Tootfinder

Good Morning #Canada
A bit late this morning as we went out for a big family breakfast. I think I'll chip away at my #CanadianCapitals series by sharing some tidbits about one of our older cities. Halifax, because of its large natural harbour, served as an important military base for British ships in North America. Founded in 1749 and incorporated as a city in 1842, it is known for a number of 1sts. Halifax had the 1st public school in Canada as well as the first law school and art college. Canada’s 1st newspaper, the Halifax Gazette, was established in 1752, and the city had the first all electric city lighting grid in North America. The harbour was also the site for the world's largest man-made explosion in #WWI when a munitions transport collided with another ship. Awesome place to visit but try not to jump when they fire the traditional noon cannon.
#CanadaIsAwesome
https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/halifax

On September 28th, 1867, Toronto officially became the capital city of the new Province of Ontario, and universally accepted as the centre of the universe. It was kind of a pity decision since Toronto had recently lost out to Ottawa when the Queen, the one in England, chose the capital for the Province of Canada. Confederation decreed that the Province of Canada would be split with Canada East becoming Quebec, and Canada West would now be known as Ontario. Toronto got the last laugh because the entire country now revolves around the city, at least in the minds of certain provincial politicians who may or may not want all of Canada to pay for a tunnel under #Hwy401.
#CanadaIsAwesome #CanadianCapitals
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto

Good Morning #Canada
In 1882, Lieutenant-Governor Dewdney acquired land adjacent to the route of the future CPR line at a site known as Pile-of-Bones. He then announced that this featureless site, distinguished only by collections of bison bones, would be the new capital of the North West Territories in western Canada. Thus, Regina was born out of a national scandal and conflict of interest. It became the provincial capital when Saskatchewan officially joined Canada in 1905. The North West Mounted Police were headquartered in Regina, starting in 1885, and the city remains as a training centre for the RCMP. Regina survived a cyclone in 1916 and a great depression riot in 1935. Recently, they recovered from a marketing faux pas when they canceled their tourism slogan, "Regina: The City That Rhymes With Fun."
#CanadaIsAwesome #CanadianCapitals
https://youtu.be/L8eHaVi1yfE?si=Oc2NsqG6tnB4Zqnn

Good Morning #Canada
In July 1871, the City of Victoria officially became the capital of British Columbia, when the province joined the rest of Canada. At the time, the city was larger than Vancouver and had served as the most important settlement in the area for decades. The Colony of Vancouver Island also stamped their little feet and demanded that Victoria be designated as the capital in return for the island to join with the mainland to become part of Canada. Captain James Cook was the first British person to set foot on Vancouver Island in 1778, and in 1843, Fort Victoria was established by the Hudson's Bay Company. There is a long history of Vancouver Island serving as a naval base, and today, Victoria is the home of Canada’s Pacific Coast naval and military headquarters in nearby Esquimalt. Victoria is a top tourist destination and is regularly rated top 5 worldwide as an awesome place to live.
#CanadaIsAwesome #CanadianCapitals
https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/victoria-bc

Good Morning #Canada
In 1905, when Alberta joined Canada, a temporary provincial legislature resided in Edmonton and they were given the task of choosing the capital. Edmonton, by a vote of 16 to 8, was selected over their southern rival Calgary. This choice was despite Calgary's larger size and incorporation as a city a full decade before Edmonton. But the new capital had used their history as an important trading post established on the fur trade route and federal relationships to secure their status as the capital. In 1941, Edmonton was still a relatively small city, ranking 9th in population in Canada. Oil would transform the entire province, and Edmonton would rapidly grow as the gateway to the resource rich Alberta north.
#CanadaIsAwesome #CanadianCapitals
https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/edmonton

Good Morning #Canada
Our #CanadianCapitals feature today is the oldest European settlement in North America as well as the most eastern city on the continent. Despite a history that goes back to he 1490s, St. John's Newfoundland was incorporated as a city in 1921 and became a provincial capital in 1949 upon joining Canada. The natural harbour served explorers and fishermen for centuries, and the settlement survived pirates, attacks by the French, and several devastating fires. If the Portuguese had more influence, it would have been named Rio de San Johem, which is a missed opportunity.
#CanadaIsAwesome
https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/st-johns

Good Morning #Canada
I bet you thought that I forgot about this unfinished series, but I was just waiting for a slow historical news day. Iqaluit is our newest provincial/territorial capital, as Nunavut was officially separated from the Northwest Territories to become the largest and northernmost territory of Canada on April 1, 1999. No fooling. Iqaluit, which means "place of many fish," has a long history as an Inuit hunting and fishing ground. In 1880 the British Government transfers the Arctic archipelago to the Canadian government which begins a century of colonization efforts to protect Canada's sovereignty in the area, with a bit of resource extraction that prompted settlements in Nunavut. Officially named "Frobisher Bay" In 1942 as a military airfield during WWII, the town reverted to its Inuit name in 1987.
#CanadaIsAwesome ##CanadianCapitals
https://www.iqaluit.ca/visitors/explore-iqaluit/history

Good Morning #Canada
I think I'm starting a semi-regular series on #CanadianCapitals, highlighting the governmental centres of power in each province. Toronto, beloved by all Canadians, was featured last weekend and I'll randomly post about the remaining eleven to fill in between my other Good Morning posts. But today, let's review how each provincial capital got its name. Halifax could have been named Dunktown but was saved by a city founder having a fancy title. Imagine living in PEI's capital if King George III was married to someone named Bertha. Native names are used for many capital cities, like Pile of Bones or Muddy Water. And I think Newfoundland missed an opportunity to have an exotic sounding capital when the original name "Rio de San Johem" was lost.
BTW - I know all Canadians will be cheering for the Hogtown Blue Jays in the upcoming playoffs.
#CanadaIsAwesome #WhatsInAName
https://natural-resources.canada.ca/maps-tools-publications/maps/geographical-names-canada/origin-names-canadas-provincial-territorial-capitals

Good Morning #Canada
Today's post about #CanadianCapitals is a town that has the most tennis courts per capita in Canada. I got that factoid from from the internet so we know it's true. As one of the 4 original provinces to join Confederation, New Brunswick joined the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867. Fredericton, previously known as Fort Nashwaak, Pointe-Sainte-Anne, and Frederick's Town, became the provincial capital. Although it was a small community at the time, It was an easy decision because the town had served as the capital of Acadia under the French, and as the seat of government for the colony of New Brunswick under British rule. The New Brunswick Legislature building was originally opened in 1788, but was destroyed by fire in 1880 and replaced in 1882. Fredericton is known for its spacious downtown with wide streets, thanks to the original street plan laid out in a detailed map in 1785.
#CanadaIsAwesome #History
https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fredericton

Good Morning #Canada
#HappyBirthday to Bat Masterson, the famous American gunslinger who was born near Henryville Quebec in 1853. He's our segue to another #CanadianCapitals post, naturally about Quebec City. Explorer Samuel de Champlain founded the French settlement in 1608 and adopted the Algonquin name, which means "where the river narrows." Quebec City is one of the oldest European settlements in North America. The ramparts surrounding Old Quebec (Vieux-Québec) are the only fortified city walls remaining in the Americas north of Mexico. Those walls were put to good use as Québec spent the next 170 years fighting off invaders, mostly by the British but also by Americans. The city was established as the capital of Canada under British rule in 1792 and was named the provincial capital in 1867 when Canada East became Quebec.
#CanadaIsAwesome #History
https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/quebec-city

Good Morning #Canada
In 1896, gold was discovered on a tributary of the Klondike River, leading to tens of thousands of people (mostly Americans) racing north in the #KlondikeGoldRush. Canada feared that the United States would take control of the area (they purchased Alaska in 1867), so the Canadian government sent in the North-West Mounted Police to establish control of the region. The Klondike Gold Rush established the frontier town of Whitehorse, named for the rapids lying south of the settlement. On 13 June 1898, the Yukon Territory Act created Yukon as a separate Canadian territory and placed its capital at Dawson City. During #WWII Whitehorse became an important base of operations for the U.S. military as they built the Alaska Highway. Whitehorse was incorporated as a city in 1950, and in 1953, it became the capital of Yukon when the government was moved from Dawson City.
#CanadaIsAwesome #CanadianCapitals
https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/whitehorse

Good Morning #Canada
One of the most important #CanadianCapitals, perhaps top 3, has to be Charlottetown, the largest city in the potato province. The city is famous for hosting the 1864 Charlottetown Conference, a pivotal meeting that initiated the process leading to Canadian Confederation. So it's a bit of a mystery why the "Birthplace of Confederation ", according to PEI marketing propaganda, took 6 years to decide that they too wanted to become Canadians, and joined us in 1873. Charlottetown's history began with French settlers in 1720, and a British survey in 1764 led to it becoming the capital of St. John's Island (now Prince Edward Island) and receiving its topically British street grid. The island has survived pirates, American mercenaries, hurricanes, potato blight, and Anne of Green Gables fans.
#CanadaIsAwesome #Confederation
https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/charlottetown