Canada’s 150th birthday is fast approaching, and as well as the planned festivities, this year is providing us with many reminders of our history and heritage. This year, we marked the solemn centennial of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. One hundred years ago, on April 12th, 1917, Ontario women finally acquired the right to vote in provincial elections.
Fifty years ago, 1967 was Canada’s centennial year. The Ti-Cats won the Grey Cup. It was the last time the Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup. People had not yet set foot on the moon. Expo ’67 was introducing modern Canada to the world.
I recently had the pleasure of joining the Delta Secondary School administration and the Delta Alumni Association as they opened a time capsule buried on the school lawn fifty years before, on May 26th, 1967. There were many friendly and familiar faces to be found in the auditorium. It was also good fortune to look out into the crowd to many faces from the class of ’67 themselves. Fifty years to the day after it was buried, the time capsule was opened to reveal a treasure trove from 1967.
Despite some water damage over the decades, hundreds of items in the time capsule remained intact. There were photos, class lists, letters from politicians, and several letters and sketches from students who tried to predict what 2017 would be like. There were predictions of flying cars dotting the skies and space-age fashion. The future never unfolds quite as we expect it to, but the Delta class of ’67 had built great lives for themselves over the last fifty years. It was a privilege to attend this moment of history and to see so many of you there.
To close on a happy note, as summer approaches, I always look forward to seeing many of you at my annual Seniors’ Fair. Please join me for my eighth annual Seniors’ Fair on Wednesday June 21st between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm at the Stoney Creek Legion, Branch 622.