Canada

Monthly Archive: December Cana

In Hot Water – the Ongoing Debate on Bottled Water Extraction in Ontario

Posted: March 9, 2018 - 15:20 , by Hellen Fu
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Large sign in snowy field reads: Nestlé Waters Canada bottling plant and head office 101 Brock Rd.S., Township of Puslinch

In the quiet countryside of the county of Wellington, echoes from a clash between the local community and mega-corporation Nestlé still linger in the air. Starting in 2015, the debate over Nestlé’s water extraction in Aberfoyle and Elora sparked outcry from community members and organizations that got the attention of the province (and indeed the international community). It is time to take a look at what has happened since, and what both Nestlé and anti-water bottling organizations have to say about it, for the battle is far from over.

When Things Go Wrong for Right Whales

Posted: March 8, 2018 - 10:44 , by Hellen Fu
Carcass of right whale floating in ocean, researchers on large dinghy

Guest blog written by Environmental Visual Communication student Viridiana Jimenez

The death of seventeen right whales in 2017 represents a loss of over 3% of the population. The significance of this loss has sent the scientific community into a panic. Their deaths were primarily caused by ship collisions or entanglements with fishing gear. As frequent visitors to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, we must now work together to save this species from extinction.

When Whaling is Your Tradition

Posted: February 27, 2018 - 15:35 , by Hellen Fu
Inuit community standing on and near a recently hunted bowhead whale on beach

Guest blog written by Environmental Visual Communication student Ursula McClintock

In some Indigenous communities around the world, whaling is as much a part of their tradition as my family’s turkey dinner at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Whale hunting has played an integral role in feeding Inuit communities for millennia. Bowhead whales, among many other species of whales, were hunted to near extinction at the turn of the 20th century. Yet more often than not, Indigenous communities are cast in the same light as the commercial groups that are responsible for the near collapse of populations of these iconic marine animals.

Trees for Life in Lakefield

Posted: February 8, 2018 - 10:46 , by Hellen Fu
Children playing in a large tree

Guest blog written by Environmental Visual Communication student Fenella Hood

When Rebecca Rose left her home in Leslieville and moved her three young children to the quaint village of Lakefield, she felt secure in the belief that she was improving their lot in life. Then one day a notice was slipped through her door from the Township of Selwyn announcing her next-door neighbour's severance application to build a second house and increase his selling power. His small corner lot boasts a stand of seven mature trees that will need to be cut down to make room for the build. “It felt like being kicked in the stomach. I don't want those trees to die, and I don't want to tell my kids.”

No Cutting Corners: Canada C3 Explores our Country's Coastline

Posted: July 13, 2017 - 13:13 , by ROM
A view over ice floes in the Arctic Ocean from the bow of a Students On Ice Boat in 2011. Photo by Mary Paquet

Guest Blog written by 2017 Environmental Visual Communication student Mary Paquet

Have you ever been in a place where you knew that not many other people had ever stepped foot? As an “ocean nation”, surrounded on three sides by the longest coastline of any other country, there are nooks and crannies of our country that are yet to be experienced by many Canadians. This summer, through an exciting ocean-based expedition called Canada C3, along with an interactive hub at the ROM that connects museum visitors to this expedition, many Canadians will be able to experience the coastal landscapes of our country from another perspective, and connect the rest of us to those extraordinary places. Read on for more info about the Canada C3 expedition and how you can interact with its voyage!

CANADA 150 - Quebec - Trade beads

Posted: June 12, 2017 - 15:03 , by ROM
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four rows of white sead beads

This week, I want to write about beads.

Who sings for blues? How Blue Whales became ingredients in everyday products

Posted: June 2, 2017 - 16:38 , by ROM
A photo of a canister of Canadian Blue Whale Brand Fertilizer - made from blue whale products in the 1950s. Photo by Katherine Ing

Living in Ontario, the Blue Whale in the vast ocean may seem a distant thought from our daily lives. But our history with these animals is more intertwined than we realize - for example, would you ever use fertilizer in your garden made from blue whales? Canadians used to! Read this guest blog post by ROM Biodiversity / Blue Whale team member Katherine Ing to find out a bit more about the other ways whale products became a part of everyday life during the peak of industrial whaling, and what that means for modern global whale conservation.

Canada 150 - Prince Edward Island - red pottery

Posted: May 25, 2017 - 12:20 , by ROM
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detail of ceramic bowl

One of my favorite things to think about when studying craft objects is the way in which they can teach us about the place where they were made, in both sociocultural and environmental aspects. Most often craft objects are examined from the sociocultural perspective, but the environmental perspective is important. Crafts are objects made in places, with natural resources. The story of some craft objects can teach us a great deal about the natural world and how human beings use the products of the natural world.

CANADA 150 - New Brunswick - Deichmann Pottery

Posted: April 4, 2017 - 11:40 , by ROM
detail of a ceramic cup

It can be pretty common in rural parts of Canada to find a pottery studio. Lots of Ontario cottagers have favorite potters that they visit in their cottage community. Many of the Gulf Islands in BC have at least one resident potter. Quebec has a hugely successful pottery show that draws in artists from across the province, 1001 Pots, which highlights the rural potter’s lifestyle. It is so common that it’s hard to believe that there were, at one time, pioneers of that way of life.

CANADA 150 - Newfoundland and Labrador - Michael Massie Teapot

Posted: March 22, 2017 - 12:58 , by ROM
detail of silver teapot

My second object from Newfoundland and Labrador is a contemporary piece by silversmith Michael Massie.  It is a teapot, mimicking the shape of an ulu knife, with etched designs on the silver body of the pot.  The handle is made of bloodwood. Massie is a contemporary Canadian artist who was born in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador, in 1962. He currently lives on the island portion of the province with his family.