedoed just 13 kilometres off the Gaspe peninsula. The second freighter (the Leto) was torpedoed a couple of hours later.
May
5
It appears that two of my recent blog entries this week created quite a stir – and for good reason. I’m happy to say that this hasn’t happened very often to me (hardy, har), but I believe that some of what I wrote could be misinterpreted as something I don’t mean at all. In the interest of saying what I mean and meaning what I say, I also believe that at this point I do need to make a few clarifications regarding my two part piece, “Buying Local”.
First, and most importantly – I was not, by any means, advocating *any* sort of revolution. My remarks about capitalism were meant to be tongue-in-cheek, even funny. However, I can see how these remarks could be taken as support or advocacy for such an event. They were not meant to be.
Second, I wish to clarify the only point of the “Buying Local” blog entry – I was personally concerned with how to make the best, healthy choices in terms of what I buy and what I eat. This is something I think many people struggle with – especially when you’re making that choice for others.
Again, I can definitely see how the valid points that were the *real* point of the article could have been drowned out in a sea of whack-job (: D). Those of us in the electronic media must be wary of the very real pitfall of misunderstanding. I want to clarify that what I saw as a funny remark could have been taken the wrong way – and for this I take personal responsibility.
May
4
Uh, I couldn’t find anything that happened today in Canadian History, but I did find out that on May 4, 1953, Ernest Hemingway received the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea.
May
3
On May 3, 1922 women in Prince Edward Island won the right to vote in Provincial elections and to run for provincial office. In 1970, Jean Canfield became the first woman elected to Prince Edward Island’s legislature.
May
2
On May 2, 1670 King Charles II of England signed the charter which incorporated the Hudson Bay Company. Hudson Bay traders are famed for having helped build Canada. 340 years later and the Hudson Bay Company is still going strong – it even has a flagship location in the Cornwall Centre.
May
1
On May 1, 1996, the House of Commons voted to extend the Canadian Human Rights Act to protect homosexuals. Prime Minister Jean Chretien made it a free vote, which attracted controversy, including a protest by Egale.
Apr
29
Early in the morning of April 29, 1903, residents of the town of Frank, in the Crowsnest Pass in Alberta, were woken up when Turtle Mountain collapsed sending millions of tons of rock crashing down the slopes in the biggest rock slide in North American history. Over 70 people died in the slide, but 17 miners and 23 town residents managed to survive. Surveys and studies later showed the mountain was weakened by major erosive and geological forces, and the coal mines (which were the major employer in the region).
Oddly, despite the the inquiry’s findings, the mine was quickly reopened and remained in operation for a further 10 years.
Apr
26