Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey was born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. He is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, impressionist, screenwriter, producer and an inspiration to many. Jim moved out to Los Angeles for his career where he got an opportunity on the sketch comedy show ‘In Living Color’. He went on to huge box office success in comedies such as Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Mask and delivered dramatic performances in The Truman Show and Man on the Moon.

Penny Oleksiak

Penny Oleksiak a 16 year old 4 time Olympic medalist that made her debut in Rio 2016. She is the first canadian athlete to win 4 medals at a single summer games. Penny is also Canada’s youngest Canadian Olympic gold medalist ever. At 15, Penny won 16 medals at the 2015 FINA World Junior Champions.

Tecumseh

Tecumseh was an important figure in the War of 1812 because he had vision for the Natives, he wanted justice and he wanted to defend his country He said: No tribe has the right to sell, even to each other, much less to strangers... Sell a country! Why not sell the air, the great sea, as well as the earth? Didn't the Great Spirit make them all for the use of his children? The way, the only way to stop this evil is for the red man to unite in claiming a common and equal right in the land, as it was first, and should be now, for it was never divided. We gave them forest-clad mountains and valleys full of game, and in return what did they give our warriors and our women? Rum, trinkets, and a grave.Thank you for your contributions!

Tim Horton

Miles Gilbert "Tim" Horton (January 12, 1930 – February 21, 1974) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, a defenceman for 24 seasons in the National Hockey League. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Buffalo Sabres. Also a successful businessman, Horton was a co-founder of the Tim Hortons restaurant chain. Thank you for your contributions!

John McCrae

On July 1st 2017, Canada will be celebrating its 150th birthday. Today we are going to share with you the contributions of one of the most important people in Canadian history! John McCrae, soldier, physician, poet (born 30 November 1872 in Guelph, ON; died 28 January 1918 in Wimereux, France). A noted pathologist and army physician, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae was also a poet; he wrote “In Flanders Fields” — one of the most famous poems of the First World War.

In honour of Remembrance Day, we are also going to be sharing one of the most important events in Canadian history. This was a battle that took place in the First World War and it went through April 9th-April 11th in 1917.The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a military engagement fought primarily as part of the Battle of Arras, in the region of France. Many historians and writers consider the Canadian victory at Vimy a defining moment for Canada, when the country emerged from under the shadow of Britain and felt capable of greatness. Canadian troops also earned a reputation as formidable, effective troops because of the stunning success. But it was a victory at a terrible cost, with more than 10,000 killed and wounded.

Pierre Elliott Trudeau

Pierre Elliott Trudeau was the Canadian prime minister for 16 years and was a true influence on Canada. Born in Montreal on October 18, 1919, Pierre Trudeau was the 15th prime minister of Canada for nearly 16 years. His charismatic personality matched the revolutionary ideas of the 1960s. In additional to several advances he made for the Liberal Party, he gained a reputation for dating high-profile women. His 1982 partition of the Canadian constitution greatly advanced Canadians’ civil rights'

Lily Singh

Lilly Singh is an inspirational Youtuber that is part of action to allow girls in Kenya to go to school. She is selling girl love bracelets to raise money for the girls in Kenya. She also has a company called “Girl Love.” She is partnered with Me to We and they are working together to help educate girls in Kenya. Lilly also has 10 million subscribers on Youtube, where she promotes girl love through comedy.

Sir William Stephenson

Sir William Stephenson - the world's most famous spy, code name Intrepid, and Winston Churchill's top spy during WWII. Many people consider him to be one of the real-life inspirations for James Bond. Ian Fleming himself once wrote, "James Bond is a highly romanticized version of a true spy. The real thing is ... William Stephenson." As head of the British Security Coordination, Stephenson handed over British scientific secrets to Franklin D. Roosevelt and relayed American secrets to Winston Churchill.Thank you for your contributions!

The Hudson’s Bay Company

The Hudson’s Bay Company was originated by the Fur Trade and a pair of resourceful Frenchmen named Radisson and des Groseilliers discovered a wealth of fur in the interior of the continent – north and west of the Great Lakes – accessible via the great inland sea that is Hudson Bay. These are the founders of the Hudson’s Bay Company and that is how this company was founded! Thank you for your contributions!

Alexander Graham Bell

Today we are going to share with you the contributions of one of the most important people in Canadian history! Alexander Graham Bell - invented the telephone, we all know that. He wasn’t really known as a true "Canadian", but more of a British subject who was living here although he was very important. Without his invention our world would be totally different. If it wasn't for the telephone we would not have been able to create the internet. Not only did he invent the telephone but he was the second vice president of National Geographic. Did you know his first invention came when he was just 12 years old? He was involved in many inventions that are still used today. Thank you for contributing to Canada's identity.

Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood was born in 1939 in Ottawa, and grew up in northern Ontario and Quebec, and in Toronto. She received her undergraduate degree from Victoria College at the University of Toronto and her master’s degree from Radcliffe College. Margaret Atwood is the author of more than forty books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays and she is the writer of many amazing books! You can look in the learning commons for her books.  Thank you for your contributions!

James Naismith

James Naismith was a Canadian physical educator, physician, sports coach and inventor. In 1891, he invented the sport basketball. He made the first rule book and established the sport at the University of Kansas.  Today, basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world and we are proud to say that the Toronto Raptors kick off their 21st season tonight.  Good luck to the Raptors and hank you Dr. James Naismith for your contributions!

Laura Secord

Laura Secord was a courageous woman who was a heroine of the War of 1812. Her husband was injured in battle. She was taking care of him at home when she overheard a plan by American soldiers who were planning a sneak attack on Canada. What she did next goes down in history as one of the most courageous acts. On foot, she walked from America to Canada sneaking around soldiers and other dangers. When she arrived in Canada she encountered a group of Natives. The Natives helped Laura Secord find the person in charge of the British army. The British army was prepared for the American sneak attack. She saved our Country from a disastrous battle. If it wasn’t for Laura Secord we could have easily been Americans today. Thank you for your contributions!

Terry Fox

Terry Fox - Any Canadian growing up in the 80's revered in Fox's courage. He was a pioneer in the cross country run for a cause, and the tragic figure that didn't make it. His run, and the marathon of hope that still goes on every year, has raised a lot of money for cancer research. Fox was born in Winnipeg by the way.

Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky; of course he was the greatest player in our favorite past time. Why did he finish #10 on the CBC list when Don Cherry finished number 7? Cherry is seen as very pro-Canadian, while many still see Gretzky as a sell-out for playing in LA, STL, and then NY. But he did not option out, or sign as a free agent. Pocklington traded him to LA because frankly he didn't have the money. Gretzky was heartbroken but still saw an opportunity to expand the scope and prestige of our great game by taking it to LA. He succeeded somewhat, but his work was destroyed to a large degree by the dealings of Bruce McNall who would later go to jail. When the Canadian Football League most needed a boost, who was there? Gretzky, along with McNall, and John Candy bought the flagship franchise Toronto, and put some glamour, some money, and some players, like Rocket Ismail into the CFL. Gretzky also played a huge part as the architect of both our Gold Medal win at the Olympics in Salt Lake, as well as our recent World Cup win. When Canada needed him most he made an incredible speech during the Olympics that took the pressure off the players, the controversy onto himself, and led to the team turning it around to victory. Walter Gretzky raised a perfect gentleman, and the Greatest Canadian ever.

Tom Thompson

Tom Thompson was an influential Canadian artist in the early 20th century.  He influenced a group of painters known as the Group of Seven.  Even though he died before they were created he is often incorrectly credited for being a member of the group.  He grew up in southern Ontario.  He was really influenced by his visit to Algonquin Park in 1912.  He travelled with his colleagues in the wilderness and painted what he saw.  He was a self-taught painter who spent hours perfecting his craft.  Sadly, he died on a canoeing trip to Algonquin Park in 1917.  His artwork is located in many art galleries including the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg.  Thank you for influencing Canadians to explore their creativity.