Can you believe the Canadian style guide, the government of Canada resource for correct writing style in Canada, has not been updated since 1997! You can download it as a PDF file from the link below, but, its a little outdated. Some language, spelling, and grammar have changed. New words have been added, others slipped away.
Government of Canada – The Canadian style : a guide to writing and editing.
Canada has style guides and guides to writing markets, all outdated now. Why? People in Canada still write. I keep wondering why all the style guides have been neglected. Why isn’t any one writer or publisher or our own government keeping a Canadian writing style guide actively updated and available?
Once upon a time the Canadian Author’s Association had a writer’s guide – The Canadian Writer’s Guide – An official handbook from 1976. I went to the current website to see if there is anything updated from writers/authors of the association. Nothing I could find. But, they will be happy for your paid membership.
The most up to date I can find is:
The Canadian Writer’s Handbook: Third Essentials Edition Paperback – 2022
Quoted from About the Author on the Amazon page:
William E. Messenger and Jan de Bruyn (both now deceased), both professors emeriti of the University of British Columbia, produced the first edition of The Canadian Writer’s Handbook (main volume) in 1980. Judy Brown (now deceased) joined the project as an editorial consultant on the third edition; she was senior instructor and associate head in the English department at UBC.
All deceased so they aren’t going to be making updates. But, I wonder how Canadian the book was. The resources used are: MLA, APA, Chicago, CSE, and IEEE styles. Not the Canadian Press or any Canadian newspaper or publisher. So even if some intrepid character did want to create an updated version of the Canadian Writer Style Guide online… they would be undertaking a pretty huge project.
Now that I’ve looked all this up and written more than I had planned… does anyone really care? I guess I do.
Please help me support my fondness for groceries, bill paying, and the occasional new print book.
Canadian Inspiration
Zed. Not Zee. – Post from Canafete (Offering Canadian themes in cross stitch patterns).
Canadian English is not simply British English with American influence layered on top. It is its own variety, shaped by a distinct historical experience.
The zed/zee divide illustrates something broader about Canadian identity. It is maintained not through grand declarations but through countless small, mostly unconscious adjustments. A child hears zee from television and zed from the adults around them, and somewhere along the way — usually after childhood — zed wins.
Not because anyone insists on it. Simply because, to most Canadians, it sounds Canadian.
See also – Canafete has posted – What Colour is Canada Red?
Canadian People
Still Standing on CBC (Facebook link) with Jonny Harris.
The official description of the show from the website:
Still Standing is a popular TV show broadcast on the CBC and hosted by Jonny Harris, exploring the resilience and charm of small towns across Canada. Each episode brings viewers into the lives of these communities, showcasing their unique stories and spirit. Our products celebrate the essence of the show, allowing fans to carry a piece of that spirit with them wherever they go. Join us in celebrating these incredible towns and the people who call them home.
I wanted to see a list of the towns which have been visited and filmed for Still Standing. CBC has a list from the first ten seasons of the show. The 12th season is due to start soon. Wikipedia has a list which covers the 11th season. I counted 123 towns visited so far. But, the seasons are getting shorter. Starting with 13 towns per season, then 10, and now the last two seasons were 8 towns each. Likely this is more about time and budget than a lack of small towns. Here in Canada we make jokes about the CBC being on a tight budget, but it is true.
I hope the show continues on several years more. It is a lot of fun to watch and see what people in small towns are doing to keep afloat. Some creative and interesting business ideas. I wonder if the show brings more people to look at these small towns, thinking to make their own life there, a less busy location where they see friendly people, involved with their community. Not something you can find so easily in a large city.
Interview with Canadian Living – Still Standing Since 2015 with Jonny Harris
Canadian Places
From Canadian Archive, on Facebook: You can bring back ONE Canadian company exactly as it was in its prime. Who are you choosing?
My answer:
I worked for Zellers for years. I miss Eaton’s and Hudson’s Bay. But of them all I would bring back Consumers Distributing. That was a great idea and could work even better these days than a standard retail store. If they had delivery, or used one of the services, it could out do Canadian Tire and the others still around (or migrated here from the US) because they could exist with less cost for staff, floor space, and theft.
At Zellers there was a LOT of theft and nothing could be done about it, even with floor walkers/ store security watching people. There were so many rules about what not to do, it was impossible to actually report a theft. People did walk out after setting off the security alarms because you were not allowed to check them, or anything they had with them.
After years of seeing how much was stolen and how little the store or employees were allowed to do about it, I just got really angry about all of it. I liked working retail but it was hard to be pleasant to everyone, in particular those I knew were regularly stealing from the store. Anyway, that’s why I would not bring back Zellers, Eaton’s, or other regular retail stores. Even with all the history and tradition I’d love to keep, they just can’t make it work these days.
Canadian Things
- Which Canadian celebrity should replace the Queen on our money?
- If they made an RCMP action figure, name something it might come with.
- Fill in the blank: I met someone at the beach and knew they were Canadian because they ______.
- If the Maritimes got their own currency, name something that would be on the $10 bill.
- If winter was five years long, what would you need a lot of?
- Name an image on a Canadian coin.
These have all been Canadian themed questions asked on the Family Feud Canada game show, hosted by Gerry Dee. What questions would you suggest to the show for the next (8th) season?
CBC – Family Feud Canada – Can you guess the top answer on these super Canadian questions?
What I could not find is, who are the 100 Canadians surveyed for all the questions on the show?
Canadian Links
1000 Towns of Canada – Individual posts about 990 communities across Canada. “one platform connecting travellers with the places that don’t make the guidebooks, but should.”
NiCHE Canada – The Network in Canadian History & Environment
Phil Crawford – Famous Grave Tours – Based in Toronto, Ontario.
Cemeteries have always been an important part of my life as I have served in the funeral profession at my family’s business for over three decades. I believe every person in life and in death all have a story to tell. In my case, the story I tell begins at the grave. Hope you find something interesting in my journey.