Rogers’ Chocolates since 1885

 

Rogers' Chocolates celebrated its 125th Anniversary on October 25th, 2010. The company is steeped in tradition and a rich history that has earned them a reputation as one of Canada's premiere chocolate makers. The first Rogers' chocolates were made in 1885 by Charles "Candy" Rogers in the back of his grocery store in Victoria, British Columbia. He quickly became a popular man.

In 1891, Rogers expanded his chocolate operation to the company's current heritage storefront on Government Street in Victoria and the rest, as they say, is history. Today, there are 8 retail stores, several hundred wholesale outlets that ship to over 50 countries, and a 20,000 square-foot factory.  For more information, visit the History webpage. Also, see the timeline on A Brief History of Chocolate from 250BC to 2010, and view the Rogers Videos on YouTube.

 

50 years ago in the October 1962 CAmagazine

The October 1962 edition of CAmagazine discussed the “Need for reform in the Bankruptcy Act.” It stated that: “Bankruptcies and their attendant losses have become a most pressing problem…. A tremendous volume of business is presently conducted in Canada by ‘thin’ corporations — where the shareholders have very little of their own money in the company. [One] might well remark that such a corporation should not be given credit…. Our present Bankruptcy Act … displays no recognition, whatsoever, of the need of a separate set of ‘ground rules’ in dealing with corporations.”

Also, read about the “60th Annual Conference” (from the summary of the CICA annual meeting in Fredericton, New Brunswick) and “The new management theories make for poor performance” (a summary of “Executives who can’t manage,” from The Atlantic Monthly, July 1962).

Canada Day 2012 – a country celebrates 145 years of confederation

Canada Day is often called “Canada’s Birthday,” ever since Canada was united into a single country on July 1, 1867, 145 years ago. Each year, Canadians celebrate that event on Canada Day, July 1. From coast to coast to coast, communities will put their unique stamps on the day.

On Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the Peace Tower carillon will ring in British-legacy military pageantry, including a 200th anniversary look-back to the War of 1812 and a concert. Elsewhere, people will celebrate with citizenship ceremonies, maple beer swigging, a yoga fest, block parties, some cheering for our Olympians, kicking back at the cottage, horse shows, “O Canada” singing contests, a Montreal “mega-cake,” salmon barbecues, Inuit games, bannock-making, a Bollywood fashion show, line-dancing, and all manner of revelry.

View a video from the Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, and statements from Thomas Mulcair and Bob Rae. See the Toronto Star article, “On Canada Day 2012, show the flag for all of us.” Also, refer to “Google celebrates Canada Day with home-page doodle.”

Titanic Tragedy Remembered - 1912-2012

April 14, 2012, marks the centennial since the HMS Titanic hit an iceberg and sank in the Atlantic Ocean. Everything about the Titanic and its journey was big. Its biggest promise — one few stopped to question — was that it was an unsinkable ship.

On April 10, 1912, the Titanic left Southampton, England, to travel west across the Atlantic Ocean and reach New York City on the other side. It carried 2,435 passengers and 892 crew members. But arrogance on the part of the White Star Line and lax maritime safety regulations of the time, ensured most on board never reached the US. To add deck space, designers of the ship had a second row of lifeboats removed. That left only 20 lifeboats — not nearly enough for all who were on board.

When the ship struck an iceberg 600 kilometres off the coast of Newfoundland and sank, its once awe-inspiring size and capacity became a hindrance. Women, children and some men were ushered into lifeboats that had no hope of holding every person on the ship. More than 1,700 people were still on the Titanic when it broke apart and slipped into the frigid North Atlantic. Anyone who fell into the water would have died within minutes because of hypothermia.

When the news reached Europe and North America — that the mammoth unsinkable ship had indeed sunk — the headlines in newspaper were big too. An estimated 700 people survived but more than 1,500 died. Titanic photographs still haunt 100 years after disaster.

How did the Titanic sink? According to an article in the National Post, experts who have advised both National Geographic and the History Channel for their 100-year anniversary documentary programs offer their views. The following represents the best estimations science and history can currently make as to what happened in the moments immediately before and after the Titanic disappeared beneath the surface.

As the world remembers the tragedy of the Titanic, CBC News looks back at some of the stories and legends of the doomed ocean liner. From the ship's comforts and luxuries to the personalities on board, there is no shortage of anecdotes and details about the Titanic. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has a permanent connection to the sinking of Titanic. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary, visitors can see many exhibits, programs and special events.

Air Canada's 75-year History - 1937-2012

In the early 1930s, Canada was one of the few industrialized countries without a national airline. There were a number of regional bush airlines scattered across the country, and Canadian Pacific had part ownership in Canadian Airways, a group of regional airlines that served mining communities and transported mail. However, there was no air service linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. R.B. Bennett's Conservative government was interested in launching an airline, but couldn't afford to do so during the Great Depression. It wasn't until 1935 when Mackenzie King came to power that the idea became a reality. King created a Department of Transport and appointed Clarence Decatur Howe, the man who would be Air Canada's architect and most passionate defender, as minister.

C.D. Howe intended for the airline to be under government control, but also initially wanted private enterprise to take a role in it. He proposed collaboration between CP Rail, CN Rail and Canadian Airways. Although Canadian Airways badly wanted to operate the airline, political manoeuvring got in the way and it was shut out. Trans-Canada Air was legislated into existence April 11, 1936, a subsidiary of CNR, which was in turn owned by the federal government. Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) started up with $5 million in seed money. It bought three airplanes from Canadian Airways, and hired a number of executives from US airlines, such as United and American.

TCA set forth on its inaugural flight July 30, 1937 (data and photos of the historical fleet are available online). C.D. Howe boarded a Lockheed aircraft in Montreal at dawn, and more than 17 hours later landed in Vancouver at dusk, after touching down in five cities across the country. TCA’s first regular route was between Vancouver and Seattle, a flight that cost $14.20 round trip. Travel was quite a bit less comfortable back then. Pressurized cabins were a thing of the future, the planes were drafty and no oxygen was provided during flights.

The market for air travel increased after the Second World War. The romance of the RCAF and the booming post-war economy made Canadians less afraid and better able to afford to fly. TCA expanded quickly over the next 30 years adding routes to the U.S., Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. The company changed its name to Air Canada in 1965 to reflect the fact that it no longer flew solely within Canada.

Air Canada marked its 75th anniversary in Toronto, Ontario (Canada) on Friday March 2, 2012. About 800 customers, employees, partners and dignitaries attended, along with Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner which was on display for attendees to tour (see a gallery of photos online). Canada’s largest air carrier has centred its future fleet renewal around the 787. Air Canada has 37 aircraft on order, but delivery of the first seven Dreamliners will not be until 2014. The remaining 30 will be delivered between 2015 and 2019.

For extensive information on Air Canada’s history, see Wikipedia, CBC News – May 14, 2004, Funding Universe and FlightGlobal’s Canadian Aviation Blog (Part 1 and Part 2).

Toronto Transit Archives

The Transit Toronto Archives contain scanned and other electronic images, including maps, old brochures, news clippings, annual reports, schedules, sound files and a photo gallery. The materials were produced by the Toronto Transit Commission and other transit agencies in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) over the past century. While not a complete list, this material is useful for understanding how public transportation in Toronto has grown and developed since its beginnings in the mid 19th century.  The TTC’s Previous Websites can be accessed courtesy the Internet Archive. More maps and photographs are available online at Mike’s Transit Stop.

Canadian corporate archives - The Canadian Tire Heritage Collection

At the D.B. Weldon Library on the campus of the University of Western Ontario, an expression of Canadian culture like no other quietly sits waiting to be uncovered. This incredible collection of materials is known as The Canadian Tire Heritage Collection. It's a treasure trove that includes hundreds of catalogues dating back to the early 1930s, internal newsletters, annual reports, 39,000 photographs, various versions of Canadian Tire money and hundreds of audio and visual files including some now-famous television ads.  To learn more, read the article “Canadian Tire archives - treasure trove” in Western News (November 22, 2007 Vol. 43 No. 32) which is also available online.

Canada's History and the Hudson's Bay Company

In 1994, the Hudson's Bay Company donated its corporate archives to what is now the Archives of Manitoba, and its museum collection to The Manitoba Museum, both public institutions. These gifts earned a substantial tax saving, most of which was put to work in the name of history by establishing the Hudson's Bay Company History Foundation. The Foundation, in turn, provides core funding to ensure the maintenance of the Company's gifts and to support the initiatives of Canada's History. Canada’s History operates independently of the Foundation and realizes additional funding through memberships, donations and sponsorships. As a registered charity, it can accept donations and issue receipts for income tax purposes.

Bank of Canada - Celebrating 75 years

The Bank of Canada opened its doors in Ottawa on March 11, 1935, during the Great Depression. Its role was set out in the Bank of Canada Act of 1934: "to promote the economic and financial welfare of Canada." Shares of the privately-owned bank cost $50 but, in 1938, the Canadian government bought out shareholders and nationalized the bank. Today, the bank operates accounts only for the Canadian government, other central banks and commercial banks. To mark its 75th anniversary, the Currency Museum of the Bank of Canada has inaugurated a new exhibition which looks at the Bank and its history from the perspective of outside observers - journalists, cartoonists, headline writers, economists, politicians, government-appointed commissions, and the public at large. Visit the online exhibit By All Accounts: 75 Years of Central Banking.

Digital Archives - Canadian Enterprises Gallery

The Canadian Enterprises Gallery states "The heritage of Canada as a nation is inextricably interwoven with the growth and development of a diverse spectrum of Canadian enterprises. From the small family business to the large multi-national corporation, Canada has largely been built on the foundations laid by a broad range of private as well as public institutions." A 2001 posting notes "One of the leading and largest professional accounting bodies in the world, the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA, as it is more commonly known) received its federal charter in 1902. Since then, it has been the pre-eminent accounting organization in Canada and has kept pace with the growth of Canada's economy. The mission of CICA is to serve the interests of society and the CA profession by providing leadership to uphold the professional integrity, standards and pre-eminence of Canada's Chartered Accountants, nationally and internationally."

Learn more at the Canadian Heritage Gallery, the most extensive collection of historical Canadiana on the Internet.