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Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
@CraigBaird
Jun 8, 2023 • 6 tweets • 3 min read • Read on X
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It is #PrideMonth and this is the story of LGBTQ rights activist Jim Egan, who brought forward a landmark Supreme Court case!

Jim Egan was born in Toronto on Sept. 14, 1921. Egan realized he was gay at a young age & in 1948, he met his partner John Nesbit.

🧵1/6 Image
Since he was self-employed, Egan knew he could speak out without losing his job. Starting in 1949, he began writing hundreds of letters, articles & op-ed pieces to newspapers and magazines advocating for equal rights for the LGBTQ community.

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His letters and articles appeared across Canada, first under a pseudonym and then under his real name by the 1960s.
In 1964, he appeared in a Maclean's article that was a positive portrayal of homosexuality that was rare in mainstream media at the time.

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His partner Nesbit asked him to give up his activism, but Egan refused and the couple broke up.
Soon after, Egan moved to B.C. The couple reunited on Vancouver Island in the mid-1960s.
In 1986, Egan retired and began collecting Canada Pension Plan benefits.

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He applied for spousal benefits for Nesbit in 1987 but this was denied. Egan took the matter to court. He lost at the Federal Court in 1991 & the Federal Court of Appeal in 1993
He reached the Supreme Court in 1994, which ruled against Egan & the issue of spousal benefits

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The court did rule that sexual orientation should be included as a prohibited grounds for discrimination under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
This was a massive victory for the LGBTQ community.
Egan died in 2000, Nesbit died three months later

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More from @CraigBaird

Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Feb 20
On Feb. 20, 1959, the Avro Arrow program was cancelled by the Diefenbaker government.
Thousands of people lost their jobs, and the Canadian aeronautical and aviation sector was decimated. The day became known as Black Friday.
This is the story of the Arrow.

🧵 1/12 A black-and-white aerial view of the Avro Arrow, a delta-winged jet aircraft marked with "RL-201" and a Canadian maple leaf insignia, displayed on a tarmac surrounded by a large crowd of people and a stage with officials, near a building and parked cars.
In the 1950s, with the dawn of the nuclear era, there was a concern that the Soviet Union would attack North America with bombers over the Canadian Arctic.
To deal with this possibility, the RCAF commissioned Avro Canada to build an all-weather nuclear interceptor.

🧵 2/12 A black-and-white photo of the Avro Arrow, a delta-winged jet aircraft marked with "RL-201," flying above the clouds with a clear sky in the background.
It needed to fly higher and faster than any aircraft of its class. With the Arrow contract, Avro quickly expanded and had 20,000 people working for it by 1957. Nine models, one-eighth the size of the finished plane, were tested in rockets over Lake Ontario.

🧵 3/12 A black-and-white photo of a rocket marked with the number "8" being prepared on a launch platform, with several people working around it. One person stands on a scaffold adjusting the rocket, while others on the ground assist, under a partly cloudy sky.
Read 13 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Feb 19
On Feb. 19, 1942, German soldiers marched through Winnipeg.
The mayor, premier and Lt. Governor were arrested, and the city was renamed Himmlerstadt. Books were burned, and the German flag flew across the city.
This is the story of Winnipeg's If Day.

🧵 1/12 Black-and-white photo of a group of uniformed soldiers standing outdoors in winter clothing and helmets, gathered around a small fire on the ground. Several hold stacks of papers and books, with loose pages visible as some are being dropped into the flames. The fire sits in front of a stone building entrance with round lamps on either side. A few onlookers stand behind the soldiers near the doorway. Snow or light-colored ground is visible underfoot.
During the Second World War, Victory Bond Campaigns were held to raise money for the war effort. On Feb. 16, 1942, the second Victory Loan campaign began and Manitoba decided to go all out. The idea was to show what would happen if Germany invaded Canada.

🧵 2/12 A colorful wartime poster showing a smiling pilot in a brown leather flight jacket and helmet with goggles, holding a submachine gun across his chest. A military aircraft is partly visible behind him. Large text reads “Come on Canada!” at the top, “KEEP ME IN THE AIR,” and “BUY the New VICTORY BONDS.” The background is a painted sky with clouds, using bright, bold colors and high-contrast lettering.
The plan was for German soldiers (actually volunteers from the Young Men's Board of Trade) to invade Winnipeg. The city was defended by 3,500 Canadian Army members. Uniforms were rented and German troops were given scars on their faces.

🧵3/12 Black-and-white image of an armored tracked vehicle driving through a snowy, smoky street. Several uniformed soldiers wearing helmets are seated on top of the vehicle, holding rifles and looking outward. Behind them is a large billboard that reads “WELCOME TO WINNIPEG ‘THE ELECTRICAL CITY’ CITY HYDRO OWNED & OPERATED.” The scene appears cold and wintry, with snow on the ground and haze or exhaust around the vehicle. A British Pathé logo is visible in the upper right corner.
Read 13 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Jan 8
Billy Van was one of the most gifted comedians in Canadian history.
Through a decades-long career, he proved highly influential in the comedy world.
He is best known for playing nearly every character on The Hilarious House of Frightenstein.
This is his story.

🧵 1/12 A black-and-white photo of Billy Van wearing a dark cape with a high collar and a tuxedo-style outfit. He has slicked dark hair, sharply arched eyebrows, and heavy stage makeup around his eyes. One hand is raised with the index finger pointing upward, while the other arm is partially visible beneath the cape. The background is dark and out of focus, emphasizing the theatrical costume and facial expression.
Billy Van was born on Aug. 11, 1934.
He toured with his brothers as a singing act called The Van Evera Brothers.
Van eventually left the group and formed The Billy Van Singers. Their single I Miss You/The Last Sunrise hit #29 on the CHUM Chart in Toronto in 1961

🧵2/12 A black-and-white studio portrait of billy van, shown from the shoulders up. He has short, neatly combed dark hair and a clean-shaven face. He is wearing a dark jacket over a light shirt. His head is slightly turned toward the camera, with a faint smile and direct gaze. The background is softly lit and plain, with no visible details.
In 1963, Van joined CBC's satire show Nightcap. The show was a hit and in 1966 Van asked for a raise from $400 to $500 per episode.
CBC refused and Van threatened to quit. Due to public pressure, CBC agreed to the raise.

🧵3/12 A black-and-white television still showing two men standing side by side in suits and hats. The man on the right is Billy Van, wearing a light-colored suit jacket, a collared shirt, and a tie, with a fedora-style hat. He is facing slightly toward the man on the left, with a relaxed expression. The man on the left wears a darker suit and hat and appears to be mid-gesture with his hands raised. The background is plain and studio-lit, with no visible set details.
Read 13 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Oct 20, 2025
Outside of Canada, many assume that the entire country uses bagged milk.
The truth is, only part of Canada have bagged milk in the fridge.
But why? Well, it comes down when Canada made the transition to the metric system.
This is the story!

🧵 1/9 A supermarket aisle displaying various dairy products, including bags of milk and cartons of cream, with brands such as "Sealtest" and "Lactantia" prominently featured. The products are arranged on shelves, with some bags of milk in blue and red packaging in the foreground and various milk and cream cartons in the background.
The story of milk bags in Canada begins in the 1960s. At the time, milk came in glass bottles primarily. Some producers sold milk in cardboard or plastic jugs.
In Canada's Centennial Year of 1967, DuPont introduced milk bags to the country.

🧵 2/9 A supermarket shelf displaying bags of milk from the "Neilson" brand, available in 1% and 2% partly skimmed varieties. The bags are labeled with nutritional information, including "fresh partly skimmed milk" and "lait partiellement écrémé," and are branded with the "Foodland Ontario" logo. The packaging features blue and white designs with images of a milk glass and hand, and the bags are sized at 4 liters each.
This turned out to be a good move because in the 1970s, Canada moved towards the metric system. While other companies had to redesign all of their bottles, jugs and cartons, milk bag packaging machines only needed to be resized at a very low cost.

🧵 3/9 A kitchen counter with a 1-liter bag of "Neilson" brand 2% partly skimmed milk, labeled in both English and French ("lait partiellement écrémé frais"), placed next to a white plastic pitcher. The milk bag is partially inserted into the pitcher, with the milk being poured into it. The background features a tiled wall and an electrical outlet.
Read 10 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Oct 18, 2025
Today is Persons Day.
This day honours The Persons Case, which ended in a victory for The Famous Five on Oct. 18, 1929. The ruling declared women to be persons under the law and qualified to sit in the Senate.
This is the story of that case.

🧵 1/12 A group of bronze statues depicting five people in a park setting, with some standing and others seated around a table, set against a snowy background with bare trees and a clear blue sky.
When the British North America Act of 1867 was passed, it used the word "persons" to refer to more than one person, and "he" to refer to one person.
It was argued that only a man could be a person, which excluded women from many things.
Enter The Famous Five.

🧵2/12 A black-and-white painting depicting a large group of men in formal attire seated and standing around a long table in a room with three large arched windows, engaged in what appears to be a formal meeting or conference.
Henrietta Edwards was born in 1849.
She was a Red Cross leader during the First World War, a founding member of the Victorian Order of Nurses and helped create Canada's first YWCA.

Learn more in my Deep Dive 👇


🧵3/12canadaehx.com/2023/01/24/hen…
Read 13 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Oct 4, 2025
On Oct. 4, 1957, the Avro Arrow was unveiled with the intention of it being the RCAF's primary interceptor in the 1960s.
Less than two years later, the program was abruptly cancelled and 14,528 Avro employees were put out of work.
This is the story of the Arrow.

🧵 1/12 A black-and-white aerial view of the Avro Arrow, a delta-winged jet aircraft marked with "RL-201" and a Canadian maple leaf insignia, displayed on a tarmac surrounded by a large crowd of people and a stage with officials, near a building and parked cars.
In the 1950s, with the dawn of the nuclear era, there was a concern that the Soviet Union would attack North America with bombers over the Canadian Arctic.
To deal with this possibility, the RCAF commissioned Avro Canada to build an all-weather nuclear interceptor.

🧵 2/12 A black-and-white photo of the Avro Arrow, a delta-winged jet aircraft marked with "RL-201," flying above the clouds with a clear sky in the background.
It needed to fly higher and faster than any aircraft of its class. With the Arrow contract, Avro quickly expanded and had 20,000 people working for it by 1957. Nine models, one-eighth the size of the finished plane, were tested in rockets over Lake Ontario.

🧵 3/12 A black-and-white photo of a rocket marked with the number "8" being prepared on a launch platform, with several people working around it. One person stands on a scaffold adjusting the rocket, while others on the ground assist, under a partly cloudy sky.
Read 13 tweets

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