The Sylvia Hotel A Classic By the Bay The Sylvia Hotel in Vancouver’s English Bay is an historic building located at 1154 Gilford Street alongside Stanley Park. The hotel has been a significant Vancouver landmark for almost ten decades. Guests who visit The Sylvia today come for the special old-world charm of squeaky elevators and unique-style […]
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What in the Sam Hill? A Man of Peace. Historians believe that the expression “what in the Sam Hill?” originated with a man called Sam Hill, a minister of finance to Oliver Cromwell in 17th century England. Others believe the expression is attributed to a Quaker named Sam Hill who lived part of his life
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Flotsam and Jetsam (Early Characters in B.C.’s Capital City.) Many of the colourful transients who drifted into the capital city in the early days barely stayed long enough to guarantee themselves a place in the history books, but I recently discovered a few interesting examples. One was Polish-born, carriage driver Billy Barlow. In 1863, he
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A Christmas Miracle At least once in everyone’s life we need a miracle. The story of the one that happened over 180 years ago on a cold, crisp Christmas Eve in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, has been told many times before but, in today’s world of unrest and uncertainty, it still bears repeating. It concerns
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Our Freedom! This is the time of year when we honor all those who have served to protect our freedom. My father served in World War II; My Uncle was at Dunkirk; another uncle lost his life at age 19; a family friend was an Air Force pilot. Other members of my extended family have
An Important Day in History Two of the most important events in ancient and modern history happened on this date—September 28 — although neither are celebrated worldwide today or even thought about much. The first was the birth of Confucius, one of the most important people in ancient China, born on this date in 551
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New Beginnings To me, this time of year seems more like A New Year than January 1st does. It is a time for new beginnings—a new school year, starting university— and even if you are well past those years yourself, thinking about when your children were starting school. Now with grandchildren entering the world of
A History of Midwifery Midwifery around the world, and especially in North America, has in many ways come full circle over the past three centuries. In the 1600s, the King of France commissioned several midwives to work in the colonies. In 1713 the first midwife was elected to serve in Quebec and until the 20th
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Discovery Days in the Klondike! Discovery Day is a provincial holiday celebrated every year in August in the Yukon. During August, there are celebrations happening everywhere. Citizens and tourists alike celebrate the fact that in 1896, George Carmack, an American prospector, and Skookum Jim and Dawson Charlie, two Tagish First Nations men, staked placer gold
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A Misnamed Islet off Cadboro Bay? There is a small islet off the north-east shore of Cadboro Bay in my hometown, Victoria, British Columbia, called Ellen Staines Isle. The story behind it is an interesting piece of historical trivia. For some unknown reason the small island was mis-named, because Ellen Staines Isle was named to
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