Spadina Museum Salon
Uncertain Futures, Imperfect Pasts
An Interactive History Salon
The Queen’s Image: Elizabeth II and the Media from 1952 to 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 7 to 9 p.m.
Speaker: Carolyn Harris, PhD, author of The Royal Historian blog
Over the course of her 60-year reign Queen Elizabeth II’s image has evolved,
reflecting changing perceptions of the monarchy in the U.K. and Commonwealth.
Expert on the history of European monarchy and the Canadian media’s source
on the royals, Carolyn Harris will talk about the perception of Queen Elizabeth’s
II in the media – from a popular young queen symbolizing modernity, to her
challenged ‘60s and ‘70s image presiding over a society in transition and now
as the respected head of a 21st-century celebrity royal family.
Download flyer (PDF)
Subway Life & Transit Expansion during Toronto’s Automobile Age
Tuesday, October 30, 7 to 9 p.m.
Speaker: Jay Young, PhD and founding co-editor of ActiveHistory.ca
In 1954, Toronto celebrated the opening of a subway under Yonge Street – the first
new rapid transit system built in North America during the post WWII era of mass
motorization. From the 1940s to the 1970s, the TTC built over 50 kilometres of
rapid transit across Metro Toronto. Jay Young, whose PhD dissertation examines
the growth of the Toronto subway system, will lead the discussion on the political
debates surrounding the city’s subways during these decades of growth and
their impact on the metropolitan area.
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Give Me Shelter: The Failure of Canada's Cold War Civil Defence
Tuesday, November 6, 7 to 9 p.m.
Speaker: Dr. Andrew Burtch, Canadian War Museum's historian for the post-1945 period
During the early years of the Cold War, Canada’s Civil Defence agencies
exhorted citizens to volunteer as air raid wardens, to stockpile supplies and
to build fallout shelters in preparation for the imminent nuclear storm. In his
presentation, Andrew Burtch, Research Fellow at the University of Waterloo’s
Centre on Canadian Foreign Policy and Federalism, explains the evolution of
Canada’s civil defence policies and addresses why the Cold War program failed.
Download flyer (PDF)
The Honour and Service of the Maple Crown
Tuesday, November 13, 7 to 9 p.m.
Speaker: Cian Horrobin, GTA Chair of the Monarchist League of Canada
175 years ago a rebellion raged in Upper Canada (Ontario) with rebels
denouncing the monarchy and calling for responsible government. Since then
the views of Canadians have shifted back and forth from holding the monarchy
in high regard to general indifference or as fodder for celebrity gossip. Cian
Horrobin, frequent media commentator on the monarchy, will explore the
role of the Canadian Royal Family through the lens of community-building
organizations, charities and trusts.
Download flyer (PDF)