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104 plaques found that match your criteria
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Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, 1872-1918
The distinguished soldier, physician and poet was born and raised in Guelph, Ontario. John McCrae graduated from the University of Toronto in medicine, practised as a pathologist and taught medicine at McGill University in Montreal. In 1899, he served in the South African War as an officer with the Royal Canadian Field Artillery. At the outbreak of the First World War, he re-enlisted with the 1st Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery, as its Medical Officer. In... -
Loew's Yonge Street and Winter Garden Theatres
Designed by architect Thomas Lamb for entrepreneur Marcus Loew as the Canadian flagship of his American theatre chain, these double-decker theatres opened in 1913-14. The 2,149-seat, lower theatre was decorated with classical details and red damask, while flowers, leaves, lanterns and garden murals embellished the 1,410-seat rooftop Winter Garden Theatre. Both theatres presented vaudeville acts and silent moving pictures until 1928 when the Winter Garden was closed and Loew's Yonge Street was converted to show... -
William Perkins Bull, K.C., LL.D. 1870-1948
Financier, philanthropist and historian William Perkins Bull was born in Downsview, Ontario, in 1870. Bull attended Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the bar in 1896. He established a law practice but soon broadened his interests to include oil, lumber and land speculation. His business interests took him to England where, during the First World War, he and his wife Maria Brennan Bull established a convalescent hospital for wounded Canadian officers. Following the... -
Tom Patterson, 1920-2005
A native of Stratford, Ontario, Tom Patterson grew up during the Great Depression and dreamed of plans that might revitalize his community. After serving in the Second World War and completing university, he worked as an associate editor for a trade publication in Toronto. During the early 1950s, Patterson began discussing plans to establish an internationally renowned Shakespearean festival in his hometown. Although considered a risky venture by some, Patterson gained encouragement from Mayor David... -
Santa Claus Parade, The
In 1905, Timothy Eaton's department store began the tradition of the Santa Claus Parade. Initially, the parade featured Santa Claus on a horse-drawn cart. The parade has grown in size and splendour to include upside-down clowns, colourful marching bands, mascots, characters in elaborate costumes, ornately-decorated floats and – of course – Santa Claus himself. Over the years, Santa has travelled from the North Pole by train, coach, ice floe, airplane and sleigh pulled by nine... -
Anna Jameson 1794-1860
Born in Dublin, Ireland, and raised in London, this famous 19th century author, illustrator and social reformer joined her husband, Robert Jameson, Attorney General of Upper Canada, at Toronto in 1836. The following June, unescorted, Mrs. Jameson travelled to Port Talbot, Detroit, and Mackinaw. From there she journeyed by bateau to Sault Ste. Marie, descended the rapids, and attended an Indian Assembly at Manitoulin. She travelled on to Toronto by way of Georgian Bay and... -
C.W. Jefferys 1869-1951
This house was the residence and studio of one of Canada's leading historical artists. Born in Rochester, England, he came to Toronto about 1880, and first worked as a lithographer's apprentice. He studied art under G.A. Reid and C.M. Manley, and was a pioneer in the painting of distinctive Canadian scenes. Jefferys had an intense interest in history and his reputation rests principally on his accurate and meticulous portrayal of early Canadian life. The best... -
Canada Constellation 1799-1800, The
On July 20, 1799, the first edition of the "Canada Constellation", Upper Canada's earliest independent newspaper, was published at Niagara by Gideon and Silvester Tiffany, two brothers who had come from the United States. Gideon had at first held the post of King's Printer of Upper Canada and, with Silvester, edited the government-sponsored "Upper Canada Gazette". Suspected of American sympathies, the Tiffany's lost their government support in 1797 and were succeeded by Titus Geer Simons... -
Canadian National Exhibition, The
The second half of the 19th century was an era in which technological innovation brought rapid economic progress and social change. The spirit of the age was reflected in an annual fair that first opened on this site on September 5, 1879. Staged by the Industrial Exhibition Association of Toronto, it offered medals and prize money to encourage innovation and improvement in agriculture, manufacturing and the arts. The fair quickly became a popular attraction and a boon to the local economy. A national event since 1912, the CNE continues to showcase Canadian creativity and achievement. -
Charlotte Schreiber 1834-1922
An accomplished British artist who gained prominence in Canadian cultural circles, Charlotte Morrell was born in the country of Essex, England. She studied art in London and, while still a young woman, achieved distinction for her paintings and illustrations. Following her marriage to Weymouth Schreiber in 1875, she came to Ontario, finally settling in this area. Here, inspired by local scenes and phenomena, Schreiber continued to pursue an artistic career. Elected the first woman member... -
Franco-Ontarian Flag, The
The Franco-Ontarian Flag was first raised at the University of Sudbury on September 25, 1975, at a time when Sudbury was experiencing unprecedented growth in Franco-Ontarian arts and culture. Conceived by Gaétan Gervais, historian at Laurentian University, and student Michel Dupuis, the first flag was made by Jacline England, a student and staff member at the university. Refusing to take sole credit for the flag, its creators hoped that the Franco-Ontarian community would claim it... -
Colonial Advocate, The
This influential journal of radical reform was first published on May 18, 1824, at Queenston by William Lyon Mackenzie. A native of Scotland, Mackenzie had immigrated to Upper Canada in 1820 and three years later settled here and opened a general store. Within a year he had established a printing office in his home on this site, but in November 1824, moved to York (Toronto). Because of Mackenzie's frequent attacks on the "Family Compact", supporters... -
Commissariat Building 1827, The
This structure, the oldest existing stone building in Ottawa, was used as a storehouse, office and treasury during the construction of the Rideau Canal (1826-32) under the direction of Lieutenant-Colonel John By, R.E. Its superb masonry and solid construction are typical of the stonework done by Scottish masons along the Rideau Canal and, at a later date, on private homes in eastern Ontario. In 1864, the building was turned over to the Canadian government and, until 1951, was used successively by various departments concerned with the maintenance of the canal. -
E. Pauline Johnson
In this house "Chiefswood", erected about 1853, was born the Mohawk poetess Emily Pauline Johnson (Tekahionwake). Her father, Chief G.H.M. Johnson a greatly respected leader of the Six Nations, built "Chiefswood" as a wedding gift for her English mother, a cousin of the well-known American novelist William Dean Howells. By her writing and dramatic recitals from her own works in Great Britain and throughout North America, Pauline made herself the voice of the Indian race in the English-tongue. No book of poetry by a Canadian has outsold her collected verse, "Flint and Feather". -
Eldon House
Built in 1834 by Capt. John Harris, R.N., treasurer of the London District, this is London's oldest remaining house. With his wife, Amelia, daughter of Samuel Ryerse, Harris came to London after the District Offices were moved here from Vittoria. For many years, Eldon House was a centre of London's cultural and social life, and four generations of the Harris family dwelt in it during more than 125 years. In 1960, the family gave the house with most of its furnishings and eleven acres of land, to the City of London for a museum and park. -
Elizabeth Posthuma Simcoe 1766-1850
The wife of the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, Elizabeth Posthuma Gwillim was born at Whitchurch, Herefordshire, England. Orphaned at birth, she lived with her uncle, Admiral Samuel Graves, and subsequently married his god-son, John Graves Simcoe. She accompanied her husband to Upper Canada where she travelled extensively. Her diaries and sketches, compiled during these years, provide a vivid description and invaluable record of the colony's early life. In 1794, near this site, Mrs. Simcoe... -
Emily Ferguson Murphy 1868-1933
A leading Canadian feminist, journalist and reformer, Emily Murphy lived in Chatham from 1890 to 1894 when her husband was rector of this church. In 1916 she was appointed police magistrate for Edmonton. Her authority was challenged by a lawyer who claimed that under the British North America Act women were not legal "persons" and could not hold crown appointments. Women's organizations tested the law repeatedly by submitting female candidates for the Senate. All were... -
Le Droit
In 1912, members of the Association canadienne-française d'éducation de l'Ontario and the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate – a religious order of the Catholic Church – gathered in Ottawa to discuss the founding of a newspaper to protest Regulation 17, which – until it was no longer enforced in 1927 – severely restricted the teaching of French in Ontario schools. That initial meeting led to the establishment of Le Droit, a Catholic French-language daily newspaper... -
CFCL Radio
The first French-language radio station in Ontario, CFCL-Timmins, began broadcasting in December 1951. The event was greeted with enthusiasm by Franco-Ontarians who until then had heard limited programming in French over the airwaves. The station reached listeners from Kirkland Lake to Hearst, showcasing local talent and creating a sense of community among the widely dispersed francophone population of northern Ontario. Daily features on French life in the region taught cultural pride, the love of one's... -
Marie-Rose Turcot 1887-1977
Born in Laurierville, Quebec, Marie-Rose Turcot moved to Ottawa around the age of 20 to work in the civil service. Later, working as a journalist, Marie-Rose Turcot published in the daily newspaper Le Droit, as well as in several other weekly and daily publications in Ottawa and Montreal, sometimes using the pseudonym Constance Bayard. She also worked in broadcast journalism for the French radio station CKCH in Hull, Quebec. Turcot was the author of a... -
Beautiful Joe
Born in Milton, Nova Scotia, Margaret Marshall Saunders (1861-1947) taught school briefly before starting her career as a novelist. Her second book, "Beautiful Joe," achieved international recognition. Inspired during a visit to Meaford about 1892, it is based on the story of a dog rescued from a brutal master by a local miller, William Moore. This novel, first published in 1894, appeared in several editions and enjoyed phenomenal success. It was printed in at least... -
Canadian International Air Show
Human fascination with flight has made air shows popular since the early days of aviation. Toronto was the site of numerous air shows as it developed into a centre of air transportation and aircraft manufacturing in the early twentieth century. The Canadian International Air Show originated in 1946 when the National Aeronautical Association of Canada attracted overflow crowds to a show at De Havilland Airport in Downsview. Staged annually thereafter, the air show moved to... -
Catharine Parr Traill 1802-1899
A member of the literary Strickland family, this talented author married Lieut. Thomas Traill and emigrated to Upper Canada in 1832. For seven years, they struggled unsuccessfully to establish a profitable farm on bushland in Douro Township. Subsequently, they lived at Ashburnham and Rice Lake. In 1862, following her husband's death, Mrs. Traill's daughters purchased "Westove," and she lived here the rest of her life. Her best known book, "The Backwoods of Canada," is based... -
Charles Sangster 1822-1893
Sangster, one of the most significant Canadian poets of the pre-Confederation period, was born at the naval yard, Point Frederick. In 1849, he edited the "Courier" at Amherstburg but the following year returned to Kingston to work for the "British Whig" and subsequently the "Daily News." In this community, he did his best literary work, including two books, "The St. Lawrence and Saguenay and Other Poems" (1856) and "Hesperus and Other Poems and Lyrics" (1860)... -
Colonel Samuel Strickland 1804-1867
This church was built in 1853 principally through the efforts of Samuel Strickland. A member of an English family, which included several successful authors, he emigrated to Upper Canada (now Ontario) in 1825. After farming in Otonabee Township, he served with the Canada Company 1828-1831 as a superintendent of settlement. In 1831, he became one of Douro's earliest settlers, and later established a school there for the training of persons interested in pioneer farming. His...