Ruth Griffiths

On July 22, 1793, fur trader Alexander Mackenzie reached the Pacific Ocean, becoming the first European to complete a transcontinental crossing of Canada.

As a leading member of the North West Company, he desired to extend the company’s operations into Western Canada, and sell furs to China.

Mackenzie’s journey of exploration was not without frustrations. In 1788 he travelled to Lake Athabasca   where he was one of the founders of Fort Chipewyan.

He had been sent to replace Peter Pond, a partner in the company. From Pond, he learned that the First Nations people understood that the local rivers flowed to the northwest. On July 3, 1789 he set out by canoe on the river known to the local Dene as the Dehcho. On July 14, he reached the Arctic Ocean, rather than the Pacific. Later in a letter to his cousin Roderick, he called it “the River Disappointment,” since the river did not prove to be the northwest passage for which he had hoped. However, that river later came to be known as the Mackenzie River in his honour.

On May 9, 1793 Mackenzie set off again to find a route west with a party of nine men and a dog. They paddled up the Peace River toward the continental divide. They crossed the Rockies, and reached the upper Fraser River. Warned about dangerous canyons and long detours ahead, Mackenzie listen to the advice of the local people. He left the river and follow an overland trading corridor toward the coast – the Nuxalk-Carrier-Grease Tail.

Mackenzie reached the Bella Coola area on July 22, 1793, and touch the tidewater of the Pacific Ocean for the first time.

Mackenzie’s historic cross-continental trip preceded the famous Louis and Clark expedition. Merriweather Lewis and William Clark. began their trek on Oct. 7, 1805. Searching for a route west they travelled the Clearwater to the Sparkle and down the great Columbia finally reaching the Pacific Ocean on Nov.15, 1805.

Whereas the Canadian transcontinental route was financed by a furtrading company, the American explorers were financed by the US government. In a secret message of Jan. 18, 1803 President Thomas Jefferson asked Congress for $2500 to explore the west all the way to the Pacific Ocean. At the time the territory did not belong to the United States.

A summer thunderstorm can bring strong winds, hail, and lightning strikes, but a thunderstorm five centuries ago was so frightening that it changed the course of the Christian religion.

On July 2, 1505, Martin Luther was “thunderstruck.” After experiencing a violent thunderstorm, Luther decided to become a monk.

Luther studied at the University of Erfurt, where he initially enrolled in law but later shifted to theology and philosophy. In 1505, after a near-death experience during a thunderstorm, Luther vowed to join an Augustinian monastery. He was ordained in 1507 and began teaching theology at the University of Wittenberg in 1508.

In 1517, Luther wrote the Ninety-Five Theses, which sparked the Protestant Reformation. The Ninety-Five Theses challenged the Catholic Church, including the practice of selling indulgences, whereby salvation was treated as a thing that could be purchased.

Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X in 1521 and declared an outlaw by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

Luther’s key theological beliefs included the idea that salvation is a gift of God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, that the Bible is the only source of divine knowledge, and that all believers are part of one holy priesthood.

Luther translated the Bible into German, making it accessible to the general public. This translation had a significant impact on both the Church and German culture.

In 1525, Luther married Catherine von Bora, a former nun, and they had six children together.

Luther was born in 1483 in Saxony and died Feb. 18, 1546, at age 62.

“Thunderstruck” means to be extremely surprised or shocked. Who knew that Luther’s radical change of beliefs “like a bolt out of the blue” would change history?

In preparation for Canada Day 2026, the 159th birthday of Canada, here’s a quiz to test your knowledge about Canada.

1. What did inventor Alexander Graham Bell propose as the standard telephone greeting?

2. Which three Canadian prime ministers were elected by Prince Albert voters?

3. The governments of Canada and Japan agreed in 1928 to restrict annual Japanese immigration to Canada to how many people?

4. After escaping from enslavement in the United States and enduring discrimination in Nova Scotia, who led a contingent of disillusioned Black settlers from Halifax to Sierra Leone in 1792?

5. What RCMP ship, now permanently docked at the Vancouver Maritime Museum, was the first to cross the Northwest Passage from west to east?

6. What was donated to Winnipeg General Hospital as a result of the first official curling match at the Manitoba curling club in Winnipeg, held Dec. 11, 1876?

7. True or false: from 1927 to 1951, the Indian Act made it illegal for First Nations people to raise money amongst themselves to hire a lawyer or pursue a legal claim.

8. Which Canadian province or territory has the longest coastline?

9. The 11-point maple leaf on today’s Canadian flag is based on an earlier design with how many points on the maple leafs?

10. Under what circumstances did Canadian Prime Minister John Thompson die on Dec. 12, 1894?

Answers

1. “Ahoy!” The greeting “hello” was Thomas Edison’s idea.

2.  Sir Wilfred Laurier, William Lyon Mackenzie King, and John G. Diefenbaker.

3. 150.

4. Thomas Peters.

5. St. Roch.

6. A barrel of oatmeal.

7. True.

8. Nunavut, whose extensive mainland and more than 36,000 islands give it 144,689 km of coastline.

9. 13 points. That shape proved too hard to discern from afar or in the wind, so the number of points was reduced.

10. Thompson, at age 49, had a heart attack and died while lunching with Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle.

Sources: Canada’s History Society, and Prince Albert Daily Herald

Celebrate Father’s Day by tailoring the day to his specific interests. For example, two young women took their grandfather for an afternoon of golf. They made great memories, despite being eaten alive by mosquitoes! Nobody kept score because everybody wins when you’re having fun together.

The best approach to celebrating Father’s Day is spending quality time together, such as sharing his favourite meal or participating in a local outdoor activity. A Father’s Day gift might be a thoughtful keepsake paired with a heartfelt handwritten note expressing your appreciation. Consider these ways to make Father’s Day special:

Backyard barbecue – Fire up the grill for the family and let dad take a break. Prepare his favourite cuts of meat or surprise him with a craft beer or whiskey tasting.

Take him out – Skip the cooking and order takeout from his favourite restaurant or take him to a local spot for brunch.

Enjoy the outdoors – Take the family for a stroll in the park or go fishing at a nearby lake.

Backyard movie – Set up an projector in the yard or host an indoor movie marathon featuring his favourite classic films.

His choice – Give him “control of the remote” and let him pick exactly what the family plays or watches.

Write it down – A handwritten letter detailing happy memories and why you admired him is often more cherished than a physical gift.

Helping hands – Most dads have a lingering project. Offer to help him finish a DIY build or take care of one of his regular chores, such as washing the car or mowing the lawn, so he can simply relax.

An idiom is a phrase that is common to some, but may be puzzling to others. It usually is not understandable based solely on the words within the phrase.  

We use idioms every day, sometimes without even realizing that what we’re saying is nonsensical without the meaning behind them.

The idiom “turn a blind eye” means to refuse to acknowledge a known truth. The most commonly accepted origin is that “turning a blind eye” comes from a comment made by British Admiral Horatio Nelson. In 1801, he led the attack alongside Admiral Sir Hyde Parker in the Battle of Copenhagen. Nelson was blind in one eye. Parker communicated to Nelson at one point via flags that he needed to retreat and disengage. Nelson, however, was convinced that he could prevail if they pushed on. Nelson then, holding the telescope to his blind eye, pretended not to see the signal… making a sly comment to a fellow officer about reserving the right to use his blind eye every now and again.

“Feeling under the weather” means to feel sick. When a sailor was feeling ill, he would go beneath the bow, which is the front part of the boat. This would hopefully protect him as he was literally under the bad weather that could further sicken him. Therefore, a sailor who was sick could be described as being “under the weather.”

“Beat around the bush” means to circle the point to avoid the point of conversation. This phrase originated with small game hunting in Britain. Hunters would beat bushes in order to flush out the birds. Therefore, they were beating around the bush before getting to the main point of the hunt.

The idiom “spill the beans” means to leak a secret. This one is likely derived from an ancient Greek voting process which involved beans. Voters would put one of two coloured beans into a vessel, with a white bean meaning yes and black or brown meaning no. If someone spilled the beans, the secret results of the voting would be revealed before intended. Hence, spilling the beans is related to revealing secret information.

To “get the wrong end of the stick” means to not understand the situation completely. The expression refers to a walking stick held upside down, which does not help a walker much. It originated in the 1400s as “worse end of the staff” and changed to the current wording in the late 1800s.

Perhaps when you first heard some of these idioms, you got “The wrong end of the stick.”

Today is Audacity to Hope Day. This is the day to take a look at your dreams and hopes for the future, and have the audacity to hope that they can be accomplished.

This special day originated with Barack Obama, who published the book “The Audacity to Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.” The book was published in 2006 when Obama was a senator and his own audacity to hope led him to be the first black president of the United States of America. He adapted the phrase “audacity of hope” from a sermon by pastor Jeremiah Wright, “… To take the one string you have left and to have the audacity to hope…”

The book focusses on the political world and understanding ones opponent’s point of view and building mutual respect. The book’s underlying theme is to defy the odds and have the audacity to create change.

That is what this day is all about. No matter how dire something may seem, have the audacity to hope. This is the perfect day to dream of the future you want and to have the audacity to put into action ways to make it happen.

Get together with friends or family and create a vision board with the things that you hope will come true.

Have the audacity to get back up after a failure and do something new that helps you toward your dream.

Help someone you know who is losing hope by sharing positive goals and “never quit” attitude.

Audacity to Hope day invites people to tap into the stubborn, shining strength that shows up when life gets complicated. It celebrates the human ability to face setbacks with courage, imagine something better and take practical steps toward it, even when confidence feels shaky.

The day is also about acknowledging hard seasons in your life, without letting them have the final word. Difficult experiences can become raw material for growth, creativity, and empathy. Audacity to Hope Day encourages reflection on personal aspirations, then nudges those hopes out of the “someday” category and into small actions.

Share your dreams with others perhaps as a conversation starter at the dinner table. Encourage others to tell their stories. Write a letter of encouragement to someone. Get involved in community service. Hold on to hope. Source: holidaysmart.com

Whooping Crane Day takes place every year on May 28 to show appreciation for the rarest of all cranes. Intense conservation and breeding programs have brought these remarkable birds back from the brink of extinction.

Whooping cranes are a symbol of international efforts to recover endangered species. These much-studied wild birds winter in Aransas, Texas, and migrate to breeding grounds in Wood Buffalo National Park, Northwest Territories.

When they migrate, whooping cranes (Grus americana) often fly in association with sandhill cranes, but whooping cranes have several distinctive markings. Adult whooping cranes are usually almost completely white. Their non-white markings are black wing tips and black facial markings. The chicks are born a cinnamon brown colour.

Whooping cranes mate for life. They have elaborate courtship rituals, which usually involve dances and unison songs.

The female usually lays two eggs, but it is rare for more than one chick to survive. Both parents care for the chick, which flies with them during fall migration back to the Gulf of Mexico.

Standing nearly 1.5 m (5 feet) tall, whooping cranes are the tallest bird in North America. Covered in bright white plumage, the whooping crane is a truly magnificent bird. They call with a loud trumpeting, which gives them their name.

Whooping cranes have been brought back from the brink. In the 1940s, only 21 whooping cranes remained in the wild due to overhunting and habitat loss. Since then, dedicated captive breeding and re-introduction programs have contributed to an eastern migration population and several non-migratory populations in Louisiana and Florida, totalling approximately 700 wild individuals in 2023.  However, these reintroduced populations are not yet self-sustaining. The Aransas Wood Buffalo population is the only self-sustaining population, numbering only 556 individuals in 2025. Conservation efforts have improved the status of these endangered birds, but challenges remain. Poor productive success, habitat limitation, climate stresses, and poaching are ongoing threats to these wonderful birds.

The annual northern whooping crane festival in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, is a celebration of the return of one of Canada’s most iconic and endangered birds to its nesting grounds in Wood Buffalo National Park.  This year, the festival will be held from July 17-19.

In casual conversation, we use phrases or idioms that seem normal to us, but I often wonder “how did we come to say those things?”

An idiom is a phrase or expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the literal definition of its individual words. Instead, they have a figurative meaning that is learned as a whole, often functioning as culturally specific, colourful, or metaphorical language. For example, “raining cats and dogs” means raining heavily.

The phrase “run-of-the-mill” originated from late 19th-century manufacturing, referring to the entire unsorted output of a factory or mill before quality inspection. It signified average, unsorted goods, including both high and low quality. The phrase became synonymous with “ordinary” or “unremarkable” by the 1920s.

The phrase “as clear as mud” may have originated in satire. One of the first printed references to “as clear as mud” appeared in an 1842 book by RH Barham. The phrase was likely in colloquial use before this printed instance, reflecting the common practice of using irony or humour to highlight confusion.

According to the online idioms dictionary, “as clear as mud” means extremely unclear or confusing, something that is hard to comprehend or follow. Over time, it has become an integral part of everyday speech, used to describe everything from bureaucratic complexity to simple misunderstandings.

The phrase “it ain’t over till the fat lady sings” was coined in 1978 by Dan Cook, a sports writer from San Antonio, Texas, after his town’s basketball team had gone one up in a championship series.

According to Wikipedia, the phrase, “it ain’t over till the fat lady sings” is a colloquialism, often used as a proverb. It means that one should not presume to know the outcome of an event which is still in progress. More specifically, the phrase is used when a situation is or appears to be nearing its conclusion. It cautions against assuming that the current situation of an event is irreversible and clearly determines how or when the event will end.

The phrase is generally understood to be a reference to opera sopranos, who were typically heavyset. In the last half hour of Wagner’s opera Der Ring des Nibelungem. The phrase “the fat lady” likely refers to Brunhilda, who was traditionally presented as a buxom woman. Her farewell scene lasts almost 20 minutes and leads directly to the finale of the whole Ring cycle. Thus, it’s over when the fat lady sings.

I don’t think it’s just my imagination that this winter was colder, icier and cloudier than most in recent memory. At the beginning of April, there was a moment when we thought the back of winter was broken, and then it snowed, snowed again, and snowed some more!

No matter how miserable this winter was, it couldn’t hold a candle to the winter of 1816 which dragged on and on and on. In fact, 1816 became known as The Year Without a Summer. This global climate anomaly was caused by the massive 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia. Volcanic ash and aerosols spread worldwide, lowering global temperatures by 0.4 to 0.7 C. The cool temperatures caused killing frosts and snow in June resulting in widespread crop failures and famine across Europe and North America.

The summer of 1992 was also exceptionally cold, wet and cloudy across Canada and parts of the northern United States. According to Wikipedia, it is often referred to as the “darkest summer in a century”.  This climate anomaly was largely driven by the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, which released massive amounts of sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere, causing global cooling. The aerosols released by the volcano reflected sunlight back into space, resulting in below average temperatures throughout the year, especially from March onward.

Canada was hit hard with Toronto experiencing its coldest summer since 1891 and Winnipeg facing their coolest July since 1884.

Unlike the 1816 Year Without Summer caused by Mount Tambora, the 1992 climate event was less severe, but still caused significant agricultural concern.

Will 2026 be another cold year? People try to predict the weather in many ways such as waking up a  famous  roundhog on Feb. 2, reading a ppigspleen, or consulting the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Whatever the weather brings us this summer, I plan to get out there and enjoy our few warm days before we head back into winter.