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Before the automation of lighthouses, the duties of lighthouse keepers included the traditional "keeping of the light," maintaining radio communications and beacons, tending fog alarms and providing rescue services and sanctuary.

The hotel was developed as part of the CPR’s (Canadian Pacific Railway) network of hotels, which built landmark hotels in young cities across Canada in order to encourage the use of its transcontinental lines. The Banff Springs Hotel is in the lineage of hotels such as the Chateau Lake Louise in Alberta, Le Chateau Frontenac in Québec City and the Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia. Known as the “Castle in the Rockies,” the Banff Springs Hotel is predominantly in the Scottish Baronial style, featuring an Arts-and-Crafts interior.

Notre-Dame de Québec is a cathedral-basilica with primatial status, being the mother church of a primate of the Catholic Church in Canada, in this case the Archbishop of Québec.

The House of Commons is the centre of political power in Canada. The prime minister and his or her Cabinet receive their authority through the confidence of the House. It is an institution steeped in tradition and history. In recent years, Question Period has been televised, opening the political process to Canadians. Much of what the public sees is the rancorous debate and partisan bickering among political parties but the House of Commons is also where most government legislation is introduced, and where Members of Parliament meet to debate policy, vote on key legislation, and hold the government to account.

Stornoway is the official residence of Canada’s federal leader of the Opposition. It is located at 541 Acacia Ave in the village of Rockcliffe Park in Ottawa. Purchased in 1950 by a private trust, Stornoway has been owned by the Government of Canada since 1970 and managed by the National Capital Commission since 1986. 

Canada House, a distinctive symbol of Canadian interests in Britain, located in London's bustling Trafalgar Square.

Balmoral Grist Mill in Balmoral Mills, NS, was built in about 1874 by Alexander MacKay. The mill is located on Matheson's Brook and was once just one of 5 mills on the brook. It was used to grind local stocks of wheat, oats, barley, rye and buckwheat to produce flour and oatmeal.

24 Sussex Drive, in Ottawa, was designated as the official residence of the prime minister of Canada in 1950 and, in 1951, Louis St-Laurent became the first prime minister to live in the house. It was designed by J.M. Currier

A skyscraper, simply put, is a building of well-above-average height with useable storeys and a self-supporting skeleton structure. There is no fixed height at which buildings qualify, but those less than about 40 metres (130 feet) or 10 storeys have historically not been considered skyscrapers.

Hart House, on UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO campus, was designed by the architectural firm of SPROATT AND ROLPH and was built 1911-19. Soldier's Tower, a memorial to the university's WWI dead, was added in 1924. Endowed by the Massey

The Royal Ontario Museum owes its existence in large part to the vision of two remarkable men. The first, Charles Trick Currelly (1876-1957), was born at Exeter Ontario and originally trained as a Methodist minister at the University of Toronto.

The monument to Sir Isaac Brock stands atop Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment at Queenston Heights, overlooking the lower Niagara River. The current monument is the second erected in Canada to honour Brock, a military commander who died during the Battle of Queenston Heights in the War of 1812.

Known as “Canada’s Carnegie Hall,” Massey Hall is Canada’s oldest and most venerated concert hall. It opened in 1894 and was the home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir until 1982. The site of many historic events and performances, it has been repeatedly voted Canada’s best live music venue over 1,500 seats and venue of the year by Canadian music industry associations. It is a National Historic Site and a heritage site in the City of Toronto. It was closed between 2 July 2018 and 24 November 2021 to allow for a $184-million renovation.

Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal is a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church. The Oratory is located on the northwestern slope of Mount Royal in the city of Montreal. (See also Côte-des-Neiges.) It is the tallest church in Canada and one of the largest domed structures in the world. The Oratory is an important landmark and symbol of Montreal, as well as a tourist attraction. Pilgrims come to visit it from all corners of the world. It attracts about 2 million visitors every year.

Canada’s Parliament Buildings are home to the federal government in Ottawa. Designed in a gothic revival style, the buildings officially opened on 6 June 1866, about a year before Confederation.

The term Parliament refers to the Crown, the House of Commons and the Senate. Together, these institutions create Canadian laws. Parliament has two branches: the executive (the Crown, prime minister and cabinet) and the legislative (the House of Commons and the Senate). This system is a blend of parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. It is based on the Westminster tradition in Britain. Each of the Crown, Senate and Commons must agree with (assent to) a law before it is enacted. The government of the day derives its authority from the people who elected it. It is therefore a representative government, even though it acts in the name of the Crown — a largely symbolic institution. In formal terms, Parliament includes all three bodies. But in common usage, the legislative branch is often equated with Parliament.

This article is from our Toronto Feature series. Features from past programs are not updated.

This article is from our Toronto Feature series. Features from past programs are not updated.

This article is from our Toronto Feature series. Features from past programs are not updated.

This article is from our Toronto Feature series. Features from past programs are not updated.