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Le Canada a people's history  unhistoire populaire

With Peter Gzowski

Peter Gzowski wasn't the first host of the CBC Radio program Morningside - actor Don Harron was, from 1977 to 1982. But soon after Gzowski took over the program in 1982, Morningside and its host became synonymous. The phrase, "did you listen to Peter Gzowski this morning", is a well remembered and well loved one, and with it we welcome you to this small tribute to one of the greatest programmes CBC Radio has ever run, and to one of the greatest Canadians who ever lived

morningsidegzowski.jpg

Peter Gzowski was no rookie at hosting a CBC morning show, having helmed This Country in the Morning from 1971 to 1974. After a foray into late-night television and writing a couple of books Gzowski was back on radio, drawing out his guests with thoughtful questions for three hours, mostly live, each weekday morning. In 15 years with the program he conducted an estimated 27,000 interviews with politicians, writers, artists, athletes, activists and anyone with a story to tell. His program inspired so many letters Gzowski turned them into several volumes of The Morningside Papers.

Gzowski wrapped up Morningside in the town where he was hired as a newspaper editor 40 years earlier - Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The CBC's Stuart McLean and Shelagh Rogers were guests on that last show and there was a final political panel. Musicians Connie Kaldor and Colin James performed and author W.O. Mitchell read from his novel Who Has Seen the Wind. It was a tribute not to Peter Gzowski or to his radio show, but to the province where he launched his career - fitting for the man who always kept the focus on his guests and not himself.

After his retirement in 1997, Gzowski continued to write, and in 1999 he was appointed chancellor of Trent University. He died on Jan. 24, 2002, of emphysema. After his death tributes poured in from across the country - from Prime Minister Jean Chretien, former colleagues, faithful listeners and Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, who said: "Through him, we listened to voices from every corner of our vast land. As we say good-bye to this respected Canadian, we thank him for bringing us closer together." For some of us, weekday mornings have never been the same since; and you know what? We still miss Peter. In memory green. Forever Morningside.

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The Aftermath [click for larger image]

On October 15, 1954, the most famous hurricane in Canadian history struck Southern Ontario. Hurricane Hazel was projected to dissipate, but instead re-intensified unexpectedly and rapidly, pounding the Toronto region with winds that reached 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph) and 285 millimetres (11.23 inches) of rain in 48 hours. Bridges and streets were washed out, homes and trailers were washed into Lake Ontario. Thousands were left homeless, and 81 people were killed—more than 30 on one street alone. The total cost of the destruction in Canada was estimated at $100 million (about $1 billion today). This storm would change the Toronto landscape forever and mobilize the need for managing watersheds on a regional basis.
Most of these reports are at the CBC Archives website, except for Hurricane Hazel: 50 Years Later, which is the on line presence for a documentary film about this, the greatest hurricane tragedy to strike Canada. Hurrican Hazel:50 Years Later would also like you to share your memories of the event, so get in touch with the web people. The article entitled A Killer Named Hazel was written by Steve Pitt and was published by Legion Magazine in their September/October 2001 edition.

Ernie Smith's Tragedy

The commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Hurricane Hazel in 2004 brought many people out to one of the most devastated sites, Kings Mill Park, where the Ontario Heritage Foundation unveiled a bronze plaque in recognition of the 81 people that lost their lives during the devastation.

a great site with lots of real stories to read about real women. The stories are written by women who are passionate about their subject. They have a cool women timeline too. Check back often, the site is updated regularly.

dedicated to helping people
begin their exploration of Canadian Women's History

1913-1965
Canadian writer, whose 1944 novel Earth and High Heaven was the first Canadian book to reach number one on the
New York Times bestseller list

discover some famous Canadian women

1904-1969
Canada's all round female athlete - includes bio , newspaper clippings, live interview
and more.

1846-1888
a remarkable Canadian woman and she was the tallest woman in the world

Stuart Mclean

Peter Gzowski. 1934 - 2002 [click for full size]
.

CBC takes us to  the annual
North American Butterfly Association
Canada Day butterfly count
near Calgary where millions of
butterflies are showing up
creating a rare treat for spectators.

this book, published in 2000,
has a wonderful image of Peter
at the Morningside desk
the image is reproduced on the
right hand side of the page

an Indepth report
When Deep Throat's true identity
was revealed on May 31, 2005,
a decades-old mystery was laid
 to rest. CBC News Online looks at
a few Canadian mysteries that
have yet to be solved.

a tornado is the stuff of nightmares.
amid heavy rain and hail, huge
thunder clouds roll in and the skies
turn greenish-black. and then a
rope-like funnel cloud punches
down, smashing everything
in its path.
a report from the CBC Archives

while a leader in the Ottawa Area
Girl Guides, the part of
the Guiding Programme on
Famous Canadian Women
was not an easy area to research,
Dawn Monroe developed a series
of activities for her own Guide unit.
Other leaders asked for
copies of the activities.
 It saved a lot of individual
work to share these activity
pages.Wanting to learn more
about web pages on the internet
Dawn decided to do something
practicable as a learning project.
Famous Canadian Women
was born. absolutely fascinating
is the best way to describe this
website, the whard work and the
pride in that work shows through
come with us now and find out
for yourselves.

As a people, Canadians are
obsessed with their natural
surroundings and the natural
events that affect their day-to-day
lives. And it should come as no
surprise: Canada spans an
enormous landmass from
sea to sea to sea, and
has been moulded over
time by an impressive array
of weather and geological
events, from rampaging tornadoes
to searing forest fires and
icy avalanches.
We'll find out more about
the forces of nature affecting you
in this CBC Indepth report

performers in Barrie
More than 35,000 people gathered
under sunny skies in Barrie, Ont.
0n Saturday 2nd July 2005 to
take in a mix of music and message
at the Canadian version of the
 worldwide Live 8 concert event.
CBC was there to cover this
momentous event

"are cows really stupid?"
this is one abiding Morningside
 memory, for us, from
some years ago. Stuart McLean
visited a Jersey cow dairy farm
in Ontario

what retired York University
history professor, and writer
Jack Granatstein and writer
and broadcaster Robert Fulton
have to say about how our hisrory
is presented in Canadian schools
and how well a
group of Canadians did
on a quiz about Canadian history
a special Indepth Canada Day
report from CBC

for more than thirty years
Land and Sea has brought you
stories from people who live off
 the land and the sea. today 
this programme also covers
issues that affect people in
rural communities which
ultimately affect those
in cities as well.

The first Maple Leaf flag to
 fly atop the Peace Tower in Ottawa,
 in 1965 was flown back to
Ottawa from Brussels in time for
 Canada Day 2005 celebrations
a report from CBC News Online

1869-1944
This previously unknown
essay by Stephen Leacock,
When Boys Leave Home
 — A Talk on Camping, was
published for the first time in the
Friday, July 1, 2005
edition of The Globe and Mail

this online atlas offers a
collection of maps and related
materials and infromation
about Canada

a series of documentaries that
define who we are as a people
and a country.from CBC, of course

thousands of people gathered on
Parliament Hill, the traditional flypast
of the Snowbirds aerobatic team
kicked off the Canada Day 2005 
celebrations in the nation's capital
reports and files from
CBC News Fri, 01 Jul 2005

Shelagh Rogers

Peter Gzowski 1934-2002

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