ANNUAL REPORT
Bringing our history to life
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james gillespie
ever one to let history get dusty, Canada’s History continued to innovate in 2009. For starters, in our publishing operations we created a coffee-table book entitled 100 Photos that Changed Canada, which was based on the 2008 magazine feature “10 Photos that Changed Canada.” The book was launched coast-to-coast and became a runaway bestseller. It features memorable historic photos and insightful commentary written by over thirty of our best historians, journalists, and writers. Teaching Canada’s History, an entirely new magazine printed in both English and French, was produced as a how-to guide for history and social studies teachers. Work commenced on a name change for The Beaver: Canada’s History Magazine, which would make one of Canada’s best-kept secrets a media sensation. Along with its new name,
Kayak: Kid-friendly history
O marcelo vazquez
Above, Charlotte Gray, Mark Reid, and Deborah Morrison present Speaker of the House of Commons Peter Milliken with 100 Photos that Changed Canada. Below, Heritage Fair in Winnipeg.
james gillespie
the magazine was redesigned to complete its April 2010 relaunch as Canada’s History. The efforts of 2009 were acknowledged with several awards, including: a Canadian Newsstand Award for Best Issue, four Maggie (Manitoba Magazines) awards, including Magazine of the Year, a Gold Award from the Western Magazine Awards, and an Association of Circulation Executives (ACE) award for circulation excellence. In other programs, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean in November graciously hosted an expanded set of national history honours at Rideau Hall. In addition to the six recipients of the Governor General’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History, the Pierre Berton Award, the Canadian Historical Association’s Macdonald Prize for academic research, and six student awards were presented at the ceremony. Canada’s History Society introduced a new full-term, course-accredited internship program in partnership with the University of Winnipeg. Inaugural recipient Alex Gravenor completed her assignment in May 2010. The Society also provided internships, and practicum opportunities for six students from Red River Community College, the University of Manitoba, and Jobworks, an alternative high school. — Beverley Tallon, Canada’s History magazine
ur goal with Kayak has always been to encourage readers to think about what came before them, to help them to get to know their country and the people in it while inspiring them to dig deeper into Canada’s past. Over the last year, we have met this goal in exciting ways. Kayak’s inaugural Illustrated History Contest saw over 350 kids from across Canada researching, writing, and submitting original stories about aspects of Canadian history of interest to them. The range of topics and the quality of the stories made each entry a joy to read and judge. A special digital edition of Kayak, available online and featuring the top twentyfive finalists, allowed us to share the best of the entries and will hopefully encourage even more entries next year. I also had the opportunity this year to visit classrooms and work with students on various projects that celebrate local and national heritage. The students were proud and excited to show off their work and eager for the tips, suggestions, and insights I offered. Interacting with kids and watching them get excited about Canadian history are among the most compelling aspects of my role as Kayak editor. Contests and classroom visits, coupled with Kayak’s stories, games, and activities in print and online, are all helping to get kids to enjoy history and pursue it as an interest. — Jill Foran, Kayak Editor
Canada’s History
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