James Stewart (J.D.M.) speaks with Matthieu Caron about his book, Montreal After Dark: Nighttime Regulation and the Pursuit of a Global City.  

Montreal After Dark by Matthieu Caron explores the transformation of Montreal’s vibrant nightlife from the early twentieth century through the reformist era of Mayor Jean Drapeau. Once known for its lively scene of sex, jazz, liquor, and gambling, Montreal’s nightlife came under strict regulation as Drapeau sought to curb corruption and reshape the city into a global metropolis. The book details how city authorities and police worked together to control nighttime activities, especially during major events like Expo 67 and the 1976 Olympics. It examines the tensions between maintaining order and responding to social unrest, highlighting how debates over public space, acceptable behaviour, and sexual norms reflected broader struggles over the city’s identity. Matthieu Caron reveals how the regulation of nightlife became intertwined with consumer capitalism and political power, fundamentally altering Montreal’s urban culture and the experience of the city after dark. 

Matthieu Caron is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of History at Simon Fraser University. 

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Montreal After Dark: Nighttime Regulation and the Pursuit of a Global City

Nicole O'Byrne speaks with Barry Cahill about his book, A Biography of Robert Henry Winters. This biography is of Nova Scotian Robert Henry Winters (1910-1969) who was first elected to Parliament in 1945 and appointed to Cabinet by Prime Minister Louis St-Laurent in 1948. Between 1957 and 1965 Winters was one of Canada’s most prominent businessmen, running companies specializing in resource extraction and development. Returning to politics in 1965, he was again elected to Parliament and soon joined the Cabinet of Prime Minister Lester Pearson as minister of trade and commerce. Notably, Winters placed second to Pierre Trudeau in the vote to choose the new leader of Canada’s Liberal Party in 1968. Leaving politics once again and re-entering big business, Winters became president, and then chair of Brascan (now Brookfield Asset Management) before his unexpected death. This book will be a welcome read for anyone interested in Canadian politics, especially within the Liberal Party, Canadian business, and the interaction between the two. 

Barry Cahill, MLitt is an independent historian in Halifax, Nova Scotia, specializing in the legal profession, the 1917 Halifax Disaster, Canadian Black Studies, especially slavery and abolition, and Canadian political biography. He was a Commonwealth Scholar at Oxford University, and has published eight books and numerous scholarly articles, including several in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, and is currently working on a biography of William Stevens Fielding, Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier’s minister of finance throughout the fifteen years of the Laurier government, 1896-1911. 

Image Credit: Cambridge Scholars Publishing 

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A Biography of Robert Henry Winters

Larry Ostola speaks with Harry Malcolmson about his book, Scene: How the 1960s Transformed Canadian Art. Scene traces this remarkable reshaping of the nation’s artistic landscape. Written by renowned art critic Harry Malcolmson, the book offers an insider’s view of how a surge of artists, galleries, collectors, and critics propelled Canadian art onto the global stage. Malcolmson explores the forces behind this creative renaissance, from the patriotic fervor surrounding Canada’s Centennial and Expo ’67 to landmark projects like Toronto City Hall. Through vivid anecdotes and sharp analysis, he captures the energy of the decade and profiles over twenty influential Canadian artists who defined the period. Richly illustrated, Scene examines how growing nationalism, cultural confidence, and economic prosperity converged to shape a new artistic identity. It also charts the rise of key institutions, including the Art Gallery of Ontario and the National Gallery of Canada. 

Harry Malcolmson is an art critic and a prominent collector of art and historical photography. Previously, he worked as a lawyer and was a regular contributor to publications such as the Toronto Telegram, Saturday Night, and Canadian Art. Together with Ann Malcolmson, he assembled The Malcolmson Collection, which spans the history of photography from the 1840s and is regarded as one of the most important collections of historical photography in Canada. 

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Scene: How the 1960s Transformed Canadian Art

James Stewart (J.D.M.) speaks with Alexandra Giancarlo, Janice Forsyth, and Braden Te Hiwi about their book, Beyond the Rink: Behind the Images of Residential School Hockey. In 1951, the Sioux Lookout Black Hawks from Pelican Lake Indian Residential School toured Ottawa and Toronto after winning the Thunder Bay district championship. Promoted as proof of the residential school system’s “success,” the tour masked the realities of abuse and forced assimilation. Beyond the Rink by Alexandra Giancarlo, Janice Forsyth, and Braden Te Hiwi—created with Survivors Kelly Bull, Chris Cromarty, and David Wesley—examines this legacy, celebrating the team’s achievements while exposing hockey’s role in colonial narratives and reclaiming their story to envision a more just future for Indigenous peoples and Canada.

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Beyond the Rink: Behind the Images of Residential School Hockey

Larry Ostola speaks with Don Weekes about his book, Hockey Hall of Fame Timeline of the Game: 150 Years of Hockey Stories. The players. The builders. The moments and stories that define the game. Hockey Hall of Fame Timeline of the Game is a visual catalog of hockey's history -- from the early days of a modest ice game played on ponds to today's fast-paced, global, multi-billion-dollar sport. Hockey Hall of Fame Timeline of the Game is replete with facts, stories, headlines and stats that will satiate the appetites of even the most passionate fans. Hundreds of images, from iconic photographs to obscure illustrations and rare shots, bring the history to life -- all assembled in a colorful, attention-grabbing package. This indispensable reference guides you through eight hockey-defining eras.

Don Weekes is an award-winning television producer at CTV Montreal and the author of more than 20 hockey books, including Hockey Hall of Fame Book of Trivia and Picturing the Game: An Illustrated Story of Hockey. 

If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past. 

Hockey Hall of Fame Timeline of the Game: 150 Years of Hockey Stories

Immerse yourself in Canada’s history! Witness to Yesterday episodes take listeners on a journey to document a time in Canada’s past and explore the people behind it, its significance, and its relevance to today. If you like our work, please consider supporting it: https://bit.ly/support_WTY. To learn more about the Society and Canada’s history, subscribe to our newsletter at https://bit.ly/news_WTY.

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