UPDATE 1921 Canadian Census: Minister, via LAC admits "We're Late"

Please Sign the Petition!

Olive Tree Genealogy received this update on the much anticipated 1921 Canadian Census. We have a new Minister of Canadian Heritage, Shelly Glover, and a new petition has been created addressed to Ms. Glover.

Please read the update below and take a moment to sign the petition. Your signature is important!

Minister, via LAC [Library & Archives Canada] admits "We're Late"... & new webpage +


by Bill Robinson
Petition Organizer
Before changing the petition to reflect the new minister [Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage]:

http://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/release-the-1921-census-now

I phoned Ottawa twice. Apparently a Hervieux Dery referred both calls to the Manager who actually oversees this work. Hilary Morgan at 613-894-4087 said that they are still preparing the metadata for these 200,000 images.

It seems they have a small pilot project to allow external input for the indexing, but this is one of many improvements that are still in the works. She volunteered to call me back in one to two weeks with further info.

She seemed very knowledgeable and said she knew of Lisa Dillon, for example. She seemed genuine, but unfamiliar with our petition and why we don't even have an acknowledgements of the over 3,400 emails.

Crossing my fingers.

Please spread the word about this change of address and the news.

Thanks to all. 
Bill

Credits: "Signature With Ballpoint Pen " by digitalart from DigitalPhotos.Net

Sign the Petition to Release the 1921 Canadian Census!

If you have not been following the saga of the 1921 Canadian Census please take a moment to read Call to Action! Government puts Canadian 1921 Census Release on Hold

Summary:

• The 1921 Canadian Census was released by Statistics Canada (either January or June 1st this year, government agency accounts differ) to Library and Archives Canada (LAC) for scanning and releasing to the public.  
• It was due for release the first week of June but with no explanation from LAC the opening was delayed. 
• LAC has not been forthcoming with any details or fanfare or explanation as to when we might see this census
• A source at LAC revealed information that the Federal Government put the census release on indefinite hold because the only people interested were "3 little old ladies in Kingston [Ontario]"

Now, thanks to reader Bill Robinson, we have a chance to sign an online petition to request this 1921 census be released NOW. According to the LAC source it's on the servers ready to go but not available until the Government gives the okay. Let's show them that there are more than "3 little old ladies" who want to study this census and search for their ancestors!

Please share this post with others - in private emails or on appropriate forums and mailing lists (meaning please keep it on topic). Feel free to blog about the petition and provide the link for signing on your own blogs.  Anyone can sign no matter where you live so I hope to see our American, British, Australian and other friends and neighbours also signing and helping to bring this census online ASAP.

Genealogists! Help Needed to change Restricted Archives of Ontario Hours

The Archives of Ontario has moved to a wonderful new state of the art archives building. We now have the proper facilities to access and research our history but many people are unaware that with the move we now have restrictedhours of operation.

We need your help

* At the present time the hours of operation of the Archives of Ontario are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday only

* In effect this means that any Ontario taxpayer and visitor from outside the province who works fulltime and or lives at a distance not longer have access to their records.

* If we want to have evening and weekend hours we have to make our concerns known.

* We will not get the old hours of 8:15 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday back. A good compromise might be 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The benefit is that those who will visit during the extended hours will have archival staff on hand to advise and assist you them.

Why do we need your help?

* Not all records are available online or will be for the foreseeable future.

* To access the full range of records to research your family you do need to visit archives for such records as estate files, Crown land records, Private Property land records, education records, divorce files, maps, and private papers such as the T. Eaton Co.

What can you and/or your group do?

* Go to the Archives of Ontariowebsite and click on Feedback (left side of page half way down). They ask you to "Please take a few moments to send us your comments by filling in the form below." Politely request extended hours back. Fill in your email address and you will in time get a personal reply. We want to flood the Archives with requests so they can show the government the need for the extended hours.

* Contact your local MPP if a resident of Ontario

When contacting your MPP please politely emphasis your use of the Archives of Ontario, its importance to the province and that these are our records and it is our right to have access to them.

* Sign our petition - contact Kathie Orr at kathie.orr@sympatico.ca if you belong to a group who will be meeting over the next month or so and she will email you the petition. In your email please use subject line "Petition re Restricted Archives of Ontario Hours"

* Have your group and any other interested parties sign our petition.

* Encourage others to do the same.

We are counting on YOU to help make the Archives of Ontario a place where all can go to use the documented heritage of our province.

Send completed petitions to

Petitions
c/o Ruth Burkholder
Ste 103 -12140 Ninth Line
Stouffville ON L4A 1L2

or

Petitions
c/o Kathie Orr
405 - 100 Maitland St
Toronto ON M4Y 1E2