Montreal's Square Mile: The Making and Transformation of a Colonial Metropole

Witness to Yesterday (The Champlain Society Podcast on Canadian History)

#History #Witness To Yesterday #Champlain Society

1:14:43

Artificial intelligence is evolving at an unprecedented pace—what does that mean for the future of technology, venture capital, business, and even our understanding of ourselves? Award-winning journalist and writer Anil Ananthaswamy joins us for our latest episode to discuss his latest book Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI . Anil helps us explore the journey and many breakthroughs that have propelled machine learning from simple perceptrons to the sophisticated algorithms shaping today’s AI revolution, powering GPT and other models. The discussion aims to demystify some of the underlying math that powers modern machine learning to help everyone grasp this technology impacting our lives, even if your last math class was in high school. Anil walks us through the power of scaling laws, the shift from training to inference optimization, and the debate among AI’s pioneers about the road to AGI—should we be concerned, or are we still missing key pieces of the puzzle? The conversation also delves into AI’s philosophical implications—could understanding how machines learn help us better understand ourselves? And what challenges remain before AI systems can truly operate with agency? If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Sign up for our newsletter at techsurgepodcast.com for exclusive insights and updates on upcoming TechSurge Live Summits. Links: Read Why Machines Learn, Anil’s latest book on the math behind AI https://www.amazon.com/Why-Machines-Learn-Elegant-Behind/dp/0593185749 Learn more about Anil Ananthaswamy’s work and writing https://anilananthaswamy.com/ Watch Anil Ananthaswamy’s TED Talk on AI and intelligence https://www.ted.com/speakers/anil_ananthaswamy Discover the MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellowship that shaped Anil’s AI research https://ksj.mit.edu/ Understand the Perceptron, the foundation of neural networks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceptron Read about the Perceptron Convergence Theorem and its significance https://www.nature.com/articles/323533a0…

год назад 45:47

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Larry Ostola talks to Dimitry Anastakis, Elizabeth Kirkland and Don Nerbas about their book, Montreal's Square Mile: The Making and Transformation of a Colonial Metropole. In nineteenth-century Canada, the Square Mile was an elite residential district in Montreal that represented a dramatic new concentration of wealth. Montreal’s Square Mile chronicles the history of the neighbourhood, from its origins to its decline, including the diverse and far-reaching sources of its making and its twentieth-century transformations. Spanning the interconnected worlds of family and home life, business and high politics, architecture and urban redevelopment, this interdisciplinary and richly illustrated volume presents a new account of the Square Mile’s history and an investigation of the neighbourhood’s impact beyond the immediate urban environment. Dimitry Anastakis is the L.R. Wilson / R.J. Currie Chair in Canadian Business History in the Department of History and at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Elizabeth Kirkland is a faculty member in the Department of History and Classics at Dawson College. Don Nerbas is an associate professor and the St. Andrew’s Society / McEuen Scholarship Foundation Chair in Canadian-Scottish Studies in the Department of History and Classical Studies at McGill University. Image Credit: UTP If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.

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Montreal's Square Mile: The Making and Transformation of a Colonial Metropole

Witness to Yesterday (The Champlain Society Podcast on Canadian History)

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published год назад

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311 эпизодов

#History #Witness To Yesterday #Champlain Society

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1
The North Star: Canada and the Civil War Plots Against Lincoln 34:23

7 дней назад34:23

34:23

Greg Marchildon speaks with Julian Sher about his book, The North Star: Canada and the Civil War Plots Against Lincoln. The North Star explores the complex and often overlooked role of Canada during the American Civil War, focusing on its unexpected involvement in both supporting the Confederate South and plotting against President Abraham Lincoln. The book reveals the darker side of Canada's history, which contrasts with its widely recognized support for escaped slaves. It highlights key figures such as Anderson Abbott, Emma Edmonds, and Edward P. Doherty, as well as the Canadian elite’s ties to the Confederacy, including funding operations and hiding conspirators. Through vivid portraits of cities like Montreal and Toronto, the book uncovers Canada’s hidden role in the war, offering a meticulously researched and relevant account of historical events. Julian Sher is an award-winning journalist and author of seven books, including Until You Are Dead and White Hoods. He has worked as an investigative reporter for the Toronto Star and Globe and Mail and was Senior Producer for CBC's The Fifth Estate. His documentaries, like Nuclear Jihad and Ghosts of Afghanistan, have won major awards. Sher also advocates for media freedoms as a Senior Fellow at Toronto Metropolitan University's Centre for Free Expression. Image Credit: Penguin Random House If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.…

1
Thresholds of Accusation: Law and Colonial Order in Canada 32:52

17 дней назад32:52

32:52

Nicole O’Byrne speaks with George Pavlich about his book, Thresholds of Accusation: Law and Colonial Order in Canada. This socio-legal history examines pretrial accusations in colonial criminal law in western Canada, focusing on Alberta, 1874–1884. The establishment of the Northwest Mounted Police aimed to enforce Dominion law, using accusatory procedures to investigate crimes, arrest suspects, and determine trial eligibility. George Pavlich highlights how police and justices of the peace translated local social knowledge into criminal law, reflecting power dynamics of sovereignty and control. These processes held individuals legally responsible while obscuring the social impacts of settler actions. The book suggests we learn from Indigenous laws to address societal issues with new forms of accusation and responsibility. George Pavlich is H.M. Tory Chair and Professor at the University of Alberta. His research examines the social and historical processes through which individuals are labeled as "criminals" and subjected to crime control. By exploring the history of criminal accusation, his work highlights how these processes have shaped reliance on punitive justice. He has authored several books and articles and co-edited multiple collections. Image Credit: Cambridge University Press If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.…

1
Building a Special Relationship: Canada-US Relations in the Eisenhower Era, 1953–61 31:10

23 дня назад31:10

31:10

Greg Marchildon speaks with Asa McKercher about his book, Building a Special Relationship: Canada-US Relations in the Eisenhower Era, 1953–61. Building a Special Relationship explores a lesser-known period in U.S.-Canada relations during the 1950s, when officials from both countries developed a strong culture of bilateral cooperation amid the escalating tensions of the Cold War. Asa McKercher is an associate professor at St. Francis Xavier University, a senior fellow at the Bill Graham Centre, and a fellow at Queen’s Centre for International and Defence Policy. He is editor-in-chief of International Journal and the author of several books, including Canada and the World since 1867 and Camelot and Canada: Canadian-American Relations in the Kennedy Era. Michael D. Stevenson is a history professor at Lakehead University. He authored Canada’s Greatest Wartime Muddle: National Selective Service and the Mobilization of Human Resources during WWII and edited the 1957–58 volumes of Documents on Canadian External Relations. Image Credit: UBC Press If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.…

1
A Region of the Mind: U.S. Northern Plains and Canadian Prairies (2025 Reissue) 35:28

30 дней назад35:28

35:28

In this podcast episode, Greg Marchildon interviews Molly P. Rozum, the author of Grasslands Grown: Creating Place on the U.S. Northern Plains and Canadian Prairies. This book was jointly published by the University of Nebraska Press and the University of Manitoba Press in 2021. Molly Rozum is currently the Ronald R. Nelson Chair of Great Plains and South Dakota History at the University of South Dakota. She received her PhD in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has worked on the history of this transnational region throughout her career. Although she grew up and was educated in the United States, she has spent time in Canada as a visiting professor and researcher. In this book, Rozum explores how the northern grasslands in North America were perceived by second and third generations of those who settled in the region to live, work, farm and ranch, including their relationship with the Indigenous peoples. If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.…

1
The American Century in Canada: Canadian-American Relations from 1945-1960 (2025 reissue) 29:50

6 weeks назад29:50

29:50

In this podcast episode, Simon Nantais talks to Asa McKercher and Michael D. Stevenson about their co-edited book North of America: Canadians and the American Century, 1945-60, which will be published by UBC Press in October 2023. North of America: Canadians and the American Century, 1945-60, is an edited volume that looks at postwar Canada and Canadian-American relations of the 1940s and 1950s. From constitutional reform to transit policy, from national security to the arrival of television, Canadians were ever mindful of the American experience. The volume explores the opinions and perceptions of a broad range of Canadians – from consumers to diplomats, jazz musicians to urban planners, and a diverse cross-section in between. Asa McKercher and Michael D. Stevenson discuss the topics covered in the volume such as international relations in a nuclear armed early Cold War era, domestic politics, and national identity. Asa McKercher is an assistant professor of history at the Royal Military College of Canada. His publications include Canada and the World Since 1867 and Canada and Camelot: Canadian-American Relations in the Kennedy Era. Michael D. Stevenson is a professor of history at Lakehead University. He is the author of Canada’s Greatest Wartime Muddle: National Selective Service and the Mobilization of Human Resources in Canada during World War II and editor of the 1957–58 volumes of Documents on Canadian External Relations. Image Credit: Office National du Film du Canada / Bibliothèque et Archives Canada If you like our work, please consider supporting it: https://bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.…

1
Pierre Poilievre: A Political Life (2025 reissue) 36:15

7 weeks назад36:15

36:15

On this week's re-issue of Witness to Yesterday, Greg Marchildon talks to Andrew Lawton about his book, Pierre Poilievre: A Political Life. When Pierre Poilievre was elected leader of Canada’s Conservative party in 2022, he vowed to put Canadians back in control of their own lives. He took aim at the country’s elites and “gatekeepers” as well as governments that sneer at their own citizens. Railing against the housing crisis and spiralling inflation, Poilievre was telling ordinary Canadians he was on their side. As the adopted son of two Alberta teachers, Poilievre knows the middle class. But he’s also the embodiment of a career politician, having spent nearly his entire adult life in politics. Andrew Lawton is a senior journalist at True North and host of The Andrew Lawton Show. He previously hosted a daily talk show on Global News Radio. He has published written work across the world, including in the Washington Post, the National Post, the Toronto Sun, and on Global News. He is the bestselling author of The Freedom Convoy. Image Credit: Sutherland House Books If you like our work, please consider supporting it: https://bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.…

1
John A. Macdonald and “The Crisis” of 1885 (2025 reissue) 18:41

7 weeks назад18:41

18:41

How did Macdonald leverage the Northwest Rebellion to further his own interests? In this week’s re-run, we revisit Greg Marchildon’s conversation with Bill Waiser, Professor Emeritus at the University of Regina, as they explore this intriguing question. Waiser explores these documents in the Champlain Society’s Finding/Trouvaille: Prime Minister Macdonald Deliberately Portrayed Indians as Rebels.…

1
Sir John A. Macdonald: And The Apocalyptic Year 1885 40:28

9 weeks назад40:28

40:28

Greg Marchildon speaks with Patrice Dutil about his book, Sir John A. Macdonald - And The Apocalyptic Year 1885. In 1885, Sir John A. Macdonald faced a series of unprecedented challenges during his long political career. These included threats to Canada's sovereignty, armed resistance in the North-West, food insecurity among Indigenous peoples, a financial crisis jeopardizing the Canadian Pacific Railway, protests against Chinese immigration, nationalist dissent in Quebec, a devastating smallpox epidemic in Montreal, and opposition to expanding voting rights. Political historian Patrice Dutil examines how Macdonald, at the height of his powers, managed these crises, stabilized his government, and helped secure the future of Canada. Patrice Dutil is the author or editor of a dozen books, and a professor at Toronto Metropolitan University. He founded and edited the Literary Review of Canada and led the Champlain Society for seven years and used to be a host on Witness to Yesterday. Dutil is a senior fellow at the Bill Graham Centre and the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. His works include Ballots and Brawls: The 1867 Canadian General Election and Prime Ministerial Power in Canada (co-edited with Roger Hall). Image Credit: Simon & Schuster If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.…

1
Tommy Douglas and the Quest for Medicare in Canada 39:12

10 weeks назад39:12

39:12

Nicole O’Byrne speaks with Greg Marchildon about his book, Tommy Douglas and the Quest for Medicare in Canada. Tommy Douglas and the Quest for Medicare in Canada examines how Tommy Douglas led the creation of universal health care in Saskatchewan during the 1930s Depression. It explores his efforts to implement hospital insurance and build support for a national Medicare system, despite strong opposition. The book highlights how Douglas's leadership, vision, and coalition-building were key to establishing Medicare in Canada. Gregory P. Marchildon is a professor emeritus at the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation at the University of Toronto and the founding director of the North American Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Image Credit: UTP If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.…

1
The Prince 28:27

11 weeks назад28:27

28:27

Greg Marchildon speaks with Stephen Maher about The Prince. The Prince is a comprehensive biography of Justin Trudeau's time as prime minister, written by Stephen Maher. Based on over 200 interviews, it details how Trudeau transformed the Liberal Party from third place to a majority government in 2015. The book examines his political skills, achievements like poverty reduction, climate progress, and Indigenous reconciliation, as well as his struggles, including errors in judgment and internal conflicts. Maher explores how Trudeau’s leadership, once promising, faltered due to missteps and strained relationships, leading to a decline in popularity and the potential collapse of his government. Stephen Maher has been writing about Canadian politics since 1989. As a columnist and investigative reporter for Postmedia News, iPolitics, and Maclean’s, he has often set the agenda on Parliament Hill, covering political corruption, electoral wrongdoing, misinformation, and human rights abuses. He has also won many awards, including the Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University, the Michener Award for meritorious public service journalism, the National Newspaper Award, two Canadian Association of Journalism Awards, a Canadian Hillman Prize, and has been nominated for several National Magazine Awards. Image Credit: Simon & Schuster If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.…

1
Boosters and Barkers: Financing Canada's Involvement in the First World War 28:14

11 weeks назад28:14

28:14

Larry Ostola speaks with David Roberts about Boosters and Barkers: Financing Canada's Involvement in the First World War. Boosters and Barkers by David Roberts explores Canada's efforts to finance its participation in World War I through public contributions, particularly war bonds. The book examines how Ottawa appealed to citizens for financial support, incorporating imperial funding, taxation, and other revenue sources. Using print, images, and music, Canada’s bond campaigns generated significant public engagement, raising nearly a third of the country’s $6.6 billion war costs. The story highlights the necessity of funding, propaganda strategies, public resistance, and the lasting financial impact of the war. David Roberts is a retired editor of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography/Dictionnaire biographique du Canada. In addition to writing many entries for the DCB, he is also the author of In the Shadow of Detroit: Gordon M. McGregor, Ford of Canada, and Motoropolis. He lives in Don Mills, Ontario. Image Credit: UBC Press If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.…

1
An Accidental History of Canada 38:23

12 weeks назад38:23

38:23

Nicole O’Byrne speaks with Geoff Hudson, Megan Davies, John Belshaw, Darrel Manitowabi, and Sasha Mullally about An Accidental History of Canada published by McGill-Queen’s University Press in 2024. An Accidental History of Canada explores the often overlooked smaller-scale accidents in Canadian history, from the 1630s to the 1970s. Covering incidents in workplaces, homes, and leisure activities, the book examines how these events reveal vulnerabilities, inequalities, and power dynamics in colonial, Indigenous, rural, and urban contexts. It contrasts Indigenous and settler views on accidents, linking them to the rise of the modern state. The volume argues that accidents, whether seen as fate or miscalculations, reflect shared societal values and attitudes toward risk. Geoff Hudson is an Associate Professor in the history of medicine at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University. Megan Davies is Professor Emerita at York University. She is a historian of health with a regional focus on British Columbia John Belshaw is a historian at Thompson Rivers University. Darrel Manitowabi is an Associate Professor in the Human Sciences Division at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University Sudbury Campus where he is the inaugural Hannah Chair in Indigenous Health and Indigenous Traditional Medicine. Sasha Mullally is a Professor in the History Department at the University of New Brunswick. Image Credit: McGill-Queen’s University Press If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.…

1
Lost in the Crowd: Acadian Soldiers of Canada's First World War 39:36

14 weeks назад39:36

39:36

Larry Ostola talks to Gregory Kennedy about his book, Lost in the Crowd: Acadian Soldiers of Canada's First World War. In December 1915, Acadian leaders in New Brunswick expressed concerns about their soldiers being "lost in the crowd" within the Canadian Expeditionary Force during World War I. They successfully lobbied for the creation of a French-speaking, Catholic, and Acadian-led national unit. Over a thousand Acadians from the Maritimes, Quebec, and the U.S. Northeast joined this effort. In Lost in the Crowd, Gregory Kennedy uses military archives, census records, newspapers, and soldiers' letters to explore the experiences of Acadian soldiers and their families before, during, and after the war. He highlights their enlistment rates, compares their experiences with English-speaking soldiers, and examines underreported issues like underage recruits, desertion, and army discipline. Kennedy also uses the 1921 Census to analyze the long-term impacts of the war on soldiers, families, and communities. The book offers a fresh approach to military history by focusing on the Acadians, a francophone minority in the Maritimes, reshaping our understanding of French Canadians in World War I. Gregory M.W. Kennedy is professor of history and dean of the Faculty of Arts at Brandon University and the author of Something of a Peasant Paradise? Comparing Rural Societies in Acadie and the Loudunais, 1604-1755. Image Credit: McGill-Queen’s University Press If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.…

1
The Curious Passage of Richard Blanshard: First Governor of Vancouver Island 39:10

14 weeks назад39:10

39:10

Larry Ostola talks to Barry Gough about his book, The Curious Passage of Richard Blanshard: First Governor of Vancouver Island. This biography by historian Barry Gough focuses on Richard Blanshard, the first governor of Vancouver Island, and explores the early days of Canada's westernmost province. Blanshard arrived on Vancouver Island in 1850, after a long sea voyage, to begin his short and troubled tenure as governor. His time in office, lasting only three years, was marked by conflict with the powerful Hudson’s Bay Company and its leader, James Douglas, who succeeded him as governor. Despite his pivotal role in alerting London to American threats, Blanshard's tenure was unsuccessful, overshadowed by political and cultural challenges. His story sheds light on the struggles of early colonial governance, the influence of commerce, and the clash of European and Pacific Northwest cultures. Barry Gough is one of Canada’s premier historians and biographers. His insightful research and lucid writing spanning five decades have earned him high distinction. Among his awards are the Canadian Historical Association’s Clio Prize, the Maritime Foundation’s Mountbatten Award, the Washington Historical Society’s Robert Gray Medal, the Alcala Galiano Medal and the Keith Matthews Award. In 2022, he was awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing for Possessing Meares Island. He is a Fellow of the Society for the History of Discoveries. Image Credit: Harbour Publishing If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.…

1
Booze, Cigarettes, and Constitutional Dust-Ups: Canada’s Quest for Interprovincial Free Trade 36:13

15 weeks назад36:13