Station Information - 1998 in Canada

Table of contents

1 Events

1.1 Arts and literature

2 Births
3 Deaths

Events

January 1 - Toronto and six other communites are merged to form a new megacity. The next day Mel Lastman is elected as its first mayor
January - A massive ice storm, caused by El Niño, strikes southern Ontario and Quebec, resulting in widespread power failures, severe damage to forests, and a number of deaths
January 6 - Alan Eagleson pleads guilty to fraud
January 7 - The federal government formally apologizes for the past mistreatment of First Nations
February 7 - February 22 - Nagano Olympics Canada wins the fourth-most medals, but is embarrassed when their star-filled hockey team fails to win a medal.
February 10 - Canadian National Railway merges with the Illinois Central
February 13 - Three girls, all under 18 years of age, are found guilty in Victoria, BC of killing 14-year-old Reena Virk. Three others plead guilty of assault.
February 18 - Controversial plans to include a Holocaust memorial in the Canadian War Museum are scrapped
February 24 - In the 1998 Canadian budget finance minister Paul Martin delivers a balanced budget
March 2 - Daniel Johnson, leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, announces his resignation
March 6 - Dionne Quintuplets given money and an apology by the government
March 6 - British Columbian doctors begin the first of a series of protests against funding shortages
March 12 - Quebec and Newfoundland resolve the long running Churchill Falls dispute
March 12 - Mutual Life of Canada aquires MetLife to become Canada's second-largest insurace company
March 4 - Senator Andrew Thompson is forced to resign his Senate seat after not attending for two years
March 24 - The 1998 Nova Scotia election leaves the Liberals and NDP tied for the most seats.
March 27 - Jean Charest announces that he will seek the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party
March 27 - The federal government agrees to compensate hepatitis C victims of tainted blood.
April 1 - Floods in the Saguenay region of Quebec force 2000 from their homes
April 17 - Dafydd Rhys Williams flies aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, becoming the first non-American to serve as medical officer.
April 25 - The United States announces large tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber
April 26-April 28 - Prime Minister Chr�tien pays an official visit to Cuba
May 14 - Camille Th�riault becomes premier of New Brunswick, replacing Raymond Frenette
May 21 The Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans shuts down the B.C. Coho fishery
June 24 - Macmillan Bloedel says that it will end clearcutting old growth forests
July 15 - The B.C. government and the Nisga'a First Nation sign a historic, and controversial, land claims agreement
August 11 - 8000 people are evacuated as forest fires threaten Salmon Arm, British Columbia
August 20 - The Supreme Court of Canada states Quebec can not legally secede from Canada without the federal government's approval.
September 2 - In Canada, pilots for Air Canada launch the first strike in company's history.
September 2 - Crash of Swissair Flight 111 off Peggys Cove in Nova Scotia
October 8 - Canada is elected to a seat on the United Nations Security Council
October 14 - Canada's first diamond mine opens in the Northwest Territories
October 27 - Conrad Black's the National Post publishes its first issue
November 14 - Former Prime Minister Joe Clark is selected as the new leader of the Progressive Conservative Party
November 26 - Dan Morin is forced to resign as Premier of the Northwest Territories
November 30 - The Parti Qu�b�cois is re-elected in Quebec, despite losing the popular vote
December 1 - Work on Canada's new gun registry begins
December 10 - James Antoine becomes premier of the Northwest Territories, replacing Don Morin
December 14 - Minister of Finance Paul Martin prohibits Canada's banks from merging
Grey Cup: Calgary Stampeders win 26-24 over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Vanier Cup: Saskatchewan Huskies win 24-17 over the Concordia Stingers

Arts and literature

New Books

The Bay of Love and Sorrows - David Adams Richards
Greater Than Angels - Carol Matas
The Love of a Good Woman - Alice Munro
Pri�res d'un adolescent tr�s tr�s sage - Roch Carrier
Broken Entries: Race Subjectivity Writing - Roy Miki
Isaiah Berlin: A Life - Michael Ignatieff
Coyotes Sing to the Moon - Thomas King
Toronto Discovered - Robert Fulford
Body Music - Dennis Lee

Awards

Carol Shields's Larry's Party wins the Orange Prize for Fiction
Giller Prize for Canadian Fiction: Alice Munro: The Love of a Good Woman
See 1998 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
Books in Canada First Novel Award: Margaret Gibson, Opium Dreams
Gerald Lampert Award: Mark Sinnett, The Landing
Marian Engel Award: Sharon Butala
Pat Lowther Award: Barbara Nickel, The Gladys Elegies
Stephen Leacock Award: Mordecai Richler, Barney's Version
Trillium Book Award English: Andr� Alexis, Childhood and Alice Munro, The Love of a Good Woman
Trillium Book Award French: Daniel Poliquin, L'homme de paille and Stefan Psenak, Du chaos et de l'ordre des choses
Vicky Metcalf Award: Kit Pearson

Music

Shania Twain's Come on Over is one of the year's top selling albums in North America
Les Chansons en or by Celine Dion is released
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie by Alanis Morissette

Film

Titanic, directed by Canadian James Cameron, wins 11 Oscars.

Television

Canada's Sesame Street switches to showing exclusively Canadian content, renaming itself Sesame Park, as it no longer uses any American made segments from Sesame Street

Dance

The French government names Karen Kain as an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters

Births

Deaths

February 25 - W.O. Mitchell, author
March 13 - Bill Reid, Canadian artist
April 16 - Marie-Louise Meilleur, world's oldest person
May 28 - Phil Hartman, artist, writer, actor and comedian
October 1 - Pauline Julien, singer and poltical activist
October 4 - Roger Mason, author
October 17 - Robert Dickson, Supreme Court justice
October 17 - Mary O'Brien, feminist
November 9 - Roland Hewgill, actor
November 13 - Michel Trudeau, son of Pirre Trudeau
November 22 - Jack Shadbolt, artist
December 9 - Shaughnessy Cohen, Member of Parliament
December 16 - John Gallagher, founder of Dome Petroleum
December 22 - Pierre Vallieres, FLQ leader
December 24 - Charles Apps, pole vaulter
December 31 - Apak Angilik, film maker
John Hayes, (b. 1917), harness racing driver