Canada
I'm a professional editor, writer researcher, and fact checker. I've worked in various fields, from academia to the cultural sector to public education. I enjoy making content that makes people think, smile, and want to learn more. This site is my way of documenting some of the work I've done so far. Browse through to learn more about me and my proudest accomplishments.
Listicles and Blog Posts
Turner Syndrome Awareness Month is held every February. However, for many people, Turner Syndrome is an illness that affects their life on a daily basis. Learn more about my family's personal experience with Turner Syndrome and the ways that we can support others with this disease.
I love crafting with my kids. Yes, it can be a messy endeavor. Yes, it can be more tiring than I'd like to admit, but it allows for bonding time. The children get to have fun and be messy, and I get to be present for all the laughs and the silliness that comes along with it.
On her 16th birthday in 2013, Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai spoke to a United Nations' audience about the rights of women and girls and about the importance of freedom of education and tolerance. She strongly stated, "We call upon our sisters around the world to be brave - to embrace the strength within themselves and realize their full potential."
If I'm being honest, when I first became a parent, Melissa & Doug toys didn't really speak to me. I assumed that kids would gravitate to the toys that lit up and made sounds, which are not the type of toys Melissa & Doug make. I was wrong.
I want to preface this article by saying that I'm not autistic. The experiences I have drawn on to write this piece come from my young daughter, who is autistic, and my own, as a parent of an autistic child. In no way do I claim to speak for all autistic people and their families.
There are 13 First Nations in Nova Scotia. First Nation is one of three groupings of Indigenous people in Canada, the other two being Métis and Inuit. Unlike Métis and Inuit, most First Nations hold reserve lands, and members of a First Nation may live both on and off these reserves ( see also Reserves in Nova Scotia).
There are four First Nations in Newfoundland and Labrador. First Nation is one of three groupings of Indigenous people in Canada, the other two being Métis and Inuit. Unlike Métis and Inuit, most First Nations hold reserve lands, and members of a First Nation may live both on and off these reserves ( see also Reserves in Newfoundland and Labrador).
There are 15 First Nations in New Brunswick. First Nation is one of three groupings of Indigenous people in Canada, the other two being Métis and Inuit. Unlike Métis and Inuit, most First Nations hold reserve lands, and members of a First Nation may live both on and off these reserves.
There are two First Nations on Prince Edward Island. First Nation is one of three groupings of Indigenous people in Canada, the other two being Métis and Inuit. Unlike Métis and Inuit, most First Nations hold reserve lands, and members of a First Nation may live both on and off these reserves ( see also Reserves on Prince Edward Island).
Fine and gross motor skills are important for a child's development because they're used to perform essential routine tasks. For example, doing up buttons, writing your name, and eating with cutlery all require fine motor skills, which concern the small muscles in the hands.
There are 40 First Nations in Quebec. First Nation is one of three groupings of Indigenous people in Canada, the other two being Métis and Inuit. Unlike Métis and Inuit, most First Nations hold reserve lands, and members of a First Nation may live both on and off these reserves ( see also Reserves in Quebec).
Residential schools, which operated from roughly the 1880s to 1996 in Canada, stripped Indigenous children of their culture in an attempt to assimilate them into Euro-Canadian culture. About 150,000 children attended these schools. At least 6,000 of them died there and many others were subjected to emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.
Educational Content
At the first Canada Winter Games in Québec City (1967) Cal Miller, financial advisor to the Yukon team, was disappointed by the performance of northern athletes. With limited access to training opportunities and sporting facilities, northern teams struggled to compete with their southern counterparts.
The following chart lists the Numbered Treaties and the years they were signed. Click on Treaties 1-11 to read more about these specific agreements. After Confederation, the Canadian government wanted to expand westward. It wanted the lands of the Hudson Bay Company (HBC). This included Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory.
Between 16 January and 25 March 2013, six Cree youths and their guide walked 1,600 km from Whapmagoostui First Nation, the northernmost Cree village in Québec on Hudson Bay, to Parliament Hill in Ottawa in support of the Idle No More movement. They called the trek "The Journey of Nishiyuu," which is Cree for "people."
There are various stories about the powwow's origins. Some credit the Poncas with holding the first inter-tribal powwow in the early 1800s. Others claim that the Northern Plains First Nations created powwow dances during the 19th century. While the exact origin of the powwow is unknown, these celebrations were adopted and adapted by various Indigenous communities across North America throughout the 20th century.
Taking the census in Windy River, NWT, and checking on Family Allowances matters (10 December 1950). This boy is being identified by the disc number on his tag, attached to his parka. In 1970, the federal government undertook a program, known as Project Surname , to assign last names to Inuit in northern Canada.
Reserves are tracts of land set aside for First Nations by the Canadian government. First Nations are one of three groupings of Indigenous people in Canada, the other two being Métis and Inuit. Métis and Inuit do not hold reserve land. The main reason for this is because the reserve system is governed by the .
Jane Philpott, the first Minister of Indigenous Services Canada. Pictured here at the Public Policy Forum conference on 27 September 2017. The conference focused on reconciliation and strategies for implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's health-related Calls to Action while building a healthcare system of cultural competence for Indigenous inclusion in Canada.
This logo represents Jordan's Principle. Jordan's Principle is an initiative to ensure that First Nations children who require support to meet a health, education or social need - as recommended by a professional - can access those services in the same ways as other children in Canada.
The following chart details the year in which each of the Numbered Treaties was signed. Click on Treaties 1-11 to read more about these specific agreements. The years immediately following Confederation were characterized by the Canadian government's desire to expand westward as a means of securing the nation's economic future.
A rainbow crosswalk celebrating Pride, in downtown Vancouver, 2013. Different Indigenous cultures have their own variations of the term two-spirit, but all of these terms have historically been used to describe similar traits embodied by two-spirit people including gender variance, specialized work roles, same-sex attraction and spiritual identity.
By 1873, western settlement and the disappearance of the buffalo - on which the early economies of many Plains Indigenous peoples depended ( see Buffalo Hunt) - threatened First Nations populations in western Canada. As a means of protecting their land and livelihood, the Indigenous peoples sought treaties with the federal government.
Abe Okpik at home, Frobisher Bay, NWT, [now Iqaluit, Nunavut], April 1964. Abraham "Abe" Okpik, OC, Inuit community leader (born 12 January 1929 in the Mackenzie Delta area, Northwest Territories; died 10 July 1997 in Iqaluit, Nunavut). He was instrumental in Project Surname, a movement to replace the identification numbers assigned to the Inuit in Northern Canada with surnames.
Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Canada, at the Arctic Circle assembly in 2017. In 2017, the government of Justin Trudeau implemented a recommendation of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (1996) by dissolving Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) and replacing it with two new departments: Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.
In 1869, the Government of Canada began making a road and waterway system from Lower Fort Garry in Manitoba, east to Lake of the Woods and from Thunder Bay to the Shebandowan Lakes in northwestern Ontario. The primary objective was to provide access to the Canadian interior.
Algonquian is not to be confused with Algonquin. The term Algonquin refers to an Indigenous population with its own language and culture. Algonquian refers to a much larger grouping of Indigenous nations, including the Algonquin people. Algonquian nations have similar cultural practices, spiritual beliefs and political structures.
The traditional territories of the Huu-ay-aht are located between Bamfield and Port Alberni. The main community, Ancala (Pachena Bay), is situated on Pachena Beach, at the head of the West Coast Trail, close to the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. The site of the ancient capital of the Huu-ay-aht is Kiixʔin.
Prior to colonization, the Dene economy centered primarily on hunting, fishing and food gathering. The Dene travelled over their vast traditional territory - from Hudson's Bay to the Northwest Territories, across the Yukon and into the Alaskan interior - during the spring and summer months to collect food and materials to make clothing, shelter and tools.
Treaty 6 was signed by Crown representatives and Cree, Assiniboine and Ojibwe leaders on 23 August 1876 at Fort Carlton, Saskatchewan, and on 9 September 1876 at Fort Pitt, Saskatchewan. The treaty boundaries extend across central portions of present-day Alberta and Saskatchewan.
After the American Revolution (1775-83), the Haudenosaunee lost much of their ancestral homeland in upper New York, an area now formally recognized as American territory.
Iroquoian is not to be confused with Iroquois. The term Iroquois was used by the French and non-Iroquoian people to describe the Haudenosaunee. The term is now generally considered outdated, to be replaced with the word Haudenosaunee, which is what they call themselves. Iroquoian nations have similar customs, spiritual beliefs and cultural practices.
The Aboriginal Healing Foundation received another federal grant of $40 million in 2005, and $125 million in 2007, as part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement . The Foundation invested interest generated on the federal grants to support community programs. It ceased operations in 2014, when its mandate expired.
Richard Hunt is a and Kwakwaka'wakw (Kwakiutl) artist (born in 1951 in Alert Bay, BC). He is the son of Thunderbird Park (BC) master carver Henry Hunt and brother of fellow carvers Tony Hunt Mungo Martin and great-grandson of Kwakwaka'wakw ethnographer George Hunt. Stanley Hunt.
Indigenous Peoples Modern-day Vaughan stands on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee and the Huron-Wendat. These Iroquoian-speaking First Nations farmed vegetables, fished, hunted for small game and lived in longhouses. A popular hunting and travelling route was along the Humber River, known as the Carrying Place Trail, part of which runs through what is now Woodbridge.
Treaty 5 - also known as the Winnipeg Treaty - was signed in 1875-76 by the federal government, Ojibwa peoples and the Swampy Cree of Lake Winnipeg. Treaty 5 covers much of present-day central and northern Manitoba, as well as portions of Saskatchewan and Ontario.
Freda Ahenakew was born on the Ahtahkakoop First Nation Reserve in Saskatchewan on 11 February 1932. Her parents were Edward and Annie (née Bird) Ahenakew. As a child, Freda - the second of eight siblings - spoke Cree.
David Ahenakew, politician, first elected chief of the Assembly of First Nations (born 29 July 1933 at the Sandy Lake Indian Reserve [now the Ahtahkakoop First Nation] in central Saskatchewan; died 12 March 2010 in Shellbrook, SK). He served in the Canadian military for 16 years, and was an active defender of Aboriginal rights and education.
Stanley Hunt, and brother of fellow carvers Kwakwaka'wakw (Kwakiutl) artist (born 25 September 1954 in Victoria, BC). He is the son of Thunderbird Park (BC) master carver Henry Hunt Tony Hunt. He is also the grandson of distinguished Kwakwaka'wakw carver Mungo Martin Richard Hunt and and great-grandson of Kwakwaka'wakw ethnographer George Hunt.
Cree chief Pitikwahanapiwiyin (Poundmaker). (courtesy Glenbow Archives) Pitikwahanapiwiyin was born to a Métis woman and a Stoney shaman named Sikakwayan. His family lived among the Plains Cree peoples in what is now Saskatchewan, under the leadership of his uncle, Chief Mistawasis (Big Child). ( See also Plains Indigenous Peoples in Canada.)
Corrine Hunt, artist (born in 1959 in Alert Bay, British Columbia). She is a member of the Raven Gwa'wina clan from Ts'akis, a Komoyue village on Vancouver Island. For over 22 years, Hunt has created hand-crafted jewelry, accessories, art installations and furniture. She also co-designed the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic medals.
Videos and Resources
I advised on the script for this video and helped to edit and fact check the content. I also assisted in the research process.
I assisted with the researching, copywriting and editing for this education guide for teachers and students on the Second World War.
Academic Writing
This is a review I authored for an academic publication.
For this report, credited as Historica Canada, I conducted interviews with educators and analyzed history and social studies curricula throughout Canada. The report discusses the state of Canadian history content in schools, and was featured in the Toronto Star and Global News, among other media outlets.
I wrote this article while serving as H-Canada's web editor. It details the humble beginnings of the page and its growth into the more robust education community it is today.
This is my doctoral dissertation (2014) on the role of male nursing workers in the Canadian Medical Corps during the Second World War.
Edited Works
I edited two of the four Contemporary Canadian Studies 11 texts, Canadian Turning Points and Mi'kmaw and Other Indigenous Peoples. The texts offer an in-depth examination of Canada's multifaceted society, governance, and environmental issues from 1945 to the present.
Credited as The Memory Project, I have edited and fact checked several first-hand accounts of Canadian veterans, published monthly in this magazine as special features.
I advised on the Canadian content for the Anne Frank House's travelling exhibition, and also helped to edit and fact check the accompanying panels.
Turtle Island is the name many Algonquian- and Iroquoian-speaking peoples mainly in the northeastern part of North America use to refer to the continent. In various Indigenous origin stories, the turtle is said to support the world, and is an icon of life itself.
When the wide-brimmed felt hat came into fashion later in the 16th century, the demand for beaver pelts increased tremendously. The best material for hat felt was the soft underfur of the beaver. Its strands have tiny barbs that make them mat together tightly.
Métis scrip issued for the purchase of dominion lands, 1905. Métis scrip was a document, either a certificate or warrant, issued by the federal Department of the Interior and printed by the Canadian Bank Note Company. ( See also Federal Departments of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada.)
Born near Cumberland Sound in present-day Nunavut, Tookoolito became known for her talents during the mid-1800s as an Inuk interpreter and advisor to whalers and explorers. Her brother, Eenoolooapik, also gained popularity as an Inuk guide.
There are three categories of Indigenous peoples in Canada: Inuit, Métis and First Nations. The Inuit primarily inhabit the northern regions of Canada. Their homeland, known as Inuit Nunangat, includes much of the land, water and ice contained in the Arctic region.
Norval Morrisseau was raised on the Sand Point reserve (now Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation), on the southeast shores of Lake Nipigon. He was the eldest of five children. Morrisseau was raised by his maternal grandparents. His grandfather was a shaman who taught him about Anishinaabe culture and spirituality.
Rita Joe's book For the Children at a public library Rita Joe was born to Joseph and Annie Bernard of the Mi'kmaq nation. She spent her early childhood on a reserve at Whycocomagh on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. Rita's mother died when she was only five; subsequently she was sent to live with foster families.
Nisga'a chief in feast robe The Nisga'a once practiced a balanced reliance on hunting, fishing and plant gathering. Some traditional foods included crab, black cod, halibut, salmon, herring eggs, seal, sea lion, clams, pine mushrooms, lowbush cranberries and mountain blueberries.
When he was a boy, Eenoolooapik and some other Inuit met British whalers at Cape Enderby. After following them to Cape Searle, and learning about their homeland, Eenoolooapik's curiosity about life outside the Arctic peaked. Although he wanted to join the whalers on their travels, he felt too committed to his family to depart.
As part of the largest linguistic group in North America, a number of peoples in Canada identify as Dene. Some of these include: In the 2016 census, 27,430 people identified as having Dene ancestry. The Dene have historically inhabited central and northwestern Canada in an area known as Denendeh, meaning "the Creator's Spirit flows through this Land" or "Land of the People."
The traditional territory of the Blackfoot Confederacy has been described as roughly the southern half of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and the northern portion of Montana. In the west, the confederacy was bounded by the Rocky Mountains and its eastern limits stretched past the Great Sand Hills of eastern Saskatchewan.
Historically, Indigenous economies were subsistence oriented, organized around activities like fishing, hunting, and gathering. Economic activities depended on geographical availability and seasonal patterns of major food sources. These factors influenced the organization of Indigenous groups, including settlement size and duration, the division of labour between genders and interaction with other groups.
Rev James Evans translated and printed Christian hymns in Cree syllabics. (courtesy Victoria University Library, Toronto). The Cree language is often described by linguists as a dialect continuum (a series of dialects that change gradually over a geographical area), also called Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi.
Traditional education among most Indigenous peoples was accomplished using several techniques, including observation and practice, family and group socialization, oral teachings and participation in community ceremonies and institutions. The adults responsible for educating youth included parents, grandparents, members of the extended family and community elders.
Sweat lodges are heated dome-shaped structures used by Indigenous peoples during certain purification rites and as a way to promote healthy living. The intense heat generated - often by steam created from pouring water onto heated rocks - is meant to encourage a sweating out of toxins and negative energy that create disorder and imbalance in life.
In many Indigenous cultures in Canada, chiefs are the leaders of bands, clans and/or First Nations. Chosen either by group consensus or as a consequence of their ancestry, chiefs hold high positions of authority in their communities. They mainly serve as links between their people and the municipal, provincial and federal governments.
