Archive for December, 2010

13 Dec

TODAY – DEC 13, 2010 – IN CANADIAN HISTORY

Posted by CAPER in History.

On This Day

December 13

maple leaf Today's Canadian Headline...
1990 GST GOES THROUGH AFTER 6 MONTH FILIBUSTEROttawa Ontario – The Senate passes the 7% Goods and Services Tax 55-49; replaces old Manufacturers Tax which penalized Canadian goods.
1979

Also On This Day...

Ottawa Ontario – Joe Clark 1939- loses a 139-133 vote of non-confidence in the House, during debate on John Crosbie’s ‘no pain, no gain’ budget, after displeasing the Créditistes whose support they needed; Clark Prime Minister of the minority government since June; calls election for Feb. 18, 1980.
1871

And in Today's Canadian Birthdays...

Emily Carr 1871-1945
painter, writer, born on this day at Victoria BC in 1871; died there March 2, 1945. Carr was orphaned in her teens; 1891 studied art at the California School of Design in San Francisco; 1899-04 to England. 1910-11 to France; influenced by European impressionism, Fauvism, and cubism; 1911 returned to Victoria to paint, supporting herself by teaching art and running a boarding house, spent summers on the Queen Charlottes, grafting her own postimpressionist style onto native culture and coastal landscapes, with swirling forms and intense greens. blues and browns; 1927 invited to exhibit at the National Gallery of Canada; inspired by members of the Group of Seven painters; wrote a trilogy of memoirs: Klee Wyck (1941) about her contacts with Aboriginal culture, The Book of Small (1942) on her childhood in Victoria and The House of All Sorts (1944) about her career as a landlady; also Growing Pains (1946) an account of her entire life. Her journal, Hundreds and Thousands (1966) was published after her death. Find out more at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, or the Carr House in Victoria.
1927

And in Other Canadian Birthdays...

Christopher Plummer 1927-
stage, screen and TV actor, born Arthur Christopher Orme on this day at Toronto in 1927. Plummer apprenticed with the Montreal Repertory Theatre and started his professional career in 1948 with the Ottawa Stage Society and its successor, the Canadian Repertory Theatre; 1955 played Marc Antony in the American Shakespeare Festival’s inaugural season; acted in New York, London, Stratford-upon-Avon and Chichester; 1956-67 starred at Canada’s Stratford Festival; popularly known for his roles in over 80 movies, including Stage Struck (1958), The Sound of Music (1965 – that’s him in the picture, as Baron von Trapp), Inside Daisy Clover (1966), Oedipus the King (1967), Lock Up Your Daughters! (1968), Waterloo (1970), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), The Silent Partner (1978), Murder By Decree (Genie Award, 1979), Dreamscape (1984), The Boy in Blue (1986), Stage Fright (1988), Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), Wolf (1994), and others you can peruse on the Internet Movie Database. He is the father, with Tammy Grimes, of actress Amanda Plummer.Also Joseph Howe 1804-1873
politician, newspaper publisher, was born on this day in 1915 at Halifax, Nova Scotia; died in Halifax June 1, 1873. Howe took over publishing the Novascotian in 1828; 1835 acquitted of charges of criminal libel for criticizing government officials; 1836 entered politics as a Reformer; 1848 helped secure responsible, or cabinet, government; 1854 Chief Commissioner of the Nova Scotia Railway; 1860-63 Premier of Nova Scotia; 1863-66 Imperial Fishery Commissioner; 1866-68 he led the movement against Confederation until the province could get better terms; Jan 1869 entered the federal Cabinet and played a prominent role in bringing Manitoba into the union; 1873 Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.

Also Chester Ronning 1894-1984
teacher, diplomat, was born on this day in 1894 at Xiangfan, China; died at Camrose, Alberta, Dec. 31, 1984, Ronning served in the Royal Flying Corps (1918), then studied at the universities of Alberta and Minnesota; 1922-27 returned to China as a teacher; 1927-42 Principal of Camrose Lutheran College; 1932 MLA in the United Farmers of Alberta government; active in the CCF; 1942-45 ran RCAF intelligence unit; 1945 entered the Department of External Affairs, 1945-51 in China; 1951-54 in Ottawa; 1954 member of the conference on Korea in Geneva; 1954-57 Ambassador to Norway; 1957-64 High Commissioner to India; 1961-62 member of the conference on Laos; 1965, 1966 sent on missions to Hanoi to mediate in the Vietnam War.

Also William Lewis (W.L.) Morton 1908-1980
historian, professor, was born on this day in 1908 at Gladstone, Manitoba; died at Medicine Hat, Alberta, Dec. 07, 1980. Morton studied at the universities of Manitoba and Oxford; professor of history at Manitoba and Trent universities; works include The Progressive Party in Canada (1950 – Governor General’s Award for Nonfiction); Manitoba: A History (1957), The Canadian Identity (1961), and The Critical Years (1964) a volume in the Canadian Centenary Series, of which he was executive editor with Donald Creighton.

Also Nick Weslock 1918-
golfer, was born on this day at Winnipeg in 1918. Weslock took his first tournament victory in 1939 at the Southern Ontario amateur; had 405 tournament wins including 4 national, 8 Ontario amateurs, 7 Ontario Opens and 11 Ontario seniors titles; leading amateur in the Canadian Open 16 times; played at the US masters four times.

Also Ron Taylor 1937-
baseball pitcher, born on this day in 1937. Taylor won two World Series rings as a reliever – in 1969 with the New York Mets and in 1964 with the St. Louis Cardinals; his post season ERA is 0.00; served as team physician to the Toronto Blue Jays during their two World Series wins; 1980 helped establish the S.C. Cooper Family Sports Medicine Clinic at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.

Also Ken Mitchell 1940-
writer, actor, teacher, was born on this day in 1940 at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Mitchell studied at the University of Saskatchewan in Regina; started writing stories and radio plays for the CBC; 1967 MA, joined English department; 1969 helped found the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild; 1977 edited anthology Horizon: Writings of the Canadian Prairie; 1980 screenplay for The Hounds of Notre Dame; fiction includes the stories Everybody Gets Something Here (1977), and the novels Wandering Rafferty (1972), The Meadowlark Connection: A Saskatchewan Thriller (1975), The Con Man (1979); plays include The Medicine Line (1976), The Shipbuilder (1979), Tommy (1986), Davin: The Politician (1979), Cruel Tears (1977) and Gone the Burning Sun (1985), a one-man show based on the life of Norman Bethune.

Also Ferguson Jenkins 1943-
major league baseball right-hander, was born on this day in 1943 at Chatham, Ontario. Jenkins’ best years were spent with the Chicago Cubs where he had six consecutive 20-game winning seasons from 1967 to 1972. He was the first pitcher to reach 3000 strikeouts with less than 1000 walks. He won 284 games. pitched 4499.2 innings, and had 3192 strikeouts (the 9th highest of all time). In 1971 he won the Cy Young award, and he was one of only four pitchers to have won 100 games in both major leagues – for Philadelphia (National League) 1965-1966, Chicago (National League) 1966-1973, Texas (American League) 1974-1975, Boston (American League) 1976-1977, Texas (American League) 1978-1981 and Chicago (National League) 1982-1983. He was the first Canadian inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown New York.

Also Bob Gainey 1953-
hockey player, was born on this day in 1953 at Peterborough, Ontario. Gainey played for 16 years with the Montreal Canadiens (Captain 1981-89) and was on 5 Stanley Cup winning teams. He won the Frank J. Selke Trophy for the NHL’s top defensive forward in its first 4 years of existence. In 1979 won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable performer in the playoffs. Soviet National coach Viktor Tikonov said that Gainey was the world’s best technical player.

Also Marie-Odile Raymond 1973-
cross-country skier, was born on this day in 1973 at Ottawa. Raymond beat out 40 other women to qualify for the fifth and final spot on the 1998 Canadian Olympic team at Nagano; came 62nd in the 15 km race.

 
In Other Events…
1995 Ottawa Ontario – Lucien Bouchard resigns his seat in the House of Commons and his Bloc québécois leadership to run for the leadership of the Parti québécois.
1995 Montreal Quebec – New Montreal Forum named the Centre Molson.
1993 Ottawa Ontario – Kim Campbell 1947- resigns as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, six months to the day after she won the leadership to succeed Brian Mulroney; led the Tories to an electoral disaster, reducing the Party to only two seats in the Commons; later appointed Canada’s Consul General in Los Angeles; the MP for Vancouver Centre was Prime Minister June 15, 1993 to Nov. 04, 1993; will be replaced as leader by Jean Charest.
1993 Quebec Quebec – Yellow birch chosen as provincial tree of Quebec.
1992 Saint John, New Brunswick – Kenneth Colin (‘K.C.’) Irving 1899-1992 dies; industrialist born at Buctouche Mar. 14, 1899. Irving studied at Dalhousie and Acadia universities; served in the Royal Flying Corps in World War I; 1938 acquired Canada Veneers, which became the world’s largest supplier of aircraft plywood; moved into pulp and paper, oil refining, shipping, publishing and broadcasting interests; 1971 settled in Bermuda for tax purposes.
1988 Quebec Quebec – NHL Quebec Nordiques fire head coach Guy Lapointe.
1983 Edmonton Alberta – Oiler Wayne Gretzky scores his 300th NHL goal.
1979 Ottawa Ontario – Supreme Court of Canada unanimously strikes down Quebec and Manitoba laws which created unconstitutional unilingual courts and legislatures; also declares three chapters of Bill 101 unconstitutional; Quebec responds by bringing in 311 new bilingual laws, replacing laws passed in French only.
1976 Canada – International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries accepts Canada’s 370 km (200 nautical mile) limit.
1968 Quebec Quebec – Quebec abolishes Legislative Council, changes name of Legislative Assembly to National Assembly; effective Dec. 31.
1968 Montreal Quebec – FLQ terrorists explode another bomb in Westmount.
1963 Montreal Quebec – FLQ member Mario Bachand sentenced to four years in prison for his part in May 17 bomb explosion.
1949 Quebec Quebec – Jean Béliveau joins the Quebec Citadelles junior hockey team; later Canadiens star.
1947 New York City – Rangers GM Frank Boucher says face masks for goaltenders will become standard equipment in the NHL, after one of his goalies fractures a cheekbone; detractors say dressing rooms will become salons for sissies; Canadien Jacques Plante the first pro goalie to wear a face mask in Nov. 1959.
1945 Windsor Ontario – Justice Ivan Rand of the Supreme Court of Canada gets Ford Motor Company and 17 000 United Auto Workers, on strike since Sept. 12, to agree to binding arbitration, and end their strike Dec. 20; issues the ‘Rand Formula’ on Jan 29, 1946, denying the UAW’s demand for a union shop, and making the union liable to penalties payable from union dues in the event of an illegal strike, but provides for compulsory checkoff of union dues for all employees whether they are union members or not.
1941 Hong Kong – British Governor rejects Japanese demand for the surrender of Hong Kong; defence of the Island organized into a West Brigade, commanded by Brigadier J.K. Lawson, and including The Winnipeg Grenadiers; and an East Brigade, under Brigadier C. Wallis, including The Royal Rifles of Canada; General Maltby deploys both Canadian units to defend the southern beaches against a seaborne attack, as heavy Japanese artillery fire and air raids begin.
1927 Montreal Quebec – L’Université de Montréal becomes a self-governing body separate from Laval.
1905 Saskatchewan – Walter Scott leads the Liberal Party to victory in the first provincial election, winning 17 out of 25 seats; former NWT Premier F. W. G. Haultain leader of the opposition Provincial Rights Party.
1898 Montreal Quebec – First passenger train runs over newly reconstructed Victoria Railway Bridge, Montreal; original 1859 tube replaced by a double track steel bridge.
1894 St. John’s, Newfoundland – Daniel Joseph Greene 1850-1911 sworn in as Liberal Prime Minister of Newfoundland replacing Conservative Augustus Goodridge, after corrupt 1893 elections, and the Dec. 10 collapse of 2 major Newfoundland financial institutions; passed the Disabilities Removal Act, that let candidates disqualified because of election irregularities seek re-election; this lets William Whiteway get back into the House, and resume the premiership on Greene’s resignation Feb. 08, 1895.
1893 PEI – Prince Edward Island votes for prohibition of alcoholic beverages.
1883 Ottawa Ontario – Border fixed between Ontario and Manitoba.
1849 Toronto Ontario – George Brown 1818-1880 popularizes the term ‘Clear Grit’ in the Toronto ‘Globe’; originally named by party founder Peter Perry; Clear Grits were radical Canada West Reformers opposed to the policies of Baldwin & LaFontaine.
1837 Montreal Quebec – John Colborne, Baron Seaton 1778-1863 sets out toward St-Eustache with 2,000 British Army regulars in two brigades commanded by Wetherall and Maitland.
1837 Buffalo New York – William Lyon Mackenzie 1795-1861 sets up a provisional government and proclaims a Canadian Republic on Navy Island in the Niagara River; disgusted by a lack of support, he leaves Jan. 14, 1838 and settles in New York City.
1786 Montreal Quebec – Gregory & McLeod merge with the North West Company on 20-share basis.
1783 Halifax Nova Scotia – Rough census shows 30,000 United Empire Loyalists now living in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
1665 Quebec Quebec – Alexandre de Prouville, Marquis de Tracy c1596-1670 makes a temporary peace with Iroquois.


Today in Canadian History is written, compiled, edited and produced by Ottawa Researchers © 1984-2002.

All Rights Reserved.

Please email your comments & suggestions to at: Ottawa Researchers

13 Dec

OBITS – DEC 13, 2010

Posted by CAPER in Obituaries.

Obituaries

Obituaries for December 13th, 2010

12 Dec

SODOMY IN THE MIDDAY SUN

Posted by CAPER in Sport.

SCORE of CONTEST: Bull 1, Matador 0

 

Why is it so popular? It’s the national sport of Spain. It is gaining, not losing in popularity.

In the Mediterranean, sacrificing bulls is a practice dating back to pre-historic times. In Greece for example, killing the minotaur is symbolic of a bullfight.

Bullfighting as we know it today, started in the village squares, and became formalised, with the building of the bullring in Ronda in the late 18th century. From that time, it began to follow a particular sequence of events: the entrance of the bull, the picador, the banderilleros, and finally the matador (bullfighter). Many of the picadors’ horses were injured in the early days, so these heavy horses now wear protection.

There are about 70 bullrings in Andalucia. Seville is the most important. Don’t miss the week of fights which coincide with the Seville Spring Fair. Ronda is the oldest bullring in Spain. It hosts the famous Goyesque Fair in early September. Some bullrings house bullfighting museums. They can also be used for other events such as pop concerts.

(Maybe this is what Burke means when he says his Leafs need ‘Truculence’ – CAPER)

 

12 Dec

RCMP DUMP ON SPEEDERS

Posted by CAPER in Crime, Safety.

RCMP cracking down on speeding on newly-twinned highway

New Twinned Highway (Part of 125) Attract Speeders 

 

Published on December 11th, 2010

Published on December 11th, 2010

Staff ~ The Cape Breton Post 

SYDNEY — If you’re looking to test out the newly-twinned Highway 125 between Balls Creek and Sydney River by putting the pedal to the metal, think again.

Topics :

RCMP

The RCMP has stepped up their patrols along the highway since it opened, Dec. 4. They’ve written 40 offence tickets, 30 of which have been for speeding.

Cpl. Ron MacDonald of the RCMP Cape Breton Traffic Services said the new road is safer, straight and well built, but felt they should step up patrols in case people were tempted to cruise at high speeds.

“We figured we should be out there and become visible right away and I’m glad we did,” he said. “We could tell there were going to be some speeds and right away, doing a couple of speed enforcement operations, we wrote as many as 30 speeding tickets and probably 10 other tickets for a variety of things.

“That was realistically in a matter of four hours in total that we wrote those 40 tickets.”

MacDonald said the speed limit is 100 km/h and he would like to see motorists do that speed or less with some construction still taking place.

“These next couple of weeks there’s going to be high volumes of traffic,” he said. “The key is to slow down, drive for the conditions and be safe.”

(Just looking at this new section of 125 makes me think how we could have used that back in the days of boot legging coal – the Coal Cops would never have been able to get turned and catch us. – CAPER)

12 Dec

TODAY – DEC 12, 2010 – IN CANADIAN HISTORY

Posted by CAPER in History.

On This Day

December 12

maple leaf Today's Canadian Headline...
1894 DEATH OF A PRIME MINISTERWindsor England – Sir John Thompson 1845-1894 dies at Windsor Castle of a heart attack a few minutes after being sworn in by Queen Victoria as a member of the Privy Council; his body is brought home by a British warship. Canada’s 4th Prime Minister, since Dec. 5, 1892, he was a former Premier of Nova Scotia, brought to Ottawa by John A. Macdonald to serve as Justice Minister – ‘The great discovery of my life,’ said John A., ‘was my discovery of Thompson.’ Thompson was replaced by Mackenzie Bowell.
1901

Also On This Day...

St. John’s, Newfoundland – Guglielmo Marconi 1874-1937 sends and receives first transatlantic radio message on Signal Hill 3,200 km away across Atlantic from Poldhu, Cornwall; from a box kite trailing a 121 metre long copper wire antenna. The first transatlantic wireless test signal is heard as the faint clicking of Morse code – of the letter ‘S’ repeated over and over. Here he is in his Cabot Tower laboratory on Signal Hill. Four days later, Marconi will be officially notified by the Anglo-American Telegraph Company that it will take legal action against him unless he immediately ceases his wireless experiments and removes his equipment from Newfoundland; Anglo-American has a fifty-year monopoly on electrical communications in Newfoundland starting in 1858, and is determined to hinder radio telegraphy, which it knows is a serious threat to its transatlantic electric telegraph business operated by submarine cables; Marconi soon decides to move his base of operations to Cape Breton.
1812

And in Today's Canadian Birthdays...

John Sandfield Macdonald 1812-1872
lawyer, politician, was born on this day in 1812 at St. Raphael, Ontario; died in Cornwall, Ontario June 1, 1872. Macdonald articled in the offices of A. McLean and W.A. Draper; 1840 called to the bar; opened a practice in Cornwall; 1841 Conservative MLA Glengarry in the first Assembly of the Province of Canada, and served in all 8 parliaments; 1843 joined Reformers; 1849-51 Robert Baldwin’s Solicitor General for Canada West; 1852 Speaker of the Assembly; 1862-64 co-Premier with A-A Dorion; 1867-71 first Premier of Ontario.Also Louis Maheu 1650-
born at Quebec City in 1650; first native-born Canadian to practice medicine; served also as harbour master of Quebec.

Also Al Ritchie 1890-1966
football and hockey player, coach, was born on this day in 1890; died Feb. 22 1966. Ritchie was one of the organizers of the Regina Pats hockey team; coached them to the Memorial Cup 1925, 1928 and 1930; coached the Regina Pats football team to western Canadian titles in 1925-28; credited with naming the Saskatchewan Roughriders; coached them to consecutive Grey Cup finals in 1929-32; hockey scout for the New York Rangers for over 30 years.

Also Huck Welch 1907-1979
football player, was born on this day at Hamilton, Ontario, in 1907; died May 15, 1979. Welch joined the Hamilton Tigers in 1928; helped them win the interprovincial title and the Grey Cup; 1931 led the Montreal Winged Wheelers to the 1931 Grey Cup.

Also George Mara 1921-
sportsman, Olympic athlete, born on this day in 1921. Mara was captain of the 1948 Canadian Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal at St. Moritz; 1970 started fund raising for Olympic teams, which became the Olympic Trust.

Also Ted ‘Teeder’ Kennedy 1925-
NHL forward, born at Humberstone, Ontario, in 1925). Kennedy played senior hockey at Port Colborne and joined the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942; scored 231 goals and 560 points in 696 games; 1955 Hart Trophy; 1957 retired to run thoroughbred training centre in St Mary’s.

Also Jean Doré 1942-
former Mayor of Montreal.

Also Billy Smith 1950-
NHL goaltender, was born on this day at Perth, Ontario, in 1950. Smith was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings as their third pick in the 1970 Amateur Draft; 1971 played the Springfield Kings in their Calder Cup championship; backstopped the New York Islanders to four consecutive Stanley Cup championships 1979-83; Nov. 28, 1979 the first NHL goaltender to be credited with scoring a goal.

Also Steve Podborski 1957-
downhill skier, born in Toronto in 1957; Canada’s first World Cup Ski champion in the Downhill.

Also Robert Lepage 1957-
actor, director, playwright, born at Quebec City in 1957. Lepage studied at the Conservatoire d’art dramatique; 1985 produced mixed media work, Circulations; 1986 mounted one-man show, Vinci; recent works include La Trilogie des dragons (1987), Les Plaques tectoniques (1990), Les Aiguilles et l’opium (1991, plays himself, Jean Cocteau and Miles Davis) and Le Polygraphe (1992); 1989-93 French-language director of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa; 1993 directed Bluebeard’s Castle by Bartok and Schoenburg’s Erwartung for the Canadian Opera Company; 1995 produced Strindberg’s Dream Play at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, Sweden.

Also Philippe Laroche 1966-
aerobatic skier, born at Lac-Beauport, Quebec in 1966; winner of World Cup freestyle 1991, 1992 and 1994; 1992 won Olympic gold medal at Albertville; 1992 silver medal at Lillehammer; currently operates a Cage aux Sports franchise in Lac-St-Jean.
In Other Events…
1996 Quebec Quebec – Jean Chrétien names Lise Thibault as Lieutenant Governor of Quebec; first woman and first handicapped person to hold the post; sworn in Jan. 30, 1997.
1996 Montreal Quebec – Moises Alou leaves the Expos to play for the Florida Marlins, then the Houston Astros.
1993 Montreal Quebec – Genie awards held in Montreal for the first time.
1992 Montreal Quebec – Quebec Premier Jacques Parizeau marries Lisette Lapointe.
1991 Ottawa Ontario – Justice Minister Kim Campbell brings in new rape shield law that defines consent, allows case questioning only when crucial to defendant; restores protection lost by ruling previous August.
1989 Revelstoke BC – CP Rail runs first regular freight train through 14.5 km Mount MacDonald Tunnel, the longest rail tunnel in the Americas.
1988 Toronto Ontario – The Canadian Football League extends its agreement with CFN through to 1990; CFL game rosters to consist of 20 non-imports, 14 imports and 2 quarterbacks; Roy McMurtry was appointed Chairman-Chief Executive Officer and Bill Baker President-Chief Operating Officer; sale of the Toronto Argonauts from Carling O’Keefe to Harry Ornest approved.
1986 Ottawa Ontario – Former Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau named Canadian delegate to UNESCO in Paris.
1985 Quebec Quebec – Robert Bourassa 1933-1996 sworn in as 29th Premier of Quebec; formerly 26th Premier May 12, 1970 – Nov. 25, 1976; Liberal MLA for Bertrand; author of: Deux fois la Baie-James (1981), L’énergie du Nord: la force du Québec (1985) and Le défi technologique (1985); Claude Ryan his Minister of Education, Gérard-D. Lévesque Minister of Finance.
1985 Gander Newfoundland – US jet transport crashes on takeoff, killing 248 American soldiers on leave; possibly due to bomb planted by terrorists.
1984 Toronto Ontario – Ontario government ends Happy Hours in Ontario bars by banning mixed pricing and cut rate drinks.
1981 Edmonton Alberta – Oiler Wayne Gretzky notches another NHL record, reaching his 50 goal mark in only 39 games.
1980 Quebec Quebec – Jean Lesage 1912-1980 dies, politician, lawyer, born at Montreal June 10, 1912; 1945 first elected as a federal MP for Montmagny-L’Islet; re-elected 1949, 1953, 1957 and 1958; 1953 St. Laurent’s Minister of Resources and Development and then of Northern Affairs and National Resources; May 31, 1958 elected leader of the Quebec Liberal Party; 1960-66 Premier of Quebec, political architect of Quebec’s Quiet Revolution; elected in 1962 with a mandate to nationalize the electricity companies, under the slogan of ‘Maîtres chez nous’.
1975 Toronto Ontario – Toronto Transit Commission bus collides with commuter train at level crossing, killing 9, injuring 20; worst accident in TTC history.
1970 Prince George, BC – Roy Spencer, father of Toronto Maple Leaf rookie Brian ‘Spinner’ Spencer shot and killed by the RCMP outside a Prince George TV station after he had forced it off the air at gunpoint because it was not carrying a game between the Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks and a interview with his son; Brian Spencer was himself shot and killed in June 1988 in Florida.
1973 Ottawa Ontario – Royal Mint starts sale of commemorative coins to help finance 1976 Montreal Olympics.
1969 Halifax Nova Scotia – Royal Canadian Navy retires aircraft carrier HMCS Bonaventure after 12 years of service; later sold for scrap.
1968 Alberta – Harry Edwin Strom 1914- takes office as Social Credit Premier of Alberta, succeeding Ernest C. Manning.
1967 Ottawa Ontario – Ottawa joins consortium of Canadian companies exploring for oil and minerals in the Arctic.
1959 Los Angeles, California – Harry Warner dies at age 76; film executive, one of the Warner Brothers, born in Canada Dec 12, 1881.
1953 Hamilton Ontario – Governor-General Vincent Massey opens The Art Gallery of Hamilton.
1951 Ottawa Ontario – Parliament votes to set up the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority; as Canadian project manager in cooperation with US.
1951 Montreal Quebec – De Havilland DHC-3 Otter makes first test flight; larger version of the Beaver; 450 made; US Army and US Navy used Otters and the RCAF operated 69, some serving on UN duties overseas; used to pioneer water-bombing techniques.
1949 Victoria BC – Nancy Hodges 1912- elected Speaker of British Columbia Legislature; first female Speaker of a Canadian Legislature; also first woman in a Commonwealth legislative body.
1946 Montreal Quebec – Demonstration held in Montreal to protest despotism of Duplessis government.
1942 St. John’s Newfoundland – Arsonist sets fire during barn dance in Knights of Columbus hostel, killing 99 people and seriously injuring another 100, mostly military personnel and their dates; reputedly set by German agent.
1938 Montreal Quebec – Camilien Houde re-elected Mayor of Montreal.
1936 Quebec Quebec – Creation of the Crédit Agricole du Québec/ Quebec Farm Credit Corporation.
1933 Boston Massachusetts – Ace Bailey collides with Bruins player Eddie Shore and ends up with a fractured skull; ends playing career after 7 seasons in the NHL; originally played for Toronto St. Pats, later the Toronto Maple Leafs, with Babe Dye and Hap Day; led NHL in both scoring and points in 1928-29; Stanley Cup team 1932-33; stayed active with Maple Leaf Gardens for decades.
1916 Midnapore Alberta – Father Albert Lacombe 1827-1916 dies in the early morning at the Lacombe Home in Midnapore; born in St. Suplice, Quebec, in 1827; after ordination served at Fort Garry; 1852 to Fort Edmonton; lived among the Cree and Blackfoot; negotiated truce between the Blackfoot and Canadian Pacific workers; 1883, Lacombe elected President of the CPR for one hour and given a lifetime rail pass; priest at St. Mary’s Parish in Calgary; 1909 founded the Lacombe Home for the orphaned, aged, and indigent.
1885 Portage La Prairie, Manitoba – First CPR freight train heads east to Montreal with Manitoba wheat.
1883 Langevin Alberta – Canadian Pacific Railway crews digging for water strike natural gas at Langevin, west of present-day Medicine Hat.
1866 London England – Fire breaks out in John A. Macdonald’s bedroom in the Westminster Palace Hotel during the Confederation conference; quickly extinguished.
1859 Montreal Quebec – Opening of the Victoria Bridge to rail traffic, as first passenger train crosses the iron tubular structure; formally opened by the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, on Aug. 25, 1860.
1858 Kingston Ontario – Province of Canada releases first decimal coins; only 421,000 cents are ready.
1843 Victoria BC – James Douglas 1803-1877 renames Fort Camosun Fort Victoria.
1843 Montreal Quebec – William Draper & Denis-Benjamin Viger form Draper-Viger Ministry with Dominick Daly, only member of previous Ministry not to resign.
1813 Astoria Oregon – William Black officially takes possession of Fort Astoria for Britain; renames it Fort George.
1813 Montreal Quebec – James McGill dies; merchant, philanthropist, born at Glasgow, Scotland Oct. 06, 1744; Montreal fur trader, land developer whose bequest of land and money led to the founding of McGill University.
1812 Toronto Ontario – Founding of the Loyal and Patriotic Society of Upper Canada to help destitute families and wounded soldiers in the War of 1812 and American invasion.
1783 Saint John New Brunswick – William Lewis & John Ryan publish first newspaper in New Brunswick, the ‘Royal Saint John Gazette and Nova Scotian Intelligencer’.


Today in Canadian History is written, compiled, edited and produced by Ottawa Researchers © 1984-2002.

All Rights Reserved.

Please email your comments & suggestions to at: Ottawa Researchers

11 Dec

$19 MILLION FOR DREDGING – PM

Posted by CAPER in Employment, Politics.

HARPER ANNOUNCES MAJOR FUNDING FOR  SYDNEY HARBOUR DREDGING

(Laura Jean Grant – Cape Breton Post)

In his first visit to Cape Breton, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the federal government will contribute $19 million to the dredging of the Sydney harbour access channel.

Published on December 10th, 2010

Published on December 10th, 2010

(Nancy King – Sydney Post Record)

Feds announce funding to dredge access channel

SYDNEY — Prime Minister Stephen Harper made his first visit to Cape Breton on Friday, where he delivered the news that many local business and community leaders had awaited for months: his government will contribute $19 million to the dredging of the Sydney harbour access channel.

Topics :

Enterprise Cape Breton , Nova Scotia Power , Boskalis , Sydney , Cape Breton , Ottawa

The money, which will be provided through Enterprise Cape Breton Corp., will come over the next three months so that work can begin as soon as possible.

“By dredging Sydney harbour, we can unlock Cape Breton’s true economic potential,” Harper said.

The prime minister made the announcement in front of a friendly audience of invited guests, including local politicians and business leaders. The dredging is expected to cost a total of about $38 million.

The harbour offers opportunities beyond tourism, Harper said. The dredging project will create jobs in Cape Breton in the long term, he said, adding that new opportunities for shipping will arise with the return of mining jobs to the island. As trade destinations diversify, he said a revitalized Sydney harbour could attract more freight, particularly container traffic.

But before that can happen, the harbour’s access channel needs to be dredged, Harper said.

Premier Darrell Dexter called Friday a great day for Sydney, the municipality and the province. In June, the NDP government committed $15.2 million to the project, contingent on Ottawa coming in with its requested contribution.

“By dredging Sydney harbour, we can unlock Cape Breton’s true economic potential.” – Prime Minister Stephen Harper

“Today the Sydney harbour dredging project goes from concept to reality,” he said.

The dredging project alone will provide 100,000 person-hours of employment, Dexter said. It will then go on to support opportunities for container and shipbuilding and repair facilities, offshore oil and gas-related fabrication and other marine-related business, he said.

“The business case clearly says the dredging project would support other industries and help create a strong environment for economic growth,” he said.

As for why it took six months after the province came on board for Ottawa to do the same, Harper called it a complex and costly venture that hasn’t typically been tackled under federal programs.

“We had to look around for the right source of funding and the right authorities and we’ve done that,” he said.

CBRM Mayor John Morgan said the project will enable the region to grow.

(Hopefully this will get some of these nay sayers (no doubt part of the 15% unemployed) off their arses and to work. Otherwise we will have to import foreigners willing and able to do the job, which is not a bad idea – CAPER)

 

11 Dec

TODAY – DEC 11, 2010 – IN CANADIAN HISTORY

Posted by CAPER in History.

On This Day

December 11

maple leaf Today's Canadian Headline...
1931 CANADA NOW FULLY INDEPENDENTLondon England – British Parliament passes Statute of Westminster; gives complete legislative equality to Dominion Parliaments; marks the final independence of Canada from Britain; BNA Act becomes Canadian, but no amending formula for constitutional change.
1948

Also On This Day...

St. John’s Newfoundland – Joey Smallwood 1900-1992 signs Confederation agreement for Newfoundland to enter Confederation as Canada’s 10th province.
1964

And in Today's Canadian Birthdays...

Carolyn Waldo 1964-
synchronized swimmer, broadcaster, born on this day in Montreal Quebec. Waldo nearly drowned as a 3 year old and it took her 7 years to overcome her fear of water. At age 18, she moved to Calgary to train with coach Debbie Muir. She won Silver in the Solo Synchronized Swimming event at the 1984 Olympics, and at the 1986 World Aquatic championships, she and Michelle Cameron won duet gold, while Cameron won the solo gold. At the 1988 Olympics the duet also won Gold, and Waldo won the Gold Medal in Solo, making her the first Canadian woman to win 2 gold medals at one Olympiad. She is now a sportscaster with CJOH-TV in Ottawa.Also John A. Larson 1892-
born in Shelburne, Nova Scotia in 1892; inventor of the lie detector, which he called the ‘polygraph’, a device to simultaneously and continuously record the pulse rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and perspiration secretion of potential liars; not foolproof, but useful.

Also Pauline Jewett 1922-1992
professor, politician, born at St Catharines, Ontario in 1922; died at Ottawa July 05, 1992. Jewett was educated at Queen’s, Radcliffe, Harvard and London School of Economics; 1955-74 Professor of Political Science and head of the Institute of Canadian Studies at Carleton University; 1974-78 President of Simon Fraser University, the first woman to head a large Canadian university; 1963-65 Liberal MP for Northumberland; 1966 VP of the Liberal Party of Canada; switched to the NDP; 1979, 1980, 1984 MP for New Westminster-Coquitlam; NDP critic on education, external affairs and disarmament, and federal-provincial relations.

Also Pilote, Pierre 1931-
NHL defenseman, born at Kenogami, Quebec, in 1931; played 14 NHL seasons from 1955 to 1969 with the Chicago Black Hawks (Norris Trophy winner 1964, 1965, 1966) and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Also Tony Gabriel 1948-
football player, was born on this day in 1948. Gabriel began his pro career with the CFL Hamilton Tiger Cats in 1971 and played a key role in their 1972 and 1976 Grey Cup wins. An 8 time all star, Gabriel won the Schenley Trophy 4 times as the Outstanding Canadian and once as the league’s Outstanding player.
In Other Events…
1996 Ottawa Ontario – CBC/SRC President Perrin Beatty announces new cuts of $5.5 million and 378 employees.
1995 Ottawa Ontario – House of Commons passes resolution recognizing that Quebec is a distinct society within Canada.
1995 NWT – Innu First Nations choose Iqaluit as capital of the Nunavut Territory to come into effect April 1, 1999; Inuit plebiscite.
1992 Vancouver BC – Woodward’s files for court protection from creditors who are owed over $65 million; company consists of 26 department stores, 33 Woodwyn discount outlets, 20 travel agencies, four Abercrombie & Fitch specialty stores and three Commercial Interiors divisions in BC and Alberta; assets will be acquired in 1993 by the Hudson’s Bay Company which converts old Woodward’s stores into new Bay or Zeller’s outlets. Store established by Charles Woodward in 1892 selling dry goods, men’s clothing and footwear; moved from Main and Hastings Street over to Hastings and Abbott in 1903.
1992 Philadelphia Pennsylvania – US lawyer Gary Bettmann becomes first Commissioner of the National Hockey League.
1991 St. John’s, Newfoundland – Miller Ayre announces closing of 60 store Ayres chain; blames GST; company 142 years old.
1990 Ottawa Ontario – Environment Minister Robert de Cotret unveils $3 billion Green Plan; over 100 measures to protect land, water, soil, forests and wildlife; also Arctic strategy, programs to combat pollution.
1985 Edmonton Alberta – Edmonton Oilers beat Chicago Black Hawks 12-9 in a record game – ties NHL record of 21 goals in a game; new NHL record of total points in a game – 62 (36 by Edmonton, 26 by Chicago).
1983 Manitoba – Gary Filmon 1945- elected leader of the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party.
1981 Nassau Bahamas – Trevor Berbick 1953- defeats three-time world champion Muhammad Ali in Nassau in 10-round unanimous decision; Canadian and Commonwealth heavyweight boxing champion.
1975 BC – Bill Bennett 1932- son of W.A.C. Bennett, wins British Columbia election for Social Credit; defeats NDP under Dave Barrett 1930-, in power since Aug. 20, 1972.
1967 Montreal Quebec – Paul-Émile Cardinal Léger leaves Montreal for missionary work in Zaire.
1964 Los Angeles, California – Lorne Greene, Canadian star of the Bonanza TV western, has a #1 Billboard hit with ‘Ringo’.
1962 Toronto Ontario – Ronald Turpin and Arthur Lucas hanged in the Don Jail; Canada’s last judicial hanging.
1961 Ottawa Ontario – Assistant Military Attaché at Soviet Embassy expelled for receiving secret Canadian documents.
1944 Montreal Quebec – Camilien Houde re-elected Mayor of Montreal after release from Camp Petawawa.
1942 Winnipeg Manitoba – John Bracken 1883-1969 chosen as Progressive Conservative Party leader on second ballot, replacing Arthur Meighen; to Oct 2; wins 538 votes, to M.A. MacPherson (255), J.G. Diefenbaker (79); Conservatives change name to Progressive Conservative Party to reflect the absorption of many members of the Progressive Party.
1941 Hong Kong – D Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers dispatched to the mainland to strengthen the Gin Drinkers’ Line against the Japanese invaders; sees some action, thus becoming the first Canadian Army Unit to fight in World War II; at midday, General Maltby orders the mainland troops to withdraw to the island; the Winnipeg Grenadiers cover the Royal Scots’ withdrawal down the Kowloon Peninsula.
1937 Toronto Ontario – Toronto Argonauts beat Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 30-7 in 25th Grey Cup game.
1936 London England – King George VI 1895-1952 starts reign; to 1952 on abdication of brother Edward VIII, who reigned for only 11 months, and left the throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson.
1934 Toronto Ontario – Charlie Conacher unsuccessful against the New York Rangers when he takes the first Toronto Maple Leaf penalty shot.
1916 Saskatchewan – Saskatchewan votes to abolish liquor stores.
1911 Edmonton Alberta – Alberta brings in first Motor Vehicles Act; sets speed limit in towns and cities at 15 mph, and at 20 mph in less settled areas; outside urban areas, drivers required to slow down to 6 mph when approaching or passing pedestrians and horses, and to assist any horseman who required assistance; drivers required to take out a license, must be over 16 if a boy or over 18 if a young lady.
1909 Bronx New York – Hamilton Tigers beat Ottawa Rough Riders, 11-6 before 15,000 fans in a Canadian Football exhibition game in Van Cortlandt Park.
1901 Poldhu Cornwall – Italian engineer Guglielmo Marconi sends first transatlantic radio signal; received by Percy Wright Paget in St Johns, Newfoundland.
1871 Montreal Quebec – Russian Prince Alexis visits Montreal.
1860 Vancouver BC – Twelve children from the Musqueam Reserve are baptised by Oblate Father Leon Fouquet.
1837 Buffalo New York – William Lyon Mackenzie 1795-1861 flees Upper Canada for US, and reaches safety in Buffalo.
1753 Ohio – George Washington 1732-1799 arrives in the Ohio Valley with Tanaghrisson and two other chiefs to help Senecas and counter French; a young Major from Virginia.
1713 Quebec Quebec – Michel Beaudoin the first native born Quebecker to enter the Jesuit Order.


Today in Canadian History is written, compiled, edited and produced by Ottawa Researchers © 1984-2002.

All Rights Reserved.

Please email your comments & suggestions to at: Ottawa Researchers

11 Dec

OBITS – DEC 11, 2010

Posted by CAPER in Obituaries.

Obituaries for December 11th, 2010

  • Bridget ‘Bea’ McMaster Daley It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Bridget ‘Bea’ McMaster Daley, 100, of Seaview Manor, formerly of Heelan Street, New Waterford, on Dec. 10, 2010 at the manor. Born in Glace Bay, she was a daughter of the late Dan and Christina (McLellan) McEachern. She was a member of the…

    Published December 11th, 2010

    – See the obituary
    – Leave a tribute
    – Create a website

  • PATRICK-CADEGAN Patrick Cadegan We, the family of the late Patrick ‘Paddy’ Cadegan, New Waterford, regret to announce his sudden passing on Dec. 9, 2010, outside his home at age 69. Born in Glace Bay he was an avid fisherman and hunter in his younger years. Pat is survived by his wife, Kathleen ‘Kay’ Cadegan; stepson, Michael…

    Published December 11th, 2010

    – See the obituary
    – Leave a tribute
    – Create a website

  • Jason Bishop We regret to announce the sudden passing of Jason, Bishop, 31, on Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010, in London, Ontario. Born in Sydney Mines on June 25, 1979, he was the son of Ernest Bishop and the late Beverly Reilly. He was a member of Immaculate Conception parish, Sydney Mines. Jason was an avid…

    Published December 11th, 2010

    – See the obituary
    – Leave a tribute
    – Create a website

  • GAY-LEWIS Gay Lewis Gay Loretta Lewis, 63, Hills Rd., Albert Bridge, passed Friday, Dec. 10, 2010, at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital, Sydney. Born in Sydney, she was a daughter of the late Gilbert and Marion (Willis) Reid. Gay retired from the Children’s Training Center after 30 years of employment. She was a…

    Published December 11th, 2010

    – See the obituary
    – Leave a tribute
    – Create a website

  • Norman Francis Norman Joseph Francis, 60 of 4695 Shore Rd., Eskasoni, passed away after a brief illness at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital, Sydney, on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010. Born in Sydney, he was the son of the late Stephen P. and Annie Claire (Paul) Francis. He was a member of Holy Family parish,…

    Published December 11th, 2010

    – See the obituary
    – Leave a tribute
    – Create a website

  • Donald Campbell It is with sadness that our family announces the passing of Donald Campbell. He will be forever missed by his wife of 59 years, Alice (McKenna) and children, Carol O’Neil (Raymond), Cole Harbour, Sara Campbell, Halifax, Therese Reynolds, Dartmouth, Peter (Donnecka), Port Hastings, John…

    Published December 11th, 2010

    – See the obituary
    – Leave a tribute
    – Create a website

10 Dec

CAPE BRETON UNEMPLOYMENT – 15 PERCENT

Posted by CAPER in Employment.

Cape Breton unemployment up slightly from last month

DONT RETURN YET!! 15% – COULD BE A ROUGH WINTER

Someone Just Announced Minimum Wage Hiring – Probably a Call Centre

Staff ~ The Cape Breton Post 

Published on October 8th, 2010

Published on October 8th, 2010

SYDNEY — There was a small increase in Cape Breton’s unemployment rate in September from a month ago.

Topics :

Statistics Canada , Cape Breton , Halifax , Prince Edward Island

According to the latest numbers released Friday by Statistics Canada, the unemployment rate on the island was:

 15 per cent, up 0.3 of a percentage point from August’s  figure. A year ago the rate was 13.5 per cent.

Cape Breton’s total labour force stood at 68,800 — 58,500 employed and 10,300 unemployed. In August the island’s total labour force was 69,400.

The provincial unemployment rate was 9.0, down 0.8 of a percentage point from August.

Of the five regions in the province, Cape Breton has the highest unemployment rate while Halifax has the lowest at 6.7 per cent — an increase of 0.6 of a percentage point.

Regionally the unemployment rate fell in the other three Atlantic provinces.

Prince Edward Island’s unemployment rate stood at 9.9 per cent, in New Brunswick it was 8.9 per cent, while in Newfoundland the rate dropped to 12.4 per cent from 14 per cent in August.

Nationally, the unemployment rate stood at eight per cent, down 0.1 per cent in August.

The monthly employment figures for specific regions, such as Cape Breton, are determined by a three-month moving average of unemployment rates unadjusted for seasonal employment.

National and provincial numbers reflect monthly numbers that are seasonally adjusted.

10 Dec

DO YOU REMEMBER – 12

Posted by CAPER in History, Military.

 

 

Canadian Army Military Police Badge 

Hey, do you remember when some special personnel of the Canadian Army came home on leave with their small arms with them? Right up to 1949 and maybe later the Royal Canadian Army Provost Corps and Royal Canadian Navy Police manned the trains from Sydney/Halifax to Montreal and maybe even beyond. Soldiers as well travelling by train were often seen with their rifles and small arms.

Canadian Military Police being Inspected

We had a neighbor during the war who came home weekends – he was on a schedule from Halifax to Sydney and return. As youngsters we loved to hang around to see his Colt 45 ( M1911-A1) pistol, hand cuffs, and billy club. I don’t think it was legal but he also had a black jack and brass knuckles. He used to tuck the black jack up his sleeve and if he got into a racket he simply flicked his sleeve and the black jack slid down and into the palm of his hand. You could do severe damage with a black jack not to mention brass knuckles.

Black Jack

Deadly Brass Knuckles

If some of these fellows were around today and in and around Jane and Finch, I assure you we wouldn’t have as many homicides as we do. Of course with the Charter of Rights and the need to be so political correct they would be stymied so we would  just keep burying the results.

Royal Canadian Navy Police

MP Directing Traffic in Korea – Smartly Turned Out

Colt 45 – Carried by Officers and Some Enlisted Men 

(Ah how we wish for the way it used to be – CAPER)

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »