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  • Four women sit at workstations in an office setting entering data on key punch machines. One worker, bent forward, appears to be resting with her head in her hand.

    Alberta’s Government, the Mainframe Computer, and Women’s Work

    Cathy Roy

    In the 1960s, Bill Rogers convinced the Alberta government to invest both computers and the training needed for their workers to program these machines, launching a data revolution. Women dominated these data entry roles under strict, often discriminatory conditions. Despite long hours and limited advancement, they powered early digital governance, pioneering computer use in western Canada and forging lasting professional bonds.

  • A photograph of items from Larry Svenson's life, including photographs and pins.

    There are Far More Kind People in the World Than We Think

    Terrence (Tess) Adams

    How do you calculate the hole left behind when a loved one dies? In this story, Terrence Adams sorts through the legacy of their uncle, Larry Svenson. Svenson worked for the Government of Alberta, using health data to ask big questions like whether it was possible to predict the peak of flu season.