Edmonton’s Caribbean Journey
The flights touched down at a Canadian International Airport bringing scores of eager Caribbean nationals, their suitcases packed with their…
Stories tagged: Local Business
Vivacious Caribbean Teachers
During the 1960s, school jurisdictions in Alberta advertised for teachers in leading newspapers and at teacher training colleges in the…
Sam the Shoemaker: Cobbling Together Community
It was the turbulent sixties. In the United States and Canada, teenage unrest was making headlines. Even in the small…
The Last Best West: Hattie’s Place, Part 3
Disclaimer: Please note that this piece references anti-Black violence, brutality, and white supremacy. A reference to a specific act of…
After the Pisces Bathhouse Raid: John Kerr – Dance for Gramma
In the years before John Reid launched his career as owner of Flashback, Edmonton’s first gay disco, he worked cleaning…
After the Pisces Bathhouse Raid: Michael Phair – LGBTQ2S+ Activist and Community Leader
As of this writing, Michael is one of the few men charged as a “found-in” to speak publicly on the…
After the Pisces Bathhouse Raid: Dr. Henri Toupin – Dignity in the Eye of the Storm
Henri Toupin was born in Legal, Alberta, on March 15, 1923. He acquired his B.Sc. in 1947 from the University…
After the Pisces Bathhouse Raid: Millie – I’m Number One
Paul Chisholm’s first contact with another gay man occurred as he hitchhiked out of Saskatchewan in the late 1960s. Legend…
The Pisces Bathhouse Raid: Igniting Four Decades of Activism
After the Pisces Health Spa opened in Edmonton in 1978, word spread quickly that it was the best-kept gay bathhouse…
The Tamale & Pupusa – A Culinary Journey To Canada
I remember the first time I met Elba, mother of my close friend Yazmin (or Yaz as friends and family…
Alfred Carrothers: Early Edmonton’s Crooked Confidence Man
The owner of any historic home will wonder about the generations that have lived within its walls. When I recently…
Walking Back in Time: A Stroll Through my 1960s Jasper Place
This past year, while staying close to home during the COVID-19 pandemic and enjoying more neighborhood walks, my thoughts have…