At the 137th Annual General Meeting of the Ontario Historical Society, Dr. Alan Corbiere delivered a keynote address on “Anishinaabe History Through Placenames.” Dr. Corbiere is introduced by OHS Chair Dave Mowat.

Dr. Alan Corbiere is an associate professor in the Department of History at York University and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous History of North America. His research focuses on Indigenous histories and relationships, the complexity of treaty negotiations, Anishinaabe language revitalization, and how memory, place, and story shape understandings of the past.

His contributions to Indigenous history and language revitalization have been recognized with numerous honours, including the Meritorious Service Medal (Canada) for his work in Anishinaabemowin language revitalization, the Barbara Godard Prize for Best York University Dissertation in Canadian Studies, and the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Excellence in Conservation. Dr. Corbiere collaborates widely with communities, museums, and educators to “re-right” and “re-write” historical narratives from Indigenous perspectives.

At the 136st Annual General Meeting of the Ontario Historical Society, Dr. Natasha Henry-Dixon delivered a keynote address on “The Paradox of Slavery and Freedom in 19th Century Ontario.” Dr. Henry-Dixon is introduced by OHS President Kristin Ives.

Natasha Henry-Dixon is an assistant professor of African Canadian History at York University. The 2018 Vanier Scholar is currently researching the enslavement of Black people in colonial Ontario in her project, “One Too Many: the Enslavement of Black People in Upper Canada, 1760-1834.”

She has been an educator for 25 years, teaching kindergarten through to university. Dr. Henry-Dixon is an award-winning author and curriculum developer, focusing on African Canadian experiences. Her publications include Emancipation Day: Celebrating Freedom in Canada (June 2010), Talking about Freedom: Celebrating Freedom in Canada (2012), a number of youth-focused titles, and several entries for the Canadian Encyclopedia on African Canadian history. Through her various professional, academic, and community roles, Dr. Henry-Dixon’s work is grounded in her commitment to research, collect, preserve, and disseminate the histories of Black Canadians.

Dr. Henry-Dixon’s talk will highlight her research on the development and maintenance of racial chattel slavery in colonial Ontario and unpack the complexities of freedom for Black people during this time period.

OHS President Kristin Ives introduces the 2023 Keynote Speaker, Dr. Donald B. Smith. A long-time OHS member, Dr. Smith is a Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Calgary who has focused his career on the history of Indigenous Canada, Quebec, and the history of Calgary and Southern Alberta.

The OHS is very pleased to share this recording of Dr. Smith reflecting on his career and the creation of his 2023 21-episode podcast series (with accompanying illustrated articles) for the OHS, In Hindsight: Half a Century of Research Discoveries in Canadian History.

Following the model of old-fashioned radio programming, In Hindsight ran weekly from January to June in 2023, with the final episode launching in October, and focused on different personalities in 19th and 20th century Canadian history. Learn more about and listen to the podcast at:

https://ontariohistoricalsociety.ca/podcasts/in-hindsight/