The Caretaker of Dreams Wins The first time the rainbow mysteriously appeared on a tunnel visible from the Don Valley Parkway, the North York parks department painted over it.
But the guerrilla mural artist — known as “the Caretaker of Dreams” — persevered, eventually winning them over.
Now, 40 years later, the city has officially restored the psychedelic mural that has brought smiles to countless grim commutes — just as the artist intended.
posted by modernnomad
on Nov 3, 2012 -
25 comments
Lincoln Alexander has died at 90 years old. Among his many accomplishments, he was the first Black MP elected in Canada (1968 -- re-elected 4 times, in his last term appointed Cabinet Minister), served as Ontario's Lieutenant-Governor, was chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, and that is just scratching the surface of his many contributions. A
beloved citizen in Hamilton, the city named a Highway after him "The Linc" ... a running joke with him since he did not drive.
[more inside]
posted by chapps
on Oct 23, 2012 -
10 comments
James Coyne, the former Governor of the Bank of Canada,
died October 12 at the age of 102. Coyne will be best-remembered for the
Coyne Affair in 1961, a watershed moment in Canadian monetary policy that has been the subject of
scholarly articles and at least one
Master's thesis. Coyne and the Prime Minister, John Diefenbaker, disagreed on monetary policy. After Diefenbaker failed to get a bill vacating the office of Bank Governor through the Senate, Coyne resigned, setting the
modern precedent that the government, not the Bank, sets the fundamental direction of monetary policy in Canada but that the Bank implements policy independently. His son, columnist Andrew Coyne,
pays tribute (obliquely) to James Coyne's legacy of integrity in public office. (Andrew once complimented his father's parsimoniousness in
purchasing cars.)
posted by Dasein
on Oct 17, 2012 -
9 comments
Heliodore Cyr a Canadian potato farmer (and god knows how he had time) appeared on "I've Got a Secret" three times. His wife should have been the guest.
Whatever you do, read the comments.
posted by HuronBob
on Oct 13, 2012 -
27 comments
Today marks the release of the film
Argo, about the effort to smuggle out six Americans from Iran after the fall of the shah. The film is based on the actual events of the
Canadian Caper, during which the Canadian embassy and staff in Iran sheltered the six Americans and,
in cooperation with the CIA, provided Canadian identities and passports for the six. They were then smuggled out under the ruse of being part of the film crew for a science fiction film based on Roger Zelazny's
Lord of Light. [more inside]
posted by never used baby shoes
on Oct 12, 2012 -
68 comments
"A blue cloud of smoke wafted over the Famous Five statue that sits just east of the Senate doors. No one seemed to be going insane or looking like they were about to personally invade the United States. There were people of all colours in the crowd, but if any of them were members of The Ring, they hid it well. The peaceful demonstrators were, however, breaking the law, smoking a banned substance that could in theory have landed any one of them in prison."
Emily Murphy’s legacy lives on in more ways than most care to remember.
posted by mannequito
on Oct 1, 2012 -
14 comments
"All of their lives they had been taught and told--hypnotized, really--that no one played better hockey than Canadians. And in a span of the first few weeks, when they lost two games and tied another on Canadian soil, they had to confront the fact that this was just plain wrong. And then they had to immediately adapt and overcome and figure out a way to win anyway."
Andrew Cohen of
The Atlantic makes the case that 40 years ago today, the final game of the "Summit Series", between Canada and the Soviet Union, was
the greatest day in Canadian history.
[more inside]
posted by dry white toast
on Sep 28, 2012 -
53 comments
Years of labour peace between the government of Ontario and teachers came to an end this year. Like their
colleagues in British Columbia, Ontario teachers and support staff are complaining of unfair, unnecessary, and unconstitutional legislation -- the
Putting Students First Act, 2012 -- that gives the Education Minister,
Laura Broten, unchallenged power to ban strikes, job actions, set compensation and benefits, and to
take over local school boards who are non-compliant. Ontario school boards are
unanimously opposed to the Act, which reduces their power, and so are teachers and support staff, who feel the government is
manufacturing a crisis. Most see this as a cynical ploy to capture
public support for two by-elections this week that could nudge the Liberal government into majority status. ETFO and OSSTF, two of the teacher unions involved, have repeatedly pointed out that
"the school year is not in jeopardy", that they had already accepted a wage freeze, and that local bargaining is proceeding well.
As legislation looms aheads, teachers, support staff, and labour activists are wondering: is this the end of collective bargaining for the public sector?
[more inside]
posted by The Hyacinth Girl
on Aug 31, 2012 -
49 comments
While Quebec’s status as the only primarily French-speaking province in Canada has resulted in a distinct cultural industry—particularly with regard to film and music—the province still enjoys many cultural products from English Canada. While movies and TV shows are often subtitled or dubbed into French, it is rare that the same is true of music. A notable exception is the music of Toronto-based
Big Sugar.
[more inside]
posted by asnider
on Aug 30, 2012 -
19 comments
A girl upon the shore did ask a favour of the sea;
"Return my blue eyed sailor boy safely back to me.
Forgive me if I ask too much, I will not ask for more,
but I shall weep until he sleeps safe upon the shore."
For nearly 20 years, Newfoundland group
Great Big Sea have been creating acoustic Celtic folk-rock covers and interpretations of
traditional Newfoundland and Labrador sea
shanties,
folk,
fishing and party songs, which draw from the island's rich 500-year-old multicultural (Irish, English, Scottish and French) heritage.
[more inside]
posted by zarq
on Aug 23, 2012 -
49 comments
North Americans may have noticed that
U-Haul trucks and trailers are emblazoned with colorful
SuperGraphics. First created in 1988 (
previously), the mobile gallery now comprises 206 images. Most U.S states and Canadian territories and provinces are now honored by multiple designs, as are
the U.S. armed forces and 9/11. The classic
America and Canada's Moving Adventure series, seen on trucks and
trailers, features an iconic image for each state, province and territory. The
Venture Across America and Canada series, begun in 1997, presents
"carefully researched rare findings, little-known facts and mysteries," exploring science and nature, technology and history. At the U-Haul website, the "Learn More" link on each Venture SuperGraphic page leads to a surprisingly exhaustive discussion of the subject of each graphic.
[more inside]
posted by BrashTech
on Jul 22, 2012 -
30 comments
ChiZine Publications (CZP) is an independent Toronto-based book publisher that is single-handedly changing the face of genre fiction in Canada. Though CZP was founded just four years ago and put out just twelve books per year, they are responsible for four of the six nominees for the the
2012 Best Novel Prix Aurora (Canada's highest honour in genre fiction). CZP grew out of the self-styled "dark fiction" 'zine
The Chiaroscuro which has been publishing free genre fiction online since 1997. Their most recent release is David Nickle's tale of cold war psionic operatives gone rogue,
Rasputin's Bastards.
posted by 256
on Jul 19, 2012 -
6 comments
THE VANISHING: 'In the stunning and remote wilderness along northern British Columbia’s Highway 16, at least 18 women—by some estimates, many more—have gone missing over the past four decades. After years of investigation, authorities still don’t know if it’s the work of a serial killer or multiple offenders. BOB FRIEL drives into the darkness for answers.'
[more inside]
posted by the man of twists and turns
on Jul 10, 2012 -
33 comments
In 1891 author and lecturer ”
Max O’Rell” (being the pen name of one Léon Paul Blouet) published an amusing account of his travels through the States and Eastern Canada - "
A Frenchman In America" - that, along with the charming illustrations, reflect on then popular national stereotypes and character and is presented on Project Gutenberg in its entirely. (
via)
posted by The Whelk
on Jul 7, 2012 -
16 comments
Poor potato crop leaves processors short of spuds Canada is facing a potato shortage, mainly because of poor growing conditions last summer. That has sent wholesale prices for some spuds soaring and forced processors such as Toronto-based McCain Foods Ltd. to temporarily close some plants.
posted by Blake
on Jun 11, 2012 -
23 comments
RCMP eyed philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre during tense Quebec political upheaval. [theglobeandmail.com] Canadian spies closely eyed existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, tracking his planned trip to Quebec in support of people arrested during a crackdown on separatist threats, newly released documents show.
The declassified Royal Canadian Mounted Police dossier on Mr. Sartre also reveals that Mountie intelligence officers pored over translations of the French writer’s pronouncements, monitored his links to the peace movement and noted the academic rebel’s brushes with the law.
posted by Fizz
on May 22, 2012 -
55 comments
