Today’s Features

  • 1829 William Hamilton Merritt and George Keefer officially open the Welland Canal.
  • 1885 Wandering Spirit hanged with 7 other Cree people; for murders at Frog Lake.
  • 2000 Jean Chrétien wins third straight federal election; 173 out of 301 seats.

List of Facts for November 27

  • 1645 Music - First violin played in New France. Québec, Québec
  • 1829 Shipping - William Hamilton Merritt and George Keefer officially open the Welland Canal from Port Dalhousie, Ontario to Port Robinson; to Port Colborne in 1833; deepened in 1841; enlarged in 1850; replaced by the new Welland Canal, with a depth of nine metres, in 1932. Port Robinson, Ontario
  • 1837 Lower Canada Rebellion - Funeral for 24 Patriotes killed at St-Charles in battle with British troops. St-Charles, Québec
  • 1860 Religion - Christ Church Anglican Cathedral completed. Montréal, Québec
  • 1861 Transport - First streetcars in Montréal make their debut. Montréal, Québec
  • 1876 Members of the First Northwest Territories Territorial Council (appointed) sworn in at Livingstone Barracks (Swan River). Fort Livingstone, Saskatchewan
  • 1885 North West Rebellion - Justice - Wandering Spirit hanged outside Fort Battleford with 7 other Cree people; for the murders at Frog Lake, Saskatchewan on April 2, 1885; last public execution in Canada; in his statement, Wandering Spirit blamed the CPR as the main cause of his peoples’ sufferings because the railway brought many settlers to the region. Battleford, Saskatchewan
  • 1893 Rail - CPR leases the Turkey Track line from the Alberta Railway and Coal Company. Alberta
  • 1896 Wilfrid Laurier puts Clifford Sifton in charge of immigration; MP for Brandon and Minister of the Interior to 1905; starts hard sell promotion to lure settlers from the US and Europe. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1898 Disaster - An East Coast gale ravages the Maritimes and New England; the “Portland storm” sinks the US passenger sidewheeler S.S. Portland, drowning 191; 400 others killed by the same storm in both countries. Nova Scotia
  • 1939 Aviation - Bush pilot W. E. Catton leaves Winnipeg in his Junkers W-34 to respond to a medical emergency in Repulse Bay, NWT; returns December 20, 1939 with a patient with severe frostbite and gangrenous hands. Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1943 Football - Hamilton Flying Wildcats beat the Winnipeg Bombers 23-14 in the 31st Grey Cup game. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1944 Second World War - Air Minister Chubby Power quits the Mackenzie King cabinet in protest against conscription. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1944 Second World War - Major David Currie of the South Alberta Reconnaissance Regiment awarded the Victoria Cross for actions stopping the Germans from breaking through the Canadian lines at St. Lambert-sur-Dives, Normandy; 7th Canadian to win the VC in WW2; later Sergeant at Arms of the House of Commons. London, England
  • 1947 Camilien Houde re-elected Mayor of Montréal by acclamation; had spent some of the war years interned at Camp Petawawa for his opposition to conscription. Montréal, Québec
  • 1948 Football - Calgary Stampeders beat Ottawa Roughriders 12-7 in the 36th Grey Cup game. Hundreds of Calgary fans made the three-day train trip to Toronto, breaking into a spontaneous square-dance as they arrived, bringing a real chuckwagon and team of horses. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1950 Music - Canadian Hank Snow’s hit single, I’m Moving On, continues #1 on the Billboard Country & Western chart. New York, New York
  • 1950 R. P. Robbins of Shaunavon, Saskatchewan wins the title of Wheat King with a sample of Durham wheat at the International Livestock Exposition at Chicago. Chicago, Illinois
  • 1952 Louis St. Laurent attends two-week long Commonwealth Conference in London. London, England
  • 1954 Football - Pop Ivy’s Edmonton Eskimos beat Montréal Alouettes 26-25 to win the 42nd CFL Grey Cup match; game famous for the Hunsinger fumble, where Alouette halfback Chuck Hunsinger flipped the ball to an illegal receiver, and it hit the ground. The ref saw it as a fumble, Jackie Parker grabbed the ball and streaked up the Eastern sidelines of Varsity Stadium to the end zone, tying the game in the final minutes. The conversion made it 26-25, Edmonton. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1956 Olympics - Donald Arnold, Ignace d’Hondt, Lorne Loomer and Archie MacKinnon win a rowing Gold medal for Canada in Coxless Fours (four-oared shell without coxswain) at the Melbourne Olympic Games. Melbourne, Australia
  • 1960 Hockey - Gordie Howe scores his 1,000th point with an assist as the Detroit Red Wings beat the Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1961 Hockey - Gordie Howe becomes the First hockey pro to play in 1,000 NHL games. Detroit, Michigan
  • 1961 State Visit - Arturo Frondizi, President of Argentina starts a four-day visit to Ottawa. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1965 Football - Ralph Sazio’s Hamilton Tiger Cats beat Winnipeg Blue Bombers 22-16 in the 53rd CFL Grey Cup game. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1965 Music - The Lovin’ Spoonful, featuring Torontonian Zal Yanovsky, release their hit single, You Didn’t Have To Be So Nice. New York, New York
  • 1967 Walter Weir sworn in as Progressive Conservative Premier of Manitoba, succeeding Duff Roblin. Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1970 Military - Launch of Royal Canadian Navy destroyer HMCS Athabaskan. Québec, Québec
  • 1972 Pierre Trudeau and Cabinet sworn in at Rideau Hall. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1975 Military - Department of National Defence to buy fleet of new long-range patrol aircraft for almost $1 billion; plus modern tanks for European land forces. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1977 Football - Don Sweet kicks Cup record six field goals and scores Cup record 23 points as Marv Levy’s Montréal Alouettes beat the Edmonton Eskimos 41-6 in the 65th CFL Grey Cup game. Montréal, Québec
  • 1983 Football - Bob O’Billovich’s Toronto Argonauts beat British Columbia Lions 18-17 to win the 71st CFL Grey Cup game; the First indoor Grey Cup game, under the BC Place dome, and the First Argo victory in 31 years. Vancouver, BC
  • 1986 Politics - Iona Campagnolo retires after 4 years as President of the Liberal Party of Canada. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1987 Margo Timmins and the Cowboy Junkies record their album, The Trinity Session, at Toronto’s Church of the Holy Trinity. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1988 Football - Mike Riley’s underdog Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeat British Columbia Lions 22-21 to win 76th Grey Cup game; First to feature two Western CFL teams. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1989 Religion - Congregation of Christian Brothers close their Mount Cashel Orphanage for Boys in St. John’s after 90 years; nine current and former Christian Brothers of the Roman Catholic lay teaching order are charged with child abuse, and a judicial inquiry is under way. St. John’s, Newfoundland
  • 1994 Football - David Richie’s British Columbia Lions beat Baltimore Stallions 26-23 to win the 82nd CFL Grey Cup game; First Grey Cup game with a US expansion team. Vancouver, BC
  • 1995 Constitution - Prime Minister Jean Chrétien announces plan to recognize Québec as a distinct society, give Québec, Ontario, the East and the West region a constitutional veto, and give the provinces more control over manpower and job training; promises made during Québec referendum campaign. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1996 Pat Binns sworn in as Premier of Prince Edward Island, replacing Keith Milligan. Charlottetown, PEI
  • 2000 Federal Election - Jean Chrétien leds the Liberal Party to his third victory; wins 173 out of 301 seats (up from 161, with 40.8% of the popular vote); Stockwell Day’s Canadian Alliance win 66 seats (25.5%), the Bloc Québecois 38 seats (10.7%), the NDP 13 seats (8.5%), and the Progressive Conservatives 12 seats (12.2%); 62% of Canadians voted, a record low; Chrétien becomes the First party leader since Mackenzie King to win three straight federal elections. Canada
  • 2000 Toronto Election - Mayor Mel Lastman re-elected; in December it will be revealed that Lastman had engaged in a 14-year affair with Grace Louie that ended in 1971; Louie had just filed suit and alleged that Lastman fathered her 2 youngest sons. Toronto, Ontario
  • 2003 Canadian Alliance party leader Stephen Harper fires CA MP Larry Spencer as Family Values Critic after anti-gay remarks. Ottawa, Ontario Ref: CBC News
  • 2005 Football - The Edmonton Eskimos defeat the Montreal Alouettes 38–35 in overtime in the 93rd Grey Cup; Ricky Ray named game MVP. Vancouver, BC
  • 2006 Politics - House of Commons votes in an informal motion to recognise the Québécois as a nation within Canada. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 2006 Politics - Byelections held; Glen Pearson holds onto London North Centre for the Liberals, and Raymond Gravel retains Repentigny for the Bloc Québécois.
  • 2011 Football - West Division champion BC Lions defeat the East Division champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers 34–23 in the 99th Grey Cup game at BC Place Stadium; first team in CFL history to win the Grey Cup after starting the season with five straight losses; first team to win the championship game at home since the 1994 Lions did it in 82nd Grey Cup; BC head coach Wally Buono wins his fifth Grey Cup, tying a CFL record; Lions quarterback Travis Lulay threw two second-half touchdown passes and was named Grey Cup MVP; Lions tailback Andrew Harris, also playing in his first championship game, was the Most Valuable Canadian. Vancouver, BC