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Create AccountEdoardo Ferrari-Fontana. Tenor, teacher, b Rome 8 Jul 1878, d Toronto 4 Jul 1936. The son of a surgeon, he studied medicine before taking up a consular post in Montevideo.
Paul Yuzyk, senator, scholar, historian and multiculturalism advocate (born 24 June 1913 in Pinto, SK; died 9 July 1986 in Ottawa, ON). A leader within the Canadian Ukrainian community, Yuzyk served in the Senate of Canada from 1963 to 1986 (see Ukrainian Canadians). He was the first person to use the term “multiculturalism” in Parliament, which was the subject of his 1964 maiden speech. Yuzyk has been called the “father of multiculturalism.”
Josef Schlesinger, CM, journalist, foreign correspondent (born 11 May 1928 in Vienna, Austria; died 11 February 2019 in Toronto, ON). Joe Schlesinger was a globe-trotting journalist who immigrated to Canada after fleeing Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. As a long-time correspondent for the CBC, he covered some of the major world events of the 20th century, including the Vietnam War, the Iranian Revolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall. A Member of the Order of Canada, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Canadian Journalism Foundation and was inducted into the CBC News Hall of Fame.
Thelma Julia Chalifoux, Métis, senator, entrepreneur, activist (born 8 February 1929 in Calgary, AB; died 22 September 2017 in St. Albert, AB). Chalifoux was the first Métis woman appointed to the Senate of Canada. As a senator, she was concerned with a range of issues, including Métis housing, drug company relations with the federal government, and environmental legislation. An ardent advocate for women’s and Indigenous rights, Chalifoux was involved in organizations such as the Aboriginal Women’s Business Development Corporation and the Métis Women’s Council. She was also known for her work in the protection of Métis culture, having served in the Alberta Métis Senate and Michif Cultural and Métis Resource Institute (now Michif Cultural Connections).
Thomas Brisbane, British army officer, colonial governor, astronomer (b at Brisbane House, near Largs, Ayrshire, Scotland, 23 Jul 1773; d there 27 Jan 1860).
Patty Johnson, designer (born 1957 in Vancouver, BC). In addition to her elegant and modern furniture designs, Johnson is recognized for her work as an international creative collaborator.
John Murray Gibbon, railway publicist and author (born 12 April 1875 in Udeweller, Ceylon [Sri Lanka]; died 2 July 1952 in Montreal, QC). A publicist with the Canadian Pacific Railway, Gibbon also actively promoted Canadian arts and culture. He organized cultural festivals, organizations that promoted tourism in the Rockies and founded the Canadian Authors Association. Gibbon also authored several articles, poems and novels. His book Canadian Mosaic (1938) popularized the "mosaic" as a metaphor for the diversity of "the Canadian people.” It has since been used by politicians, educators and policy makers to describe the cultural makeup of the country.
James Karl Bartleman, OC, OOnt, diplomat, author, lieutenant governor of Ontario 2002–07 (born 24 December 1939 in Orillia, ON). James K. Bartleman spent nearly 40 years as a career diplomat, serving as high commissioner and ambassador to many countries, including South Africa, Cuba and Israel, and as a foreign policy advisor to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. A member of the Mnjikaning First Nation, he became Ontario’s first Indigenous lieutenant-governor in 2002. Bartleman’s tenure as lieutenant-governor was highlighted by his advocacy for literacy and education in Indigenous communities and his efforts to end the stigma around mental illness.
This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on May 13, 1996. Partner content is not updated.
After two weeks of almost farcical behavior in Ottawa, most Canadians might well share those mixed emotions of relief, bewilderment and outright anger.In 1975, alpine skier Ken Read became the first North American to win a World Cup downhill race. For a period of about ten years, Read and three other young Canadians — Dave Irwin, Dave Murray, and Steve Podborski — challenged the European ski establishment and changed the course of ski racing history in Canada.
In the late 1670s, during a period of conflict with the New England colonies, several hundred Abenaki found refuge in the St Lawrence Valley. They first settled in the Québec region along the Chaudière River before migrating west at the end of the 17th century.
Black history refers to the stories, experiences, and accomplishments of people of African origin. Black history did not begin in recent times in Canada, but in ancient times in Africa. People connected by their common African history and ancestry have created Black history here. The African-Canadian population is made up of individuals from a range of places across the globe including the United States, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and Canada.
Carmen Lombardo. Saxophonist, singer, songwriter, b London, Ont, 16 Jul 1903, d Miami 17 Apr 1971. He was a brother of Guy Lombardo. He studied flute in London and played flute and C-melody saxophone in western Ontario with the Lombardo Brothers' Orchestra and Concert Company in his teens.
Three successive victories over the local champion Thomas Loudon led a group of Torontonians in 1876 to form the Hanlan Club to back Hanlan as a professional. The club bought him an English-made shell and equipped it with a sliding seat and swivel oarlocks.
Zacharie Vincent, known as Telariolin, was an Aboriginal artist (born 28 January 1815 in the village of Jeune-Lorette, Québec — formerly Village-Huron, today the Wendake Reserve; died 9 October 1886 in Québec City).
This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on 8 March 1999. Partner content is not updated.
The big black Mercedes glides past the beds of gold- and wine-coloured chrysanthemums that spruce up Toronto's business district in early fall. Quickly and discreetly it transports Gerry Schwartz from his Onex Corp.In 1917, the Canadian government passed the Military Service Act, which made all male citizens (aged 20 to 45) subject to conscription. As the First World War (1914–18) dragged on, the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) desperately needed reinforcements, as the number of volunteers had nearly dried up. Earlier in the war, Black volunteers had faced resistance and opposition in their efforts to enlist. However, Black Canadians were not exempt from conscription and at least 350 were drafted into the CEF. Those who served overseas worked primarily with the Canadian Forestry Corps, although some also served on the frontlines.
Riall arrived in UPPER CANADA in August 1813 and was placed in command of the Right Division, a geographic entity in the NIAGARA PENINSULA.
"The German submarines don't like this weather but we do, to keep them down."
See below for Mr. Yeadon's entire testimony.
Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.
Matthews, Michael (Bass). Composer, teacher, conductor, b Gander, Nfld, 28 Aug 1950; B MUS (California State, Northridge) 1975, MA (California State, Sacramento) 1979, PH D (North Texas State) 1982.
