1. Canadian History in your Lifetime (15 events since 1999) Canadian History 30F

2. Nunavut Declared  April 1, 1999  The new territory of Nunavut, would cover nearly 2 million sq km of the eastern Arctic  Canada's first territorial changes since Newfoundland joined in 1949.  The Inuit people make up around 85% of the total population

3. Gretzky Retires  April 16, 1999  Wayne Gretzky, aged 38, announced that he would retire from hockey at the end of the season.  He had played for 21 years and held or shared 61 NHL records.

4. T. Eaton Company Files for Bankruptcy  Aug 20, 1999  The T. Eaton Company filed for bankruptcy, terminating all 13 000 employees.  Eaton’s was centered out of Toronto and first started issuing catalogues in 1884.  Pictured is the Eaton’s building that stood on Portage Avenue and is now the home of the MTS Centre

5. Nisga’a Treaty Approved  December 13, 1999  The House of Commons voted 217-48 in favour of a bill that would give the Nisga'a of northwest BC the right to self- government.  The band received 2000 sq km of land and $253 million. In return they agreed to pay taxes and relinquish future claims.

6. New Endangered Species Act  April 11, 2000  Federal environment minister David Anderson introduced new legislation aimed at protecting Canada's endangered wildlife.  The Act listed 340 species as endangered.

7. E. Coli Breakout  May 24, 2000  A lethal strain of E. Coli bacterium killed a child and 3 adults in Walkerton, Ont.  By June 1, 5 more had died and 1000 had been made ill from the tainted drinking water.

8. Expo`s Last Game  September 29, 2004  The Montreal Expos played their last game at home, at Olympic Stadium, before the team moved to Washington, DC.  They were defeated 9- 1 by the Florida Marlins in front of more than 30 000 fans.

9. Same Sex Marriage Legalized  On July 25, 2005 Canada legalizes same sex marriage with the Civil Marriage Act  Prior to this 8 out of 10 provinces had already legalized these union  The act was introduced by Paul Martin’s Liberal government

10. Harper Makes Official Apology  On June 11, 2008 Stephen Harper stands before the House of Commons to deliver a public apology for the use of residential schooling in Canada’s past  As a part of the apology the Truth and Reconciliation commission was established to help survivors share stories and promote healing

11. NHL Returns to Winnipeg  May 31, 2011  Mark Chipman, chairman of True North Sports and Entertainment announces that the company has bought the Atlanta Thrashers and will be moving the team to Winnipeg.

12. Jack Layton Passes Away  August 22, 2011  Jack Layton passes away after battling cancer  He had just finished leading the NDP party to its best showing ever in the May federal elections

13. Canada Pulls out of Kyoto  After much speculation Ernie Kent, the environment minister, officially withdrew Canada from the Kyoto Protocol in December of 2011  Canada originally signed into Kyoto in 1998, which aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to pre 1990 levels  Canada pulled out to avoid having to pay penalties for not meeting the targets of the agreement

14. Lac Megantic Train Disaster  On July 5, 2013 a train derailment and massive explosion devastated the small Quebec town of 6,000  The explosion killed 47 people and has raised serious questions about the safety of transporting large volumes of crude oil

15. MacLean's Magazine Declares Winnipeg “Canada’s Most Racist City”  In January of 2015, the city of Winnipeg made the cover of MacLean’s magazine for the wrong reason  The article generally discussed racism directed at indigenous people in the city

16. Target Leaving Canada  In January 2015, Target announced they would be shutting down all 133 stores in Canada  After opening in Canada 22 months ago, heavy losses caused the company to cease operations  It is estimated Target lost $2.1 billion on its Canada operation