Hudson's Bay Company

Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) has a rich history of exploration, adventure, control, trading and more that spans over 340 years. There is way too much history to write about in this blurb (to learn more you can visit HBC's history website) but I would like to share a neat fact that most Canadians overlook.

The last trading post ever built by Hudson Bay Company

HBC has long been thought to be an iconic Canadian company. However it was originally formed in England in 1670 to maintain and profit from fur trading in the new land (eventually Canada). It wasn’t until 1970 (the company’s 300th anniversary) that HBC was granted a new charter and moved its head offices from England to Winnipeg. Later they would move the office to downtown Toronto where it still sits today. However the company was bought out by a private US company fronted by Jerry Zucker in 2006 and after his death in 2008 was scooped up by National Realty and Development Corporation (NRDC) Equity Partners, who also own Saks 5th Avenue and Lord & Taylor.

While officially only a Canadian company for 38 years, we still love the iconic 4 colour stripe products they have been creating for centuries (mostly the blankets though).

What is 150 of our favourite Canadian things? Read about it here

Read More

Canadian Heritage Minutes

"Doctor Penfield, I smell burnt toast!"

If you grew up in Canada in the early 90's I don't have to explain that sentence to you at all. It caught on after a heritage minute devoted to Canadian Surgeon Wilder Penfield on his mapping of the human brain.

Many have followed since their debut of 1991 and new ones continue to surface every year. And while the production quality has improved since their first offerings, they continue to show great moments in our Canadian Heritage in a mere 60 seconds. Because 90 seconds would make us look like a bunch of show offs, eh?

What is 150 of our favourite Canadian things? Read about it here

Read More