It is #IndigenousHistoryMonth and this is the story of actor, singer & humanitarian Tom Jackson!
Tom Jackson was born on the One Arrow Reserve near Batoche, Saskatchewan on Oct. 27, 1948.
After moving to Winnipeg when he was 14, he dropped out of school a year later.
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For the next few years, he lived on the streets but began to gravitate towards folk & country music in the Winnipeg coffee houses.
By the 1980s, he was playing at festivals throughout Canada and his songwriting often explored Indigenous issues.
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He soon began acting and in 1986, earned a Genie Award nomination for his role in Loyalties.
By the end of the decade, his singing & acting career had taken off.
He achieved national fame with his role as Peter Kenidi in the critically-acclaimed show North of 60.
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He continued to act throughout the 1990s and beyond with roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Spirit Rider, Cold Pursuit and more.
In his career, he has earned multiple Gemini Award nominations, won two Junos, 11 honorary degrees & the Order of Canada.
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He is also well-known for his philanthropy and his Christmas concert, Huron Carole, which raised millions of dollars & collected tons of food for food banks around Canada.
He continues to help people who live on the streets, or are below the poverty line, to this day.
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If you grew up in the 1990s in Canada, there is a chance you played Crosscountry Canada in school.
This was a game that required you to travel Canada via semi-truck, learning about the nation you live in.
So, let's learn more about this nostalgic game!
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The game was published by Didatech Software (Ingenuity Works), based out of Vancouver. It allowed users to drive an 18-wheeler truck to pick up commodities and deliver them to cities.
Users chose the route, eat, sleep, fill up with gas and try to make the most money.
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Crosscountry Canada was actually the second in the series. The first was Crosscountry USA released in 1985. The next year, Crosscountry Canada was released for the Apple II. It was later ported to DOS in 1991.
If not for Canada, American football would look very different.
It all began on May 14-15, 1874 when the McGill Redman took on the Harvard Crimson in Boston in a two game series.
The series would change American football history forever.
Let's learn more 👇🏈
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In 1873, Harvard, which played the Boston game, challenged McGill University to a two-game series.
The Boston game had different rules including not allowing a pass unless a player was pursued, there was less tackling and limited running. A round ball was also used.
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When McGill and Harvard played their first game on May 14, 1874, it was under Boston Rules and Harvard won 3-0.
On May 15, 1874, the second game was played using the rugby rules that McGill practiced.
It ended in a 0-0 tie in front of 500 attendees at the game.
Just off the coast of Newfoundland, there are two small islands: Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
They are not part of Canada, but are a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France.
So, why are those two islands not part of Canada? Let's learn more!
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For centuries before European arrival, the Beothuk and Mi'kmaq people visited the islands.
In 1536, Jacques Cartier arrived and claimed the islands for Francis I, King of France.
It was not until 1670 that the islands became permanently inhabited by Europeans.
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In the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, France ceded the islands to Britain.
Half a century later in 1763, the Treaty of Paris saw France cede New France to Britain. Under the treaty, those two islands off Newfoundland's coast were returned to France.
Western Canada is in a heatwave right now. Where I am, it is 33 C until Thursday.
Air conditioners are going to be running a lot during the coming days, but how did settlers a century or more ago stay cool?
Let's explore how to beat the heat settler-style!
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Out in the prairie, settlers who just arrived typically built sod houses.
These unique houses, called soddies, were relatively cool in the summer. While not so great when it rained, they offered a respite from the heat of the prairie.
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Clothes were also made of natural fibres like cotton, which was much cooler in the hot weather.
Some houses were built so that the front door and back door created a cool air conduit through the house when opened.
Every so often, the idea of Guaranteed Basic Income comes up as a political topic in Canada.
In the 1970s, Manitoba conducted the Manitoba Basic Annual Income Experiment to see the social impact of a guaranteed income.
This is the story of Mincome 👇💵
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The Mincome project was funded jointly by Manitoba's NDP government under Edward Schreyer and the federal Liberal government of Pierre Trudeau.
It officially launched via a news release on Feb. 22, 1974.
The test areas were primarily Winnipeg and Dauphin.
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In Winnipeg and Dauphin, lower-income households were randomly allocated into seven treatment groups and a control group.
In the treatment groups, families received an income guarantee or minimum cash benefit according to family size.
Many Canadians know of The Group Of Seven, but have you heard of the Indigenous Group of Seven?
Formally known as the Professional Native Indian Artists Incorporation, it formed in 1973 with seven Indigenous artists to promote Indigenous art.
These are the artists 👇🖼️
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Daphne Odjig (1919 - 2016)
She was seen as the founder and driving force of the group. Her work was in the Woodlands and pictograph style. She had 30 solo exhibitions & 50 group exhibitions in her career. Her work has been displayed in the National Gallery of Canada.
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Alex Janvier (1935 - Present)
A pioneer of contemporary Indigenous art, he helped bring together artists for the "Indians of Canada" Pavilion at Expo 67. He is described as the first Canadian native modernist. His artwork often uses his own visual language.