25 of the Oldest Events and Objects in Canadian History

I'm a Canadian and I love my country and almost everything about. Since I started freelance writing, I have researched many things in Canadian history and keep surprising myself on all the interesting information I keep finding. In this article I have tried to find 25 of the most interesting and least known objects and events that have happen over 200 years that many people might not known about. So read on if you love Canada and would like to learn more about this amazing country and its extensive history.

"Oldest Wooden Hockey Rink"
Historic accounts vary on this subject but after hours of searching I found the oldest hockey rink in Canada that still operates to this day is the "Stannus Street Rink" in Windsor, Nova Scotia. It was built in 1897, and has been restored a few times. It's a great little piece of Canadian sports history that's almost been forgotten. I'm not exactly sure if it is really the oldest rink but in the city of Windsor residents proclaims it is.

"Oldest Children's Camp"
This was one I had a hard time believing myself because I never heard of it myself. YMCA-YWCA Camp Stephens has been open since 1891 and has been operational ever since. The camp is located in Winnipeg, Manitoba and was started for children between the ages of 8 to 16. This is a great little camp with a good long time standing reputation in the community.

"Oldest Person" (May 2008)
The oldest Canadian resident is Bessie Roffey who just celebrated her 111th birthday a few days ago. She was born in 1897, and has seen many of Canada's advances with technology through her time. She now lives alone 360km Northwest of Edmonton enjoying every one of her days left on this planet.

"Oldest Private College"
The oldest private college that survives in Canada is supposedly the "Upper Canada College" which was established in 1829. In 1891, the college moved to "Old Toronto" on a 40 acre site which is now a part of downtown and one of the cities most famous landmarks.

"Oldest Chevrolet Dealership"
This is just a fun fact about car history here in Canada. The Chevrolet dealership in Fredricton, New Brunswick was founded in 1883 by W.G Clark and is the oldest car dealership in Canada. They are still operating and selling cars to this day.

"Oldest Book Store"
Canada's oldest book store was the "Book Room" in Halifax. It was established in 1839 and served Halifax residents for 169 years. As of March 2008 the book store had to close because they couldn't keep up with the times and revenues from book stores aren't as big as they use to be.

"Oldest Tobacco Shop"
The oldest tobacco shop in Canada is the "Walper Tobacco Shop" which was established in 1892. For 116 years the shop has served the Kitchener, Ontario area with no complaints ever since.

"Oldest Ice"
OK, first let me clear up something for those of you who think all we have here is snow and ice. We Don't! The oldest ice in Canada is the "Barnes Ice Cap" which is over 20,000+ years old. Barnes ice cap is ice that was left over from the ice age. Supposedly the ice cap is disappearing at an alarming rate due to pollution and global warming.

"Oldest Brewery"
Molson Canadian brewery is the oldest beer maker in Canada. The company established itself in 1786 even before Canada became a country. Molson Canadian has been proudly making and selling their beer for over 222 years now and probably will for the next couple of generations.

"Oldest Surviving Locomotive"
Canada's oldest locomotive is a sweet little piece of Canadian history for train lovers. The locomotive was made in Durham, England and now sits on display at a Nova Scotia museum were everyone can see it. It was mainly used for hauling coal but sometime in the 50's I think it was used a passenger engine in the states before being returned to Canada.

"Oldest Dog Magazine"
I am a pet lover so I had to add this fun fact. The first and oldest dog magazine here in Canada is "Canine Review". The magazine was established in and published it first magazine on 1978. The company is still operational and now has a website as well.

"Oldest Bank"
Many of us probably already know that the oldest bank in Canada is the "Bank of Montreal" which was originally established in 1817. The Bank of Montreal is still one of Canada's biggest and best well known banks to this day. The Bank of Montreal also has branches all over the world but many are in different names. Last I heard the Banks value was in the neighborhood of 368 billion Canadian dollars.

"Oldest City"
OK this one has a lot of controversy surrounding it. There's 2 different historic versions of this fact and one says it was St. John's, Newfoundland that was the oldest but considering St. John's was not considered a part of Canada until late 1800's to 1900's that makes it hard to believe. Quebec City lays the claim to being the oldest city because it was founded in 1608 and has always been considered a part of Canada. You be the judge!

"Oldest National Park"
The oldest national protected park in Canada is Banff in Alberta. The park was founded in 1885 and has been one of Canada's most recognized places. The park is still open and is amazing to visit.

"Oldest Corporation/Company"
The oldest trading company/corporation in Canada and the entire world is the "Hudson's Bay Company" which was established in 1670. To this day the company is still operational and remains the power house of all companies. Although a few years back an American bought the company.

"Oldest Airline"
The oldest airline in Canadian history is the "Austin Airways" which was originally started in 1934. The airplane in the picture is from the early fifties when the company was in the process of expanding. Through out the years, the airline company merged with a few different airlines but always used their own name. As of 2001 Austin Airways once again merged and is now apart of "Air Canada Jazz" and still does passenger flights to this day.

"Oldest Golf Course"
Again there's a lot of controversy in this fact but never the less here it is. First is Perth golf course in Ontario. It started in 1890 and is known as the oldest permanent golf course in Canada. Others claim the actual oldest golf course is really the "Royal" Montreal Golf Club which was founded way back in 1873. No matter which is the oldest, both courses are still open to play at.

"Oldest Microwave"
Now almost everyone in the world owns a microwave but how many of us can say "I'm still using the first one I bought". Well one resident in Etobicoke, Ontario was discovered to have the oldest working microwave in Canada. Isabelle Cadel had bought her microwave new in the summer of 1952 and still uses it to this day. At the time of purchase the appliance was the newest and most advanced of its time.

"Oldest Woman's Magazine"
Canada's oldest woman's magazine is "Chatelaine" which started to publish their magazines in 1929. This is one of the more popular Canadian magazines with an estimated 4.4 million readers and still being published to this day.

"Oldest Skateboard Shop"
Alright this one is for all you skateboard fans. Canada's oldest skateboard shop is "PD's Hot Shop" which was first opened in 1976. The shop has been serving its skateboarding fans ever since and is now located on the Westside of Vancouver, British Columbia.

"Oldest Western Newspaper"
Now again this is only the oldest newspaper in Western Canada not to be confused with the first Canadian newspaper "Halifax Gazette". The "Winnipeg Free Press" has been operating since 1872 and is located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The paper is still in circulation to this day.

"Oldest Reward Program"
Well anyone living in Canada knows about the infamous Canadian Tire money which is Canada's oldest reward program. The program works like this: after you purchase gas or any products from any Canadian Tire, then the teller gives you your change and so much Canadian Tire money depending how much you spent. It takes awhile to build up a good amount of Canadian Tire money but once you do, you're free to go buy anything in any of their stores. Program came into effect in Toronto in 1958 and has been going strong ever since. There are now over 200 gas bars and over 432 Canadian Tire's all over Canada.

"Oldest University"
The oldest Canadian university I could find in the history books was the "Universite Laval" in Quebec which is the 5th oldest university in the Americans. It first opened it doors to students on December 8, 1852 and as far as I know is still operational to this day.

"Oldest and Largest Public Market"
Growing up in Ottawa as a young boy I know all to well about this market and have been their many times when I was a child. The market is known as the "Byward Market" which was established in 1826 in downtown Ottawa. To this day on any weekend if you travel down to the heart of Ottawa, you cannot miss the Byward Market.

"Oldest Private Zoo"
Finally we come to Canada's oldest known private zoo called the "Bomanville Zoo" which is of course located in Bomanville, Ontario. It was first opened in 1919 and has over 300 creatures for people to see. To this day the Bomanville zoo is still one of the largest attractions in the city.

Well that's about it but please keep in mind that all facts I found were researched and should be correct but also remember I can only provide the information I can find on line or personally know.