Canada's History

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This article is about the magazine. For an outline of Canada's history, see history of Canada.
Canada's History
The Beaver 2010.jpg
Editor-in-chiefMark Collin Reid
Senior EditorKate Jaimet
CategoriesHistory
FrequencyBi-Monthly
Total circulation
(2011)		37,689[1]
First issueOctober 1920 (as The Beaver)
April 2010[2] (as Canada's History)
CompanyCanada's National History Society
CountryCanada
Based inWinnipeg, Manitoba
LanguageEnglish
Websitewww.canadashistory.ca

Canada's History (French: Histoire Canada) is the official magazine of Canada's National History Society. It is published six times a year and aims to foster greater popular interest in Canadian history.

Founded as The Beaver in 1920 by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), the magazine was acquired by the Society in 1994.[3] It remains partially funded by HBC and the Government of Canada. Subject matter includes all aspects of Canadian history. In 2011, it was named a finalist for "Magazine of the Year" at the National Magazine Awards.

The youth edition of the magazine is called Kayak: Canada’s History Magazine for Kids (French: Kayak: Navigue dans l’histoire du Canada).[4]

History[]

The Beaver was founded in 1920 as part of the Hudson's Bay Company's 250th anniversary celebrations. It was seen as a staff publication "devoted to the Interests of Those Who Serve the Hudson's Bay Company."

The first issue appeared in October 1920, under the banner, The Beaver, A Journal of Progress—the "successful name" in a staff competition. Five thousand copies were printed and distributed at a total cost of $570.

According to Charles Sale, who became the 29th Governor of HBC, there was a "purely personal and domestic character" to the initial magazine. Sale felt this approach was too narrow. He envisioned The Beaver as "one of exceeding use to ...Staff; but also a publication that could ...be distributed to customers to their benefit and is, at the same time a practical reminder (through advertising) of the Company's existence and of the goods which it offers."

Beginning with the December 1923 issue, the company began offering the magazine to non-Hudson's Bay employees at a rate of one dollar a year – a rate still in effect well into the '30s. The following year, the magazine ceased being a monthly publication and became a quarterly.

Significant changes took place in 1933 with the September issue. The original digest format was replaced by a standard magazine design. The magazine also re-focussed its content, transitioning from "A Journal of Progress" to "A Magazine of the North."

From digest to magazine[]

The content of the new Beaver was broadened to "include the whole field of travel, exploration and the trade in the Canadian North as well as the current activities and historical background of the Hudson's Bay Company and all its departments throughout Canada." Staff news was de-emphasized and would be handled by other company publications. Over the next 50 years, the magazine came into its stride. The Beaver came to offer a wealth of information on Canada's social, cultural, economic and commercial past. Some of Canada's leading historians have written for the magazine including:

The Beaver was also one of the first magazines to publish the works of wildlife artist Clarence Tillenius and Arctic photographer Richard Harrington.

In 1986, The Beaver became a bimonthly magazine. The publisher also decided to break with tradition and expand the focus of the magazine to include all Canadian history—introducing Atlantic and Central Canadian stories for the first time. This was reflected by the creation of a new masthead: "Exploring Canada's History."

Acquisition by Canada's National History Society[]

Canada's History in its former title

In 1994, Canada's National History Society was founded; that same year, it acquired The Beaver from the Hudson's Bay Company.

While still named The Beaver, the masthead carried a new slogan: "Canada's History Magazine," and continued to publish a bimonthly mix of features, columns, reviews, notes and commentary. Under the leadership of the History Society the magazine modernized its production and promotion programs.

In 2004, the Society launched its "baby" edition, Kayak: Canada's History Magazine for Kids, with a French version available quarterly as an insert in . The magazine aims to show Canadian history in a way that children find engaging, relevant and fun.

Access to the full Beaver archive was achieved through the creation of an online index. With close to 15,000 records entered, visitors can conduct searches free-of-charge and read over five decades of articles. The creation of the index made it possible to participate in the and use The Beaver archive to highlight Canada's fur trade history with the digital project Fur Trade Stories.

2010 title change[]

Since the April–May 2010 issue, the magazine has been renamed Canada's History. At the time of the name change, the magazine was in the process of redesigning its website, and also, rebranding its publishing activities. The name change was enacted in order to unify both the print and online banners under a single Canada's History brand. The fact that there has been some confusion by people believing that the publication is a nature magazine was also cited,[2] as well as the use of the word "beaver" in slang to refer to a vagina, which would often result in promotional emails from the magazine being sent to the spam folder.[5][6]

After hearing of the name change, American news satirist Stephen Colbert ridiculed the decision.[7]

Kayak magazine[]

Kayak: Canada’s History Magazine for Kids (French: Kayak: Navigue dans l’histoire du Canada) is the youth edition of Canada's History, meant for readers aged 7 to 12 years old.[3] As of May 2021, the editor of this magazine is Nancy Payne.[4]

Launched in 2004, it is published 4 times a year in English, with a shorter French version available in conjunction with the publication . (Full-length French versions are also occasionally published.)[3]

Leadership and staff[]

As of May 2021, the magazine's team includes:[4]

  • Janet Walker (based in Winnipeg) — President & CEO
  • Mark Reid (Winnipeg) — Editor-in-Chief, and Director of Content Development
  • Melony Ward (Toronto) — Publisher & Director, Business Development
  • Kate Jaimet (Ottawa) — Senior Editor
  • Phil Koch (Winnipeg) — Associate Editor
  • Nancy Payne (Lindsay, ON) — Editor of Kayak

As of May 2021, the magazine's Board of Directors consists of:[8]

  • Sasha Mullally (based in Fredericton, NB) — Chair
  • Michael Rea (Toronto) — Past Chair
  • Bill Caulfeild-Browne (Tobermory, ON) — Business executive and Corporate director
  • Tim Cook (Ottawa) — Governor General's History Awards winner, and Historian
  • Magda Fahrni (Montréal) — Professor
  • Edward S. Kennedy (Winnipeg) — President & CEO of The North West Company
  • Michèle Leduc (Montreal) — President, Creative Director and Strategist of ZIPCOM (ZIP Communication)
  • Bruce MacLellan (Toronto) — President & CEO of Proof, Inc.
  • Natasha Pashak (Calgary) — Director of the Flanagan Foundation
  • Carla Peck (Edmonton) — Professor at the University of Alberta Faculty of Education
  • Stephen Thomas (Toronto) — Chairman & Executive Creative Director of Stephen Thomas Ltd.
  • Joseph E. Martin (Toronto) — President Emeritus and Past Chair (1997–2001)
  • Rolph Huband (1929–2016; Oakville) — Founding publisher of Canada's History, and Former vice-president and secretary of Hudson's Bay Company

References[]

  1. ^ "eCirc for Consumer Magazines". Audit Bureau of Circulations. Archived from the original on December 11, 2004. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "The Beaver gets a new name". CBC News. January 12, 2010. Archived from the original on July 2, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c https://www.canadashistory.ca/about-us/editorial-guidelines
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c https://www.canadashistory.ca/about-us/staff-listing
  5. ^ Patriquin, Martin (February 17, 2010). "How 'The Beaver' lost its name". Macleans.ca. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  6. ^ "The Beaver changes name due to sexual connotation". CTVNews. January 12, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  7. ^ "Stephen Colbert crudely redefines national history". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on February 11, 2010.
  8. ^ https://www.canadashistory.ca/about-us/board-of-directors

External links[]

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