People

a woman called incorrigible: Velma Demerson

by Ruth Brown | Mar 21, 2005

She was 18 years old and had a romantic relationship with a Chinese man. Her father, with Toronto police, entered her home, where the officers seized her. She went to trial and was convicted of being incorrigible. We know now of several Canadian men who were wrongly sentenced to years in prisons for murders they did not commit, and we celebrate their victories. But what about the women who have also carried similar scars long after they left prison. read more

Susanna Moodie

by Charlotte Gray | Jan 24, 2005

When CanLit’s Matriarch, Susanna Moodie sailed into the St. Lawrence in 1832, she was overwhelmed by the New World, especially living in the bush. read more

Tekahionwake: E. Pauline Johnson

by Charlotte Gray | Jan 24, 2005

Pauline Johnson had so much going for her. She was an inspired and hard-working writer; she had enormous stage presence; she had the kind of ambition that gets you to the top. read more

June Callwood

by Ann Farrell | Aug 10, 2004

June Callwood was one of Canada’s best known writers and community activists. She had acted, in the fullest sense, as a citizen. Driven by clear and simple values, she worked hard to make those values come alive in how Canadians regard and treat each other. Here is the story of her life’s journey. read more

heart and soul a nurse: Doris Atcheson

by Doris Atcheson | Jul 13, 2004

Doris Atcheson started her career as a teacher, but all she ever wanted to be was a nurse. A nursing student at Victoria Public Hospital during World War Two and polio epidemics, she tells her story.  read more

Grace Annie Lockhart

Jun 2, 2004

May 25, 1875: Grace Annie Lockhart is awarded a bachelor’s degree in science and English literature. She is the first woman in Canada – and the entire British Empire – to graduate from university.  read more

Mary Jean MacKay Ross Skoggard, May 13, 1917–December 6, 2003

by Ross Skoggard | May 4, 2004

An artist, mother, teacher, traveller – Mary Jean MacKay Ross Skoggard’s personal history is checkered with romance novel-like adventures and stories. As a young woman, she was uncomfortable with her privileged upbringing, which is probably why she became such a generous spirit later in life. Her eldest child, Ross MacKay has written a very touching memoir of the life of his mother. read more

Zanana Akande, first Black woman in Ontario’s legislature

by Ann Farrell | Apr 23, 2004

As a recipient of many awards such as the African Canadian Achievement Award for Education and the Award of Distinction from the Congress of Black Women, Zanana Akande’s contributions to the community characterize her overall motivation and work: focus on the related issues and a commitment to effecting positive change for people. read more

Lady Lynn Bagnall (Madge Edgar)

by Margare Edgar Benitz | Feb 12, 2004

After graduating from school, Madge Edgar worked as a secretary, which was one of the three fields open to women; the others being nursing and teaching. She went on to travel the world, learn several languages, and play a role in shaping Canada as a nation. read more

playwright: Carol Bolt

by Florence Gibson | Oct 9, 2003

A new study to assess the current status of women in Canadian theatre has just been announced. Very little has changed since the last one in 1982, called Status of Women in Canadian Theatre, by Rina Fraticelli. The majority of students now graduating from professional training programmes are women. Only 17% of the plays produced in Canada in 2003–2004 were written by women. Only 21% of the plays had female directors. Only 18% of the country’s artistic directors are women.  read more