Absolutely Literate

So happy to receive my copy of "A Kamloops Neighbourhood Remembered" by Andrew Yarmie with the beautiful illustrations by Debbie Milner Lively. It is always rewarding to see the final product.

On May 1st, the Chilliwack Hospital Auxiliary celebrated their 115th anniversary of supporting healthcare in Chilliwack - what an amazing legacy and they are still going strong. They also donated $115,000 towards an echocardiography ultrasound machine.

On May 1st, we celebrated our 115th anniversary of supporting healthcare in Chilliwack at the Chilliwack General Hospital with some dignitaries, hospital administration, and the Fraser Valley Healthcare Foundation.

We also donated $115,000 towards an echocardiography ultrasound machine.

https://chilliwackhospitalauxiliary.ca/115th-anniversary-of-auxiliary/webpagesupport/

Canadian Heritage wants to hear from Canada's creative sector!
Canadian Heritage is inviting organizations across the cultural sector to complete the National Survey on the Cultural Sector's Readiness for Artificial Intelligence. The feedback will help inform the development of the new $50 million Creative Technology Program, designed to support the sector's adaptation to emerging technologies.
The survey is open to organizations in:
🎬 Audiovisual
🎮 Interactive Digital Media
🎵 Music
📚 Books
🎭 Performing Arts
🖼️ Visual & Applied Arts
🏛️ Museums
📰 News
🗂️ Archives
🪶 Indigenous Languages

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In my opinion, the survey is heavily skewed to adopting AI as the only way. Why are they investing $50 million for technology that damages heritage, arts and culture when they have cut staff at LAC and funding to the arts in general? This program should be cancelled and the Federal government should not be using public funds to invest in or promote investment in private infrastructure. $50 million would go a long way to supporting jobs and saving crumbling buildings in heritage, arts and culture.
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Survey closes: September 15
https://creativebc.com/2026/07/survey-national-survey-on-the-cultural-sectors-readiness-for-artificial-intelligence/

Canadian Heritage wants to hear from Canada's creative sector!

Canadian Heritage is inviting organizations across the cultural sector to complete the National Survey on the Cultural Sector's Readiness for Artificial Intelligence. The feedback will help inform the development of the new $50 million Creative Technology Program, designed to support the sector's adaptation to emerging technologies.

The survey is open to organizations in:

🎬 Audiovisual
🎮 Interactive Digital Media
🎵 Music
📚 Books
🎭 Performing Arts
🖼️ Visual & Applied Arts
🏛️ Museums
📰 News
🗂️ Archives
🪶 Indigenous Languages

Survey closes: September 15

🔗 Complete the survey: https://creativebc.com/2026/07/survey-national-survey-on-the-cultural-sectors-readiness-for-artificial-intelligence/

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has just added seven new entries from Canadian English.

- Cashspiel (noun): A competition or tournament held for cash prizes. A play on "bonspiel," often a curling tournament held between players from different clubs or districts.
- Elbows up (phrase): Used to indicate willingness to (aggressively) defend oneself or fight back. Frequently as a modifier.
- Grunt (noun): A dessert consisting of stewed fruit with a biscuit or dough topping, typically cooked on a stovetop rather than baked in an oven. Frequently with modifying word indicating the fruit used.
- Kitty-corner (adjective and adverb): Situated diagonally opposite someone or something.
- Kokum (noun): Chiefly in Cree cultural contexts: a grandmother; one's grandmother; (more generally) an elderly woman. Also as a familiar title or form of address.
- Land acknowledgment (noun): A formal written or spoken statement to recognize and honour the original Indigenous inhabitants of land that was subsequently colonized and on which an event or activity takes place, or an institution is located.
- Point form (noun and adjective): A format in which written information is presented in a list or series of concise statements.

Check out the whole story on the CBC News website.

POSTPONED to July 9 due to power outage.

July Ontario Ancestors - The Ontario Genealogical Society Webinar
Permissions Made Simple: Copyright for Family Historians with Andrea Lister

THURSDAY, July 2, 2026 at 7:00pm ET

Are you worried that you have given your family story away when you sign up for online services? Do you want to share your family history in a book or on a website or in a YouTube video or social media? Do you want to use photos, maps, text, music, in your book but are not sure what you can use or how to get permission?

DISCLAIMER: Andrea is not a copyright lawyer. This talk is based on her extensive work as an editor, author, and teacher and is not meant as legal advice. Please consult a lawyer if you have copyright questions.

All audiences

https://ogs.on.ca/july-webinar-permissions-made-simple-copyright-for-family-historians-andrea-lister/

My friend Annette is speaking at the upcoming Virtual Conference 2026: From Steamships to Microchips · Jun 12-14 2026

She has been researching the Canadian First World War Brides since 2005. Her fascination began when she inherited a letter written in 1919 by her grandmother, who was a war bride from this era. The 68-page letter chronicles her grandmother’s maiden voyage across the Atlantic to Canada on a dependent ship with her soldier husband. The ship carried thousands of returning Canadian soldiers, war brides and civilians after the war. For the past 20 years, Annette has done extensive research on these pioneering war brides. She shares their history in an hour-long PowerPoint presentation.

Registration Now Open
https://ogs.on.ca/virtual-conference-2026/

Anatomy of an Agreement from More than a List of Crew Project
Memorial University of Newfoundland

Investigate two of the most common types of Crew Agreements by means of in-text annotations. They are a Foreign-Going Agreement for a voyage in 1870/1 made by the sailing ship Juno, and a Home-Trade six-month Agreement for the Brio, a steamer in service in 1908.
https://mha.mun.ca/mha/mlc/toolkit/agreements/foreign-going/

Seafaring Ancestors
May 25, 2026 @ 7:30 pm EST
Online webinar
Free. Visitors welcome. Register Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society
Do you have captains, crew, ship-owners, insurers, bread-makers or pirates in your family tree? You might have an ancestor involved in the shipping industry and not realize it. Learn where to look to discover your seafaring ancestors. This talk provides a basic overview of where to look for seafaring ancestors (not those who were in the navy) tailored for British and Canadian research. https://torontofamilyhistory.org/event/seafaring-ancestors/?instance_id=1652

Where were your family on VE Day?

Is your family history society or organization looking for virtual or in-person presentations for 2026?

The census questions reflect the concerns of the times through the demographics, whether it is to determine housing needs, infrastructure needs, and social change.

The early census only asked names, ages, occupations, and location. some years they asked detailed questions about crops and livestock. Some years they asked about education and health. Every census is a little different and provide an interesting window into the past.

1666 - New France census - the first census in what would become known as Canada
1842 - Questions regarding religion
1901 - Questions regarding year of immigration
1901 - People could record they were divorced
1921 - Amount of insurance held
1931 - Questions around employment (in response to the Depression)

I offer three presentations on the Canadian census to help family historians find their ancestors in these records. Contact me to learn more. https://www.absolutelyliterate.com/presentations.html