What’s Happening
Remembering Pete Seeger: The Ottawa Connection
Last month, we marked with sadness the passing of the great musician and activist Pete Seeger. We also learned the interesting story behind his appearance in Ottawa back in 1958. Pete Seeger had been blacklisted in the US since 1953, a victim of McCarthyism and the House Un-American Activities Committee, [...]
A Winning Bid: Cal Best and the Black History Month Series 2014
Several people have asked us about winning the grant to be a part of BAND/TD Then & Now’s Black History Month Series 2014. WHM Treasurer Barb Stewart explains how it came to pass: “Last July, I noticed an item in the Council of Heritage Organizations in Ottawa (CHOO | COPO) [...]
Cal Best Project on Cross-Canada Tour
February is Black History Month, and we’re taking “The Cal Best Project” on the road. See our latest exhibit and documentary Simply the Best at a location near you! All events are free and include panel discussions with Mr. Best's contemporaries and those he affected. HALIFAX Thursday, February 6 at [...]
Stories from the Railway
Get swept up in the tales of romance on the rails, as guest speakers share stories of love and marriage, community and family. * Kay Leeson, a local war bride, tells us of her journey by train to Smiths Falls to start a new life with her husband after the [...]
The Rich Workers’ History Behind Toilet Paper
The Workers’ History Museum is excited about our upcoming E.B. Eddy exhibit, to be housed in our office at 251 Bank Street, Ottawa. The exhibit will be drawn from the Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation (CSTMC)’s Domtar Eddy Booth collection, which contains more than 20,000 items including artifacts, photos, [...]
Celebrating Black History Month 2014
The Workers’ History Museum is proud to announce that we’ve been chosen as part of the Black History Month Series 2014, sponsored by TD Then and Now and Black Artists’ Network in Dialogue (BAND). We will be showcasing the “Cal Best Project” as part of a full schedule of activities [...]
Inside the Tin: The story of Dominion Stores
This picture shows a product from the Dominion chain of supermarkets. "Mainly Because of the Meat" went their slogan at one time (much to the annoyance of my vegan wife). There is a complicated tale to spin from this tea can. The short story is that Dominion was originally established [...]
Volunteer Spotlight: Christine Goneau
1) What is your name? Christine Goneau 2) Where are you from? I was born and raised in Orleans and have lived here my entire life. 3) What’s your primary occupation? Currently I'm a university student at l'Université du Québec en Outaouais, where my field is Museum Studies. I already [...]
Announcing the J. Calbert Best Boardroom
The Workers' History Museum is thrilled to hear that the Public Service Alliance of Canada is naming their Halifax Regional Office Boardroom after Cal Best! The organizers credit our work for sparking renewed interest in this co-founder of their union, and ultimately leading to this decision. Our video Simply the [...]
December 6th – National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
December 6th is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada. Established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, this day marks the anniversary of the murders in 1989 of 14 young women at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal. They died because they were women. December [...]
Hands On: The WHM Artifacts Workshop
On Saturday, November 30, the Workers’ History Museum welcomed Masters’ students associated with the Carleton Centre for Public History (CCPH) to our new storage unit for an artifacts workshop. Students were able to handle and assess objects that we are currently considering for accessioning (the formal, legal process that the [...]
Announcing our Board of Directors!
Or their photographs, to be more precise. Thanks to Paul Harrison, we now have portraits of our board members. Have a look at some of the people involved in running the Workers’ History Museum. The WHM Board If you ever have any questions about our museum, these are the people [...]