1912

From the big scrapbook of time, here’s a look at Canada in 1912-

The City of Edmonton will adopt this flag in 1966 and update it in 1986.

February 1: The City of Strathcona merges with the City of Edmonton.

February 21: The nation’s automobile show is under way at the Armouries in Toronto. More than $1 million worth of wheels are on display. Exhibitors showcase some 150 makes of cars. Canadian-built vehicles include the Russell, the Tudhope, the McLaughlin, the McKay, the Galt, the Superior, the Harding, the Clinton, the Every Day, the Peck, the Brockville Atlas, the Amherst 40, the Maritime and the Tate. If the gleaming cars aren’t enough of a draw, there is a huge Union Jack hanging from the ceiling, illuminated at night by 6,000 lights.

March 11: Québec beats Moncton to win Lord Stanley’s Cup. This is the first time that the playoff games are divided into three 20-minute periods. Previously, the game was played in two 30-minute periods. 

March 12: Irving Layton is born in Romania. A year later his parents will move to Montréal. Young Irving will grow up to become one of the country’s most revered poets, famous for his “tell it like it is” style. Twice nominated for the Nobel Prize, he will die in 2006.

March 17: The Political Equity League is founded in Winnipeg. The group stands for the total prohibition of alcohol throughout the Dominion and firmly believes that women should have the right to vote in elections.

March 29: The doors open for the first-ever automobile show in Saint John, New Brunswick. The Maritime Singer Six is a big attraction despite its hefty $3,000 price tag. Some of the Maritime Singer factory space has been rented to Ford for assembly of Model Ts that are distributed throughout the Maritime Provinces. 

April 1: Parliament passes the Québec Boundaries Extension Act. Now the Labrador and Hudson coasts fall under the jurisdiction of Quebec City.

Canada is 'breadbasket to the world' thanks to our fertile soil.

April 10: Ottawa appoints a federal Board of Grain Commissioners to inspect and regulate the lucrative grain trade.

This  100th anniversary scale model of the RMS Titanic will be issued in 2012.

April 14:  At 11.40 pm, Newfoundland Time, an iceberg strikes the RMS Titanic. In a mere 55 minutes the unsinkable luxury liner lies on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, taking the lives of 1,490 passengers. Joe Fossett of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia is the radio operator aboard the federal government Marine and Fisheries ship, Minto. The ship is the first to be equipped with the new wireless technology. He hears the Titanic’s distress call and relays it to authorities in New York. 

April 19: Jerome, the mystery man who washed up on the shore at Mink Cove near Digby, Nova Scotia in 1854, is dead. The blond, blue-eyed teen was found by locals, who were horrified that his legs had been amputated at the knees and the stumps were bandaged. Dressed in fine clothing, Jerome never spoke a word. He will be buried in the Catholic cemetery in Meteghan, Nova Scotia and his secret life will go to the grave with him.

The Château Laurier hotel boasts 429 luxurious rooms. It is owned by Grand Trunk Railways.

April 26: The grand opening of the Château Laurier hotel in Ottawa will be postponed to a later date because Grand Trunk Railways’ chairman, Charles Hays, perished in the Titanic disaster.

May 1: The Bank of Canada issues the first homegrown $5 bank note. It is intended to replace the $4 bill that has been in circulation since 1873.

May 5: King Gustav V of Sweden opens the Summer Olympic Games in Stockholm. A total 2,407 athletes from 28 nations participate. Dominions within the British Empire compete under their own flags. 

May 12: The University of Saskatchewan holds its first Convocation. Mary Oliver is one of two women graduates in the class of nine and would have won the Rhodes Scholarship but that August honour will not conferred upon women until 1976.

May 14: By act of Parliament, the boundaries of Ontario and Manitoba are expanded northward to Hudson Bay.

June 12: The Château Laurier is officially opened in Ottawa. Prime Minister Sir Wilfred Laurier, for whom the grand building is named, is in attendance. Located across from Union Station and near Parliament Hill, the swanky hotel is another glittering jewel in the Grand Trunk Railway’s empire.

The War of 1812 begins when American troops invade Sandwich Town (present day Windsor, ON) in Upper Canada.

June 18: A hundred years ago today the United States declared war on Britain. Since Canada is a colony of Great Britain, the conflict will galvanize Canadians who fight for their lives. The conflict will drag on until 1814 when the Treaty of Ghent is signed.

June 26: Harold J. Smith is born on the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario. He will grow up, change his name to Jay Silverheels and became the star of the silver screen, radio and television. Best known for his portrayal of Tonto in the Lone Ranger TV series, the Hollywood star will die of a stroke in 1980.

June 30: At 4.45 in the afternoon two green-coloured funnel clouds touch down in Regina, tearing through the Saskatchewan capital. The F-4 force tornado is three blocks wide and 12 blocks long. Three churches, the phone company office, the YMCA, the YMWA and the public library are all destroyed. In its deadly wake, 28 are killed and 2,500 are left homeless. Damage is estimated at $1.2 million, the disaster will be remembered as the Regina Cyclone.

Henri Bourassa will be honoured with a commemorative stamp in 1968.

July 16: Founder of the influential French-language newspaper, Le Devoir, Henri Bourassa is of the opinion that the rights of French-Canadians would be better protected if they were Americans.

July 17: Gordon Arthur Kelly is born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Abandoned at birth, Art will be adopted by Mary and John Linkletter. Art will grow up to one of the most popular radio and TV hosts of the 20^th Century—famous for shows like House Party, People are Funny and Kids Say the Darndest Things.  In 2005—at the age of 93--he will host Disney’s “Happiest Homecoming on Earth,” marking the 50^th anniversary of Disneyland.

July 22: The fifth Olympiad is over. Our athletes come home from Sweden with three gold medals, two silver medals and three bronze. This is the last time the medals are made of solid gold.

August 21: Hector 'Toe' Blake is born in Victoria Mines, Nova Scotia. When he grows up he will play left wing for the Montreal Canadiens, lead the team to two Stanley Cups as a  player and eight more as coach. He will run a successful tavern in Montreal and die in 1995.

Where French will be spoken in Ontario in 2017.

August 17: The teaching of French is banned in Ontario schools. The new law is designed to prevent the spread of bilingual education throughout the Ottawa Valley. French is commonly heard as more and more Francophones move into the region.

August 24: The first Amherst 40 rolls out the factory doors in Amherstburg, Ontario. The nifty vehicle is a five-passenger touring car that converts into pickup truck. Unfortunately only two more will be built before the company goes bankrupt.  

September 2: An estimated crowd of 75,000 people jams the streets of Calgary to watch the first Calgary Stampede. Governor General, the Duke of Connaught, is on hand to open the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.

September 9: The Lethbridge, Alberta Police Chief has been sacked by city council for extorting
money from brothels. He never took money for himself but obliged the madams to fork over some of their ill-gotten gains to the poor—including the Sally Ann.

September 30: Prospectors have struck gold in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. It is one of the largest finds in North American history.

Once the world's largest concrete grain elevator, it will be abandoned and demolished in 1978.

October 2: The world’s largest concrete grain elevator in the world is now in operation. The facility, located in Montreal, can hold 87,500 cubic metres (2.5 million bushels) of grain—equal to the capacity of all other elevators in the Port of Montréal.

October 5: Bora Laskin is born in Ft. William (now Thunder Bay), Ontario. He will grow up to become a lawyer and a judge. Prime Minister Trudeau will appoint him to the Supreme Court in 1970, giving him the distinction of being the first Jewish person to hold that office. Mr. Trudeau made the constitutional law expert the fourteenth Chief Justice in 1973. Laskin will die in office in 1984.

November 24:  Some 50,000 people flock to churches in Toronto to hear sermons about the evils of alcohol. Organized by the Dominion Alliance, the group wants barrooms closed and drinking made illegal.

November 30: The Hamilton Alerts whip the Toronto Argonauts 11 to 4 to earn the Grey Cup. 

An Abitibi Pulp and Paper mill, located in Saint John, New Brunswick.

December 4: The Abitibi Pulp and Paper Company Limited is incorporated. It will post profits of $4.5 billion in 2006 and in 2007 will merge with Bowater to become the eighth largest pulp and paper company on the planet.

December 9: The Bank of New Brunswick is absorbed into the Bank of Nova Scotia. 

An openly racist advertisement like this one is quite common  in 1912 but will be condemned the 21st Century.

December 12: The Saskatchewan legislature has passes a law that white women cannot work in businesses owned or operated by Chinese. This act is meant to “preserve the morality of white women.” Many women will lose their jobs in laundries and restaurants.

December 31: The Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited reports 565 employees on its payroll. 

1995

From the big scrapbook of time, here’s a look at Canada in 1995-

Honda Civic is the second best-selling car this year.

January 1: Radio-Canada launches its Reseau-d’Information, the all-news network, RDI for short.

January 7: The opening of Parliament is seen by Canadians on live television for the first time ever as CPAC takes to the airwaves.

January 11: The hockey lockout is over. Half a season is lost but the teams will lace up their skates and make the best of what’s left of the season.

January 18: Already in trouble for its actions in Somalia Affair, a shocking home movie showing the brutish hazing rituals of the Canadian Airborne Regiment surfaces and is made public. Reaction from the military establishment is swift in response and the regiment  is ordered disbanded a week later.

January 23: His DNA has set him free. Guy Paul Morin, age 36, has served 11 years in prison for the murder of nine-year old Christine Jessop—a murder he did not commit.

February 14: Richard Weber of Chelsea, Quebec and Russian MD Mikhail Mlakhov leave Ward Hunt Island, NWT on skis. They plan to ski to the North Pole and back by themselves.

February 21: The neighbours are visiting. President William Clinton of the United States is in Ottawa and addresses Parliament.

March 7: The Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. will buy Texasgulf, Inc. The Crown corporation will pay is US$810 million for the North Carolina conglomerate.

March 5: The Canadian Airborne Regiment is permanently disgraced as a result of “The Somalia Affair." The elite tactical force is officially disbanded at a laying-up of the colours ceremony held on the Canadian Forces Base at Petawawa, Ontario. The 660 paratroopers are dismissed for the last time.

The CCGS Sir Wilfred Grenfell was built in Marystown, NL in 1987.

March 9: The Turbot War heats up as fish stocks in the Atlantic Ocean dwindle. The Canadian Coast Guard Ship, Sir Wilfred Grenfell, seizes the Spanish trawler, the Estai, for illegal fishing on the edges the Grand Banks. The Spanish are caught red-handed: the size of the net’s mesh is far smaller than allowed by international treaty.

March 15: Former Nova Scotia Premier Gerald Regan is charged with 16 counts of child abuse. He will go to trial for eight counts and be acquitted of the charges.

Tragically Hip will have will earned 14 Junos by 2013.

March 26: The entire cast of This Hour Has 22 Minutes plays host to this year’s Juno Awards held in Hamilton, Ontario. Entertainer of the Year Juno goes to The Tragically Hip. A Best Female Artist Juno is won by Jann Arden who also wins the Single of the Year Juno for Could I be Your Girl. A Best Male Artist Juno is won by Neil Young. And Celine Dion wins a Best Album Juno for The Colour of My Love.

March 31: In a surprise move, Prime Minister Chretien appoints former Progressive Conservative MP Perrin Beatty to be head of the CBC.

April 9: Maple Leaf Garden has a new owner as grocery magnate Steve Stavro buys the national treasure from the estate of Harold Ballard.

April 16: The Turbot War is officially over as Canada and the European Union reach an agreement on North Atlantic fishing rights.

April 26: It is estimated that as may as a million households have illegal satellite TV from the US. Now, satellite TV is legal here at home. Express Vu is owned by Bell Canada and Star Choice ccomes from Shaw.

April 29: Pass the mustard, please! Folks in Kitchener, Ontario can be proud of making the world's longest sausage. It measures 48 kilometres in length.

May 10: An Ontario judge rules that lesbian couples have the right to adopt children.

May 10: Teachers in Windsor, Ontario have laid down their picket signs and returned to their classrooms today only because they have been legislated back to work.

May 17: - Hockey legend Hector 'Toe' Blake is dead in Montreal at the age of 82. The Victoria Mines, Nova Scotia native played left wing for the Montreal Canadiens. Winning the Hart Trophy in 1939, he led the Habs to two Stanley Cups as a player and eight more as a coach.

May 18: The sensational trial of serial killer Paul Bernardo begins in Toronto. His wife, Karla Homulka, will testify against him in exchange for a lesser sentence.

Toyota's Canada will mark its 25th anniversary in 2011 and the 5-millionth car will roll out the factory doors in 2012.

May 24: Toyota’s South Plant in Cambridge, Ontario gets the nod from J.D. Power & Associates—the quality experts—as the best auto factory in North America.

May 31: The RCMP offer $1 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in the explosion of Air India flight 182.

June 6: It still tastes Canadian, eh. Labbatt’s Brewery is sold to a Belgian beverage company. The company has been wetting whistles since 1847.

June 9: More than 5,000 people are evacuated from their homes in Medicine Hat, Alberta as flood waters of the swollen South Saskatchewan River overflow their banks.

June 13: Members of Parliament pass a controversial gun control bill that bans hand guns and requires that all legal firearms be registered.

June 15: The G-7 Summit is hosted by Canada. The setting this time around as world leaders gather is that sparkling jewel on the Atlantic, Halifax.

June 15: Richard Weber of Chelsea, Quebec and Russian MD Mikhail Mlakhov reach Ward Hunt Island, NWT on skis. They have returned from an astonishing 108-day trek the North Pole.

August – The 1,000^th Tim Horton’s store opens. This doughnut treatery is in Ancaster, Ontario.

August 1: Ottawa sportscaster Brian Smith is shot and killed in the CJOH parking lot by a an escaped mental patient who claimed voices told him to go to the TV station and kill someone. Smitty will die the next day.

August 8: Wendy’s, the fast food chain, merges with the parent corporation of Tim Horton's, the king of coffee and doughnuts. The two companies will part ways in 2006.

August 1: Sydney, Nova Scotia disappears as it is merged into the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, a.k.a. the CBRM. The new entity is made up of the City of Sydney; the Towns of Dominion, Glace Bay, New Waterford, North Sydney, Sydney Mines, Louisbourg and the Municipality of the County of Cape Breton.

In 2012 the Toronto Transit Commission will boast 70 kilometres of track and an average of 1,054,200 passengers will ride The Rocket every day.

August 11: In operation since 1954, the first fatal accident occurs in the Toronto Transit Commision’s subway. Three are dead as a result.

September 6: The federal government announces it will sell off most of its interest in Petro-Canada. The Crown corporation was established in 1975 to create a Canadian presence in the oil and gas industry.

September 11: Hurricane Luis, the 12^th and most deadly storm of the season, hits Newfoundland, causing more than $2 million in damages and killing two people on the Avalon Peninsula.

October 24: The Cree of James Bay vote to remain with Canada should Quebec separate from the rest of the country.

October 30: Quebeckers vote in a highly emotional referendum as to whether or not they will be an independent nation or remain in Canada. The vote is tight; 50.58 percent in favour of staying to 49.42 percent in favour of going it alone.

October 31: Members of the House of Assembly in St. John’s vote to scrap the old denominational school system in favour of an up-to-date, modern public school system for Newfoundland and Labrador.

November – The first Chapters open in Burnaby, British Columbia and Burlington, Ontario. Consumers love the huge airy stores, the comfy couches and the snack bars. Soon there will be 77 of the super bookstores from coast to coast.

November 4: Radarsat is launched. The spy satellite will keep a protective eye over Canada.

24 Sussex Drive, in Ottawa is the official home of the Prime Minister.

November 5: An intruder breaks into 24 Sussex Drive at 2.10 am and attempts to assassinate Prime Minister Chretien. Arrested by the RCMP, Andre Dallaire tells Mounties he hears voices who tell him he is a secret agent acting for Quebec independence. The voices have instructed him to avenge the recent referendum defeat by killing the PM. He will be convicted of attempted murder but never stand trial because his is paranoid schizophrenic.

November 5: Convicted of the torture slayings of teenage girls, Paul Bernardo is declared a dangerous offender and will never be eligible for parole.

November 20: Allegations bubble that former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney had his hand in the cookie jar in regards to a contract with European Airbus corporation. An angry Mulroney files for $50 million in a defamation suit against the federal government.

November 28: A Crown corporation since 1918, Canadian National Railways, a.k.a. the CNR and CN Rail, is privatized as stocks hit the market. CN operates throughout Canada and the United States. It is one of the largest rail systems in the world.

December 6: Shunned  by many western Canadians, the $2 bill is about to disappear. It will be replaced next year by a new $2 coin that the Royal Canadian Mint begins striking today. Users will nickname the bi-metallic coin as the ‘Toonie,’ and the bear on the obverse side will be named ‘Churchill.’

Iqualit, Nunavut.

December 11:  Voters select Iqualit—once known as Frobisher Bay—to be the capital of the new territory of Nunavut that will come into being in 1999.

Say "Hello!" to Neon.

December 31: The top ten selling automobiles are the Chevrolet Cavalier, the Honda Civic, the Pontiac Sunfire, the Ford Escort, the Ford Taurus, the Chrysler Intrepid, the Toyota Corolla, the Pontiac Grand AM, the Honda Accord and the Dodge Neon.