Susan's Canada Online Blog

The Canadian Space Agency's recruitment campaign for two Canadian astronauts received more than 5300 applications by the deadline June 26, 2008. Canadian Press reports that most of the applicants were from Ontario and Quebec. A few applications came from the territories and a few hundred were from outside Canada. The average age of the applicants was 32, although Stephane Corbin, manager of the Canadian Space Agency's recruitment campaign, told CP that there were a few "in their late 60s...maybe two or three who met the criteria." About 20 percent of the applicants were women and about 20 percent were francophone.

Around 120 of the candidates will go through detailed medical exams in the fall, and 100 or so will have a preliminary interview before the list is narrowed down to 15 or 16. While only two people will be chosen in May 2009 to begin training to go the International Space Station, it's possible that the last group of candidates may be considered for future space flights.

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The law gets tougher on impaired driving in Canada on July 2. Also, the legal consequences of driving under the influence of drugs, including marijuana and prescription drugs, will now be just as bad as those for alcohol. The new laws coming into force are part of the Conservative government's Tackling Violent Crime Act which received Royal Assent in February. The new laws increase fines and minimum jail terms for impaired driving, and make it a criminal offence to refuse a request for a roadside sobriety test. Police will also have the right to take a driver suspected of impaired driving to a hospital or police station to provide blood, urine or saliva samples.

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A massive 6-week general strike in Winnipeg in 1919 nearly crippled the city. The 30,000 striking workers were generally peaceful and worked to maintain essential services, but authorities reacted aggressively. Canadian newspapers spread fear about Bolshevism and a red conspiracy. When the Winnipeg police wouldn't sign a no-strike pledge, they were fired and replaced with 1800 "Specials" supplied with horses and baseball bats. The Immigration Act was changed to allow deportation of British-born strike leaders, and the definition of sedition in the Criminal Code was broadened. After the Mounties charged a demonstration on Bloody Saturday, with two killed and 30 injured, the strike was called off. There were few gains for the workers.

Photo: Library and Archives Canada / PA-163001

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Employment and Labour Standards in Canada
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The Canadian Citizenship and Immigration Department has made applying to renew your Permanent Resident Card (PR Card) a little easier. Permanent residents who are applying to renew a Permanent Resident Card that is about to expire no longer have the inconvenience of sending in their current card with their renewal application. They can hang on to their current card and exchange it when they pick up the new one. This way, you can still use a valid card to travel while you wait for a new one. If your PR Card has already expired, it should be submitted with the renewal application.

As well, applicants for a either a new or replacement PR card no longer need to get the signature of a guarantor or sign a statutory declaration instead of a guarantor. Citizenship and Immigration will use an applicant's passport, driver’s licence, or employment and educational information to confirm residence and identity.

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Canada is having another birthday on July 1, marking the anniversary of Canadian Confederation in 1867. The July 1 holiday was originally established as Dominion Day in 1879 and it took more than 100 years for the name to be officially changed to Canada Day in 1982. This Canada Day Checklist has information that might come in handy to help you celebrate Canada Day. So dust off your Canadian flag, steep yourself in Canadiana, and get ready to party!

Photo: Canadian Flag
Stockbyte / Getty Images

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In an effort to improve RCMP recruiting efforts, the government will now pay RCMP cadets $500 a week for their 24-week training period. The RCMP also covers cadet expenses for travel to the RCMP Training Academy in Regina, Saskatchewan, uniforms, training courses and room and board.

The RCMP is hoping to recruit more than 8000 new officers over the next five years, which is equivalent to nearly half of the current strength of the force. It won't be easy to meet that target though, since there is intense competition for young people in Canada and the selection and training process to become a Mountie is rigorous. As well as providing cadets with a training allowance, the RCMP has reduced application processing times from an average of nearly 300 days to 83 days. They are also making efforts to accommodate officer deployment preferences, and to inform cadets of their likely postings before the end of the application process.

More on Careers in Canada
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Almost 20,000 of the 80,000 Canadians who died in World War I have no identifiable grave. Those who could be identified as Canadian have gravestones inscribed "A Canadian Soldier of the Great War - known unto God." In 2000, Canada created the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to represent all Canadian service people who have no known grave.

The Canadian government asked the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to select a grave of an unidentified Canadian soldier in the Vimy Ridge area of France. The remains of the soldier were brought back to Canada and buried in the sarcophagus of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. Nothing is known about the soldier who is buried in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, except that he was Canadian, he died in France during World War I, and he was young.

Photo Courtesy City of Ottawa

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If you're a theatre lover, don't miss two new features launched by the National Arts Centre (NAC) in Ottawa. The NAC has dug deep into its archives to produce two fascinating online collections of rarely seen theatre costumes and posters from performances over its 40-year history.

The Secret Life of Costumes shows more than 200 costumes selected by retiring NAC archivist Gerry Grace. Essays on theatre costume design and biographies of the designers bring this collection to life. You can also find information on the dresser's point of view and low-cost costuming ideas for your own production as well as lots of resources for teachers and students.

Persuading Presence is a collection of over 400 performing arts posters from NAC performances. There's information on poster design, how posters are used as marketing tools, and more activities for teachers and students.

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For years there has been a smattering of car scrapping programs in Canada which offered incentives for vehicle owners to get rid of old heavily polluting cars and switch to more environmentally friendly modes of transportation, including a newer car. Now the Canadian federal government is putting money into setting up a national car scrapping program. The program will be operated by the Clean Air Foundation, the folks who run Car Heaven, and it is expected to be fully operational in January 2009. In the meantime, the government is also giving funding to existing local car scrapping programs so they can expand their programs and incentives. These local organizations may then become part of the national network of partners who will help deliver the national program in 2009.

If you have a pre-1996 car or truck, it's worth looking into.

Cars and Energy Conservation in Canada
Save Gas and Money
Energy Conservation and Cars in Canada

The opening day of the Battle of the Somme in World War I was a slaughter for the Allies, and the 1st Newfoundland Regiment was virtually annihilated at the Battle of Beaumont Hamel. While most Canadians associate July 1 with the celebration of Canada Day, in Newfoundland and Labrador, July 1 is also Memorial Day to commemorate Newfoundland's heavy losses in the Battle of Beaumont Hamel.

More on Canada in World War I:
Canada in World War I
Canada and World War I Battles
Canadian World War I Posters