Accession 2013.003 - Heritage Minutes 2013 acquisition

Heritage Minutes began in 1986 after Charles Bronfman’s CRB Foundation conducted a survey that found many Canadians severely lacked basic historical knowledge of their country. Using similar advertisement ploys, he began to create history-based public service announcements with the help of Patrick Watson, Robert-Guy Scully, and Richard Ciupka under the CRB Foundation. These announcements, which would later be known as Heritage Minutes, followed six main criteria: 1. Intrigue us with Canada’s heritage; 2. Be producible within resources; 3. Be truthful within the bounds of dramatic license; 4. Reflect and celebrate Canadian social and cultural values: tolerance, fairness, courage, tenacity, resourcefulness, inventiveness; 5. Reveal origins; 6. Surprise, provoke reflection, re-examination, raise questions.

After pilot episodes and bilingual focus groups, thirteen episodes were released on March 31, 1991, airing on CBC and Radio-Canada. CRB Foundation continued to release Heritage Minutes, often with the help of the National Film Board of Canada.

In 1999, the short films were renamed Historica Minutes: History by the Minute after CRB Foundation created the Historica Foundation of Canada. The company changed names again in 2009 when the Historica Foundation merged with the Dominion Institute to become the Historica-Dominion Institute. The company was renamed again to its present name Historica Canada in 2013.

Heritage Minutes have been screened by many, including Cineplex Odeon cinemas, Universal Studios Home Video Canada, and VIA Rail. In 2003, Heritage Minutes made their radio debut in 90-second dramas. They have also been the bases for multiple parodies by Canadian comedians and television programs. The 1992 Heritage Minute Halifax Explosion was a Gemini award nomination, with Steve Danyluk as director of photography. To help encourage Canadian broadcasters to air the Minutes, the CRTC has deemed them as 150-per-cent Canadian content programming.

The Heritage Minutes are produced independently without any engagement from funders in script, direction or production. Since Heritage Minutes content is educational, networks have never received payment for airing them.

All stages of production are present in this collection. This includes camera original negatives, workprints, intermediate edits, visual printing elements, soundtrack elements, film release prints, video edits, video masters, along with photographic and textual production documents.

• Peacemaker (1992)
• Vikings (1992)
• John Cabot (1991)
• Jacques Cartier (1991)
• Jean Nicolet (1992)
• Syrup (1997)
• Governer Frontenac (1992)
• Laura Secord
• Hart & Papineau (1995)
• Étienne Parent
• Baldwin & LaFontaine (1992)
• Responsible Government (1991)
• Orphans (1991)
• Underground Railroad (1991)
• Joseph Casavant (1992)
• The Paris Crew (1995)
• Saguenay Fire (1992)
• Jennie Trout (1991)
• Sitting Bull
• Les Voltigeurs de Québec
• Nitro
• Joseph Tyrrell (1992)
• Louis Riel (1991)
• Sir Sandford Fleming
• Rural Teacher (1992)
• Soddie (1991)
• Midwife (1992)
• Basketball (1992)
• Sam Steele (1993)
• Frontier College (1997)
• Marconi
• Grey Owl (1999)
• Valour Road (1991)
• Winnie
• John McCrae
• J.S. Woodsworth (2003)
• Nellie McClung (1991)
• Halifax Explosion (1991)
• Joseph-Armand Bombardier (1993)
• Emily Murphy (1992)
• Superman (1991)
• Myrnam Hospital (1995)
• La Bolduc (1993)
• Inukshuk (1993)
• Wilder Penfield (1991)
• Agnes Macphail (1992)
• Bluenose (1995)
• Emily Carr (1992)
• Pauline Vanier (1995)
• Marion Orr (1997)
• Maurice “Rocket” Richard
• Jackie Robinson (1997)
• John Humphrey (1997)
• Avro Arrow
• Stratford (1997)
• Paul-Émile Borduas (1995)
• Le Réseau (1993)
• Maurice Ruddick (1993)
• Jacques Plante (1991)
• Lucille Teasdale (2000)
• Marshall McLuhan
• Flags
• Expo ’67 (1997)
• Nat Taylor (1997)
• Water Pump (1995)
• Maple Leaf Gardens (1993)
• Richard Pierpoint (2012)
• The Battle of Queenston Heights (2013)
• Vimy Ridge (2005)
• Osborn of Hong Kong (2005)
• Mona Parsons (2005)
• Tommy Prince (2005)
• Juno Beach (2005)
• Andrew Mynarski (2005)
• Home from the Wars (2005)
• Dextraze in the Congo (2005)