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Terry Fox, yes! But no Lotta or Crowfoot?

On December 16, Canada’s Department of Finance announced the following:

“The 2024 Fall Economic Statement announces that Terry Fox will appear on the next $5 bank note. Sir Wilfrid Laurier will move from the $5 bank note to appear on the next version of the $50 note.”

There can be no doubt that the choice of Terry Fox is both inspirational and universally applauded. However, I have to express my disappointment with the decision to move Laurier over to the $50 note.

This was a missed opportunity. A full four years ago, after extensive consultations, a short list of 8 fully-vetted banknote candidates were submitted to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland for her final decision.

Three years later, given the slow decision making process, I proposed a radical makeover of our whole banknote system. Continue reading →

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Celebrating Lotta’s legion of loyal supporters: Helen Backhouse (1931-2024) and John Backhouse (1931-2023)

Being true to the “Lotta Hitschmanova” spirit, they decided to donate what would have been their airfare to the organization that Lotta had founded.

Today is the 115th anniversary of the birth of beloved humanitarian Dr. Lotta Hitschmanova, CC — a time to celebrate her life’s work, but also a time to celebrate some of the remarkable Canadians that she herself inspired.

Today I’d like to feature two dear friends who sadly are no longer with us: Helen Backhouse who died in February 2024 and John Backhouse who died in September 2023.

I owe a lot to Helen and John, as it is fair to say that if I had never met them, I don’t think I would have created this website in honour of Dr. Lotta. More on this later.

Continue reading →

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A radical new proposal: let’s give Lotta, Crowfoot and Terry Fox each their own banknote!

“Grouped together, their collective life’s work offers us the hope of a caring and reconciliatory spirit for generations to come.”

As fans of Canadian humanitarian Lotta Hitschmanova celebrate her 114th birthday today, they’ll be pleased to know her name is still on the short list of 8 notable Canadians to appear on our new $5 banknote.

It’s been a long time (over 3 years) since the short list was created, after more than 600 nominees had been submitted by Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

I suspect it may be challenging for Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to choose a single individual to appear on the banknote, so a year ago I proposed a creative solution to the problem:

To select Terry Fox, Lotta Hitschmanova and Isapo-muxika (Crowfoot) to appear together on our next $5 banknote.

All three are iconic figures who lived in different time periods in Canadian history. Individually, each represents an important social element in our uniquely Canadian story.

While grouped together, their collective life’s work offers to us the hope of a caring and reconciliatory spirit for generations to come.

I think this idea still has merit. However, I do acknowledge there could be some design problems in blending all 3 heroes onto one banknote. So I have come up with an even better solution:

Let’s give Lotta, Crowfoot and Terry Fox each their own banknote!

With the changing of the $20 banknote to King Charles, here is the current situation of our 5 Canadian banknotes: Continue reading →

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Celebrating Lotta’s legion of loyal supporters: Dr. Vernon Burrows, OC (1930-2020)

Canadian plant breeder, Dr. Vernon Burrows, died peacefully in Ottawa on November 8, 2020.

He achieved world renown for his research on oats and was a pioneer in developing hull-less, “naked” oat varieties.

He was also a big fan of Dr. Lotta Hitschmanova, who inspired him when he first heard her giving a talk in the 1970s at the Unitarian church in Ottawa.

A year after Lotta’s death in 1990, he honoured her by naming a naked oat variety he had developed: AC Lotta! Continue reading →

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Addendum: Let’s put Lotta on a Stamp!

Today is World Refugee Day and I would like to share a new idea that goes well beyond my original “Let’s put Lotta on a Stamp” idea.

In short, I have proposed to Canada Post that they create an ongoing “Refugees to Canada Who Made a Difference” stamp series, launching this series in 2022 with a commemorative stamp honouring Dr. Lotta Hitschmanova.

You can read the reasons for my proposal below, in correspondence with the Director of Stamp Services:

Continue reading →

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Let’s put Lotta on a Stamp!

My sincere thanks go out to the more than 1,300 individuals who signed the “Let’s put Lotta on a Stamp” petition.

I have just written a letter to the Stamp Advisory Committee of Canada Post proposing that a commemorative stamp be made in honour of Lotta Hitschmanova.

I will keep readers updated on any developments, as soon as I learn of them myself.

Here is my letter:

It is my great pleasure to propose to you that a Canadian commemorative stamp be created in the name of Dr. Lotta Hitschmanova, CC (1909-1990).

Here are a few of the reasons why I feel Dr. Lotta – as she affectionately came to be known – should be honoured in this way. Continue reading →

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36 Sokolska, Prague: another Lotta pilgrimage site?

36 Sokolska, PragueFor decades, visitors to Ottawa have paid homage to one of Canada’s best known addresses, 56 Sparks Street, made famous by Lotta Hitschmanova in her memorable TV and radio PSAs in the 60s and 70s.

But did you know that Lotta was born in Prague and that her family home – 36 Sokolska – is also a “pilgrimage” site? Continue reading →

Remembering Auschwitz: How personal tragedy led to Lotta’s mission in life
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Remembering Auschwitz: How personal tragedy led to Lotta’s mission in life

Millions of Canadians can still remember her heavily accented voice on those celebrated radio and TV ads in the 1960s and 70s: “This is Lotta Hitschmanova of the Unitarian Service Committee, 56 Sparks Street, Ottawa 4.”

For generations, Lotta was Canada’s most beloved humanitarian, a constant voice of caring and compassion for those in need far away. But the deep-rooted inspiration for Lotta’s lifelong humanitarian mission is not so well known. Continue reading →

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Happy 110th Birthday, Lotta!

Today (Nov 28) we celebrate Lotta Hitschmanova’s 110th birthday with the news that over 1000 people have signed the “Let’s put Lotta on a stamp” petition.

Here is a sampling of the impact she had and why so many Canadians have signed this petition: Continue reading →