1970 in Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
See also: 1969 in Canada, other events of 1970, 1971 in Canada and the list of 'years in Canada'.
Contents |
[edit] Incumbents
- Monarch - Queen Elizabeth II
- Governor General - Roland Michener
- Prime Minister - Pierre Trudeau
- Premier of Alberta - Harry Strom
- Premier of British Columbia - W.A.C. Bennett
- Premier of Manitoba - Edward Schreyer
- Premier of New Brunswick - Louis Robichaud then Richard Hatfield
- Premier of Newfoundland - Joey Smallwood
- Premier of Nova Scotia - George Smith then Gerald Regan
- Premier of Ontario - John Robarts
- Premier of Prince Edward Island - Alexander B. Campbell
- Premier of Quebec - Jean-Jacques Bertrand then Robert Bourassa
- Premier of Saskatchewan - W. Ross Thatcher
[edit] Events
- January 1 - The cities Fort William and Port Arthur are merged to create Thunder Bay, Ontario
- January 16 - The federal government announces plans to convert the nation to the metric system
- February 2 - Canada becomes an official observer at the Organization of American States
- February 5 - An oil tanker runs aground in Chedabucto Bay, Nova Scotia causing a major oil spill
- February 16 - Police recover the Grey Cup after it was stolen the previous December
- February 17 - The use of phosphates in laundry detergent is banned
- March 2 - Keith Spicer is appointed as the first Official Languages Commissioner
- March 7 - A total solar eclipse affects the Maritimes
- The first Arctic Winter Games commence in Yellowknife
- March 20 - The Francophonie is established with Canada as a founding member
- April 5 - Bobby Orr becomes the first National Hockey League (NHL) defencemen to win the scoring title
- May 1 - The Capitol Cinema, Ottawa's only movie palace, is closed and later demolished
- May 2 - Montreal is awarded the 1976 Summer Olympics
- May 12 - Robert Bourassa becomes Premier of Quebec after his Liberals defeat the Union Nationale party
- May 22 - The Vancouver Canucks join the National Hockey League
- May 22 - The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission issues the first Canadian content rules for television and radio
- May 29 - The Hudson's Bay Company moves its headquarters from London to Winnipeg, Manitoba
- June 23 - The first Juno Awards for Canadian music are held
- June 26 - The federal voting age is lowered from 21 to 18
- July 5 - 109 people are killed in the crash of an Air Canada DC-8
- August 2 - Three Canadians are killed when a ferry collides with a Soviet freighter off British Columbia
- August 17 - Arthur Erickson is awarded at Expo '70 for his design of the Canadian pavilion
- August 20 - A tornado with winds up to 160 kilometres per hour hits Sudbury, Ontario. It was one of the worst tornadoes in Canadian history killing 6 people, injuring 200 and causing $17 million dollars in property damage. All in under five minutes.
- October 5 - October Crisis: British Trade Commissioner James Cross is kidnapped by the FLQ
- October 5 - Award-winning news & current affairs program, 24Hours starts on CBWT in Winnipeg.
- October 10 - October Crisis: Quebec Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte is kidnapped by the FLQ
- October 16 - October Crisis: Pierre Trudeau introduces the War Measures Act to deal with the FLQ threat
- October 17 - October Crisis: The body of Pierre Laporte is found in the trunk of a car
- October 28 - Gerald Regan becomes Premier of Nova Scotia after his Liberals defeat George Smith's Conservatives
- November 6 - Police raid the hiding place of the FLQ's Chenier cell, arresting Bernard Lortie for the kidnapping and murder of Pierre Laporte.
- November 12 - Richard Hatfield becomes Premier of New Brunswick after his Conservatives defeat Louis Robichaud's Liberals
- December 3 - October Crisis: James Cross is released unharmed by the FLQ
- December 28 - October Crisis: The FLQ kidnappers of Pierre Laporte are caught
- The Royal Commission on the Status of Women reports to Parliament
- TVOntario begins broadcasting
- INCO builds the world's tallest smokestack at Copper Cliff, Ontario
- The Pierre Laporte Bridge opens in Quebec City, at the time it is Canada's longest bridge
- The Don't Make a Wave Committee, the predecessor organization to Greenpeace, is founded in Vancouver
- The first ACTRA Awards are held
[edit] Arts and literature
- New books
- The Collected Works of Billy the Kid - Michael Ondaatje
- S th story I to: trew adventure - Bill Bissett
- Fifth Business - Robertson Davies
- The Journals of Susanna Moodie - Margaret Atwood
- Il est par là, le soleil - Roch Carrier
- The National Dream - Pierre Berton
- La Rivière sans repos - Gabrielle Roy
- Counterblast - Marshall McLuhan
- New plays
- The Ecstasy of Rita Joe - George Ryga
- Awards
- See 1970 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
- Stephen Leacock Award: Farley Mowat, The Boat Who Wouldn't Float
- Vicky Metcalf Award: Farley Mowat
- Film
- Paul Almond's Act of the Heart opens
[edit] Births
- January 1 — Krista Sutton, actor
- January 19 — Donald Haddow, freestyle swimmer
- February 14 — Raine Maida, singer
- February 23 — Marie-Josée Croze, actor
- February 24 — Jeff Garcia, football player
- February 24 — Cameron Grant, breaststroke swimmer
- March 18 — Ian Bird, field hockey player
- April 8 — JR Bourne, actor
- April 11 — Trevor Linden, ice hockey player
- May 4 — Karla Homolka, convicted murderer
- May 5 — Naomi Klein, activist writer
- May 9 — Mario Dumont, Quebec politician
- May 11 — Heather Stefanson, politician
- May 12 — Mike Weir, golfer
- May 20 — Jason York, ice hockey player
- June 2 — Patricia Noall, freestyle swimmer
- June 12 — Gordon Michael Woolvett, actor
- June 23 — Kerri Buchberger, volleyball player
- July 3 — Julie Masse, singer
- July 14 — Michelle Sawatzky, volleyball player
- August 6 — Michael Strange, boxer
- August 9 — Rod Brind'Amour, ice hockey player
- August 16 — Tina Connelly, track and field athlete
- August 19 — James Rajotte, politician
- September 1 — Mitsou, singer
- September 2 — Mike Wolfs, sailor
- September 7 — Keltie Duggan, breaststroke swimmer
- October 8 — Heather Jones, field hockey player
- November 9 — Chris Jericho, wrestler
- November 10 — Sue Reid, field hockey player
- November 12 — Sarah Harmer, singer-songwriter
- November 15 — Jeffrey Adams, wheelchair athlete
- December 15 — Michael Shanks, actor
- December 19 — Jonathan Cleveland, breaststroke swimmer
- December 23 — Catriona LeMay Doan, ice speed skater
- December 25 — Stu Barnes, ice hockey player
- Maher Arar
- Lynn Coady, writer
[edit] Deaths
- January 29 - Lawren Harris, Group of Seven painter
- February 27 - Marie Dionne, one of the Dionne Quintuplets
- March 23 - Del Lord, film director
- June 12 - John Keiller MacKay, 19th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
- October 17 - Pierre Laporte, Quebec Cabinet minister
- September 12 - Jacob Viner, economist
