Message in bottle from 1983 washes up on remote island with historical contents intact
A peculiar message in a bottle recently surfaced on the shores of a remote Canadian island.
The discovery was announced by the Sable Island National Park Reserve in a May 23 Facebook post. The small island is located off the waters of Nova Scotia.
In the post, park officials said the bottle was discovered by Mark Doucette, an archaeology technician from Potlotek First Nation, a community of Mi'kmaq Native Americans.
"The message is very faded, but we could make out that the bottle was sent to sea Jan. 14, 1983, from a resupply ship operating near Sable Island," the post noted.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Parks Canada representative Jennifer Nicholson said that, after opening the bottle, the first thing officials noticed was its strong smell.
"Well, first off, you could still smell the gin!" she recalled. "Even 40 years later, that hadn't faded."
The gin dissolved some of the ink on the letter, but it was still faintly visible. Nicholson said that the paper was still damp from being in the bottle for four decades.
"As it dried, you could make out more of the message – and you could see the impressions left behind by the pen," she said.
The letter had scant details about the ship it was sent from, which required some research from park officials.
"It was a little hard to make out the ship's name at first. You could tell it ended with 'Sea Hunter,'" Nicholson said.
"We did a little bit of digging, and one of the archaeologists found that there used to be a resupply ship called the Wimpey Sea Hunter. It was a British supply ship built in Devon in 1982."
She added, "There were crew names on the back as well. We haven't been able to track any of the crew down after this time. But if they're out there, we'd love to hear from them!"
The bottle also contained a two-dollar bill from 1974, which featured a portrait of young Queen Elizabeth.
"We've had appliances like TVs and fridges wash up on the beach – fridges especially."
"The Bank of Canada replaced the two-dollar bill with the [two-dollar coin] in 1996, and some of our Sable team had never seen a two-dollar bill before," Nicholson noted.
It's not unheard of for similar bottles to wash up on Canadian shores. Nicholson said that one message in a bottle is usually found in Nova Scotia per year.
"A lot of them are from the 1980s," she said. "The oldest one my colleagues found was set to sea in the 1930s from a boat that was sailing from the U.K. to North America … that was really neat. "
Other than that, Nicholson said park officials have seen "almost everything" wash up on shores.
"We've had appliances like TVs and fridges wash up on the beach – fridges especially, because they have a lot of insulation, so they float," she said.
"We've had things with Russian labels washing up. We found a little pill container that was from France. And a lot of the typical waste you would imagine – plastic water bottles, other single-use plastic items."
For now, the bottle has been sent to the Parks Canada archives for further study and preservation.
Bottles containing decades-old messages are often found across the world. In 2023, a French man stumbled across one that was sent by a Massachusetts fifth grader in 1997.
In 2021, a 108-year-old message in a bottle was found at a Ford construction site in Michigan.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Teacher shortages persisted this school year. What's being done to fill the gap for the next?
For several months this year, Katherine Korakakis' kids had substitute instructors that were "not qualified to teach the subject," said the Montreal parent, whose province started this school year thousands of teachers short. "It wasn't a math teacher who was teaching math. It wasn't a French teacher who was teaching French." She was already worried about learning loss after the pandemic, and scrambled to get her teens extra tutoring, a luxury she knows not everyone can afford. "Having a child score in the high 90s … one year in math and then having a non-qualified teacher coming in the second year and the child scoring a 50 — there's something wrong here," she said. Teacher shortages have become an issue in nearly every province and territory. Kids facing one substitute teacher after another. French taught by a non-speaker. Relying on uncertified adults to supervise classrooms. While some governments suggest an aging workforce and growing populations are behind the shortages, teachers themselves point to working conditions. So what's being done to improve the situation for next year? 'Just getting through the day' In Surrey, B.C., Anne Whitmore noted that in her children' 17-class elementary school, four teachers were on leave as the school year concluded. Whenever a classroom teacher was away, her kids said, they sometimes got a substitute for part of the day, but also likely saw another class's teacher, the librarian, the music instructor and the principal fill in. "How do you learn in an environment where you have no continuity?" Whitmore asked. "They're trying to scramble and have some kind of educational content, but really they're just getting through the day." Constantly backfilling others leaves fellow teachers, support staffers, guidance counsellors and administrators delaying their own responsibilities to students, "who now don't have access to those adults when they need them," said Brampton, Ont., high school science teacher Jason Bradshaw. Alison Osborne, who served as president of the Ontario Principals' Council this year, describes the situation as the worst she's seen in her 17 years as a principal, with administrators "constantly monitoring our phones just to see what the situation we're going to be walking into the next day," she said. What's influencing shortages? The overall number of educators in K-12 public schools rose slightly — around three per cent — from 401,286 in 2018-2019 to 413,667 in 2022-2023, according to Statistics Canada, but depending on the region, the figures have wavered during that period. CBC News asked each provincial and territorial ministry of education about teacher shortages, with B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec and New Brunswick responding. Some cited retirement of an aging workforce and rapid population growth as key factors influencing current shortages. WATCH | How teacher shortages came to 'a crisis point': Limited housing and a higher cost of living have perennially kept more teachers from certain regions, including remote and rural areas, said Clint Johnston, president designate of the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF), the national group representing the unions of more than 365,000 K-12 teachers and education workers. Yet Johnston says today's working conditions are what's behind current shortages, as teachers bail on the traditional 30-to-35-year teaching careers. "There's a lot of certified individuals in most of our provinces and territories, but … they're not sticking with it," Johnston said from Vancouver. "There's not enough support workers. There's not enough teachers … everyone's workload has gone up and become untenable." An online CTF survey last fall drew nearly 5,000 responses from Canadian teachers, education workers and principals. While not statistically representative of the 365,000 educators represented by its members unions, those who chose to respond paint a difficult picture. Nearly 80 per cent of respondents reported struggling to cope, 55 per cent had experienced violence or aggression over the year prior and 77 per cent called students' needs "significantly more complex" than five years earlier. The constant pivoting educators were forced into during COVID-19 also took a toll, says science teacher Bradshaw. Given that a key pandemic lesson was to take better care of ourselves, "that can mean stepping away from stressful work … where you feel you're being overextended." Job 'isn't worth the conditions that we're facing' Some areas are struggling to attract young people to the field, with even brand new teachers experiencing burnout. Having found engineering work isolating after obtaining a bachelor's in biology, Jadine Kirst chose to become a teacher instead since she loved working with kids, felt inspired by lifelong educators she knew and saw the need for more teachers. Her enthusiasm quickly evaporated, however, after just one year teaching Grade 8 in a francophone school in New Brunswick. "We had students figuring out loopholes so that they could look at pornography on their in-class iPads. We had a few students who threatened my life — one of [whom] needed to have their locker searched for weapons," she said. Once, asking a student to stop talking mid-lesson sparked a barrage of insults and profanity, with Krist feeling "futile" as she tried to calm his screaming. "I couldn't call the principal; the principal was probably too busy dealing with other students," she said, recalling feeling alone, without any recourse and worn down. She still works in education, but no longer in the classroom. "People who aren't aware of the reality today still look at teaching as an excellent job with two months off and a great pension, but it isn't worth the conditions that we're facing." WATCH | Teachers' federation leader on past classroom challenges on his mind 'to this day': What's being done about shortages Several ministries of education that responded to CBC News' queries noted ongoing efforts to address the problem, including: Funding programs for rural and remote teacher candidates to train in their home communities (B.C. and Alberta). Ontario and New Brunswick are allowing teachers' colleges to accept more students, while several regions have also floated the idea of accelerating or condensing teacher training, including in Ontario (which had initially doubled the length of study a decade ago to stem a vast supply of new teachers outstripping jobs available for them). Streamlining educator training is of course possible, says Brock University professor David Hutchison, yet he thinks it would likely cut into the invaluable time aspiring teachers spend inside real schools. He also predicts a negative impact to the parts of teacher training that were added more recently, for instance about student mental health, use of technology and artificial intelligence, or teaching students whose first language isn't English or French. "These are the new realities of being a student in Ontario and other provinces as well and we have an obligation to prepare [new teachers]," he said. While Ontario principal Osborne welcomes any effort to entice people to education, she worries whether they'd stick around without real change to classroom conditions. "When we talk about recruiting new teachers, new education workers, I'm not sure it's always an appealing environment to work in," she said. Science teacher Bradshaw wants to see deeper, ongoing investment versus short-term fixes. "If [governments] want to show teachers that they are valued and respected and give people a reason to come into … and stay in this profession, we have to know that they're going to invest in us long term," he said, including pay that keeps up with inflation (versus sign-on bonuses) and increased mobility, since where a teacher starts may not be where they want to stay. What do aspiring teachers think? "Knowing that teachers are needed everywhere is awesome," said teacher-candidate Serzna Issadien, who's nearing the end of a Brock University program mixing an undergraduate degree with a bachelor's of education. Still, she's uneasy about initiatives that may "just flood the market with more teachers" without adequate training, given the chaotic reality she's already seen, having filled in as an emergency substitute in the St. Catharines, Ont., region. Bridgette Walpole, another teacher-candidate close to completing her Brock training, is eager to dive into her dream profession despite a belief that most don't really understand the job nor the mix of classroom challenges today. "From a student's perspective, you see [teachers] handing out assessments. You see them standing at the front of the class delivering content," she said. "You don't see them creating the actual materials for each and every student that learns in a bunch of different ways. You don't understand the many different hats that they wear…. You're really everyone all at once."
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Is it time for a new Canada logo?
The Canada wordmark is ubiquitous in Ottawa. For decades, the logo has been emblazoned on federal buildings and signs, making the presence of the government felt throughout downtown. And its reach has been far beyond the National Capital Region, as it has bookended government television commercials, become a symbol of Canada abroad, and even made its way into space on the Canadarm of the International Space Station. Most Ottawa residents would recognize the wordmark, but they might not know how it came to be. It was created in the 1960s by designer Jim Donoahue and adopted by the federal government in 1982 as its 'official symbol of government.' Donoahue died in 2022, but the Ottawa Citizen spoke to those who knew him to tell the story of the wordmark that has become a visual part of Ottawans' daily lives. Donoahue was working for MacLaren Advertising in the 1960s when he was assigned to design a series of tourism advertisements for the federal government. While designing those pieces, he realized that there was no official government logo for the bottom of the ads. He told his copywriter colleague, Peter Bonner who said 'well, do one,' according to Blair Thomson, a graphic designer, historian and archivist. So he did. In one afternoon, according to Thomson, Donoahue designed what is now known as the Canada wordmark. He used Baskerville typeface, which he was fond of, and he thickened it as it was light and delicate and could fade in smaller reproductions. The 'D' in 'Canada' rose like a flagpole, so it was a perfect place for the flag to 'fly off,' said his daughter Zoe Donoahue in an interview, echoing her father's words. 'Good strong mark, a lot of fun,' Jim said of the wordmark in a video recounting its creation. The wordmark quickly gained recognition as it was used in high-profile centennial events, according to Tracey Headley, director of the communications and federal identity policy at the Treasury Board Secretariat. In the 1970s, the government used different logos, designs and fonts, which made it 'difficult for the public to identify federal department and federal services,' Headley said in an interview. But then the federal identity program stepped in 'to standardize the government of Canada's corporate identity,' she added, and the federal government eventually adopted Donoahue's symbol as its official wordmark. But Donoahue did not receive a cent initially for the work he had done on the wordmark, as it was a byproduct of the advertisement project that had been commissioned, said Thomson. Thomson said the federal government later sent Donoahue a 'nice letter' and a cheque for $1 to 'formalize ownership.' 'I'm sure that it's worth a lot more than that, but it was just the way the process happened,' Thomson added. The Treasury Board Secretariat couldn't confirm that the federal government had issued Donoahue a $1 cheque, nor the exact year when the wordmark was created. But Donoahue's daughter, Zoe, recalled her father talking about it. She said he was never bothered by receiving a $1 cheque, and that he even 'got a kick out of that. He laughed about it for sure.' She described her father as someone who loved the process and puzzle of design into his 80s and she said the wordmark was one of his greatest prides. Donoahue's work on iconic Canadian logos was fairly expansive, having also designed the old emblems for TSN, Global TV and Toronto's Eaton Centre among others. The 1960s in Canada was a time of identity-building that saw the country's centennial and Expo 67. This time led to the development of a number of national symbols, including the Canadian flag in 1964, and a Canadian design boom. Several iconic Canadian logos, like those of CBC, the GO Transit and CN Rail, came out of this time. Thomson, whose website Canadian Modern looks to preserve the rich history of the modern Canadian design movement, said the country's design can be characterized as 'functional,' 'clear' and 'understandable.' 'It says what it is, but also there's like this proud, like we're holding our flag up to say this is who we are, elbows up,' said Thomson, who also manages a physical archive of Canadian graphic design. Over the years, Thomson has met with the lead designers of the era, including Donoahue, learning what he could from them and preserving that knowledge. In 2000, a survey conducted by Angus Reid Group on behalf of the federal government found that 85 per cent of Canadians agreed that seeing the wordmark made them 'feel proud to be Canadian.' The report found that 'there is overwhelming support for the continued use of the Canada wordmark as the Government of Canada's brand identifier.' The report also found that the wordmark gave credibility to information shared by the federal government. In more recent reports conducted by the Strategic Council, a public opinion research firm, for the Privy Council Office from 2023 and 2024, the Canada wordmark continued to be associated with trusted, unbiased and official information. In a November 2023 report, every member of four focus groups from different regions found that the wordmark was recognizable and several participants also said it evoked feelings of national pride. In another study conducted between December 2023 and January 2024, every member of a focus group recognized the symbol and many believed it represented the federal government. When asked how they typically determine if information comes from the federal government, many described a logo that sounded like the wordmark. 'In an era of increasing misinformation and disinformation, a symbol like the Canada wordmark ensures that the public can have confidence that the information they are receiving is in fact coming from the government of Canada,' Headley said. Revamping the wordmark is a non-starter for Thomson. He said recreating the wordmark would be the 'Holy Grail' of projects, but that it would be unnecessary. For Thomson, the wordmark is special in its timelessness and symbolism of Canadian identity. He said it represents 'all the positives of Canada' and that it's 'not trying to do more than it needs to.' 'It's not like it feels outdated or it feels wrong or feels like it doesn't tell the right story, or it feels inappropriate,' Thomson said. 'I think it feels wholly appropriate, and it's so consistently used, it's just become omnipresent.' Zoe Donoahue agreed that the wordmark is timeless. 'I can't imagine you would want anything fussy or ornate,' she said. 'I just think it's so clear.' She said she is just grateful that so much of her father's work still survives today. 'It's really special to us to be able to see his marks still out in the world,' she said. 'I know that would really mean a lot to him, and it means a lot to us as well.' Our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark our homepage and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. How Canada Wins: Housing in former federal office buildings can revitalize Ottawa neighbourhoods Ottawa Police Mounted Unit about to take to the streets
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
This Canada Day, taste your Canadian pride
Canada Day is coming up, and never in recent memory (or perhaps back in 1867 when the nation officially became a new federation with its own constitution) has this country seen such a massive surge in national pride. We're practically shouting it out from the rooftops and encouraging everyone to think Canadian, buy Canadian — cook Canadian. And enjoy the foods reflective of everything that is great about our country. As Canadians, we enjoy foods that pay homage to the places where we live, be it poutine in Quebec or lobster from the Atlantic provinces. There's Montreal's smoked meat, Ontario's butter tarts, Alberta's beef, and, of course, maple syrup. And let's not forget our beer! It wouldn't be Canada Day without quaffing a cold one (even a non-alcoholic one) and a barbecue. We have wheat that is one of the most coveted food products across the globe, and 80% of Canada's mustard seeds grown out west supplies to the rest of the world. Of course, the earliest cuisines can be traced to First Nations, the Indigenous along with the English, French and Scottish settlers. Research shows Canadian cuisine has historically been shaped by Indigenous influences which have remained a constant in Canada's food identity. Foods we celebrate to this day. And Canadians love to celebrate with dishes reflective of the country's great bounty — dishes like the famous French-Canadian Tourtiere pie filled with rib-hugging pork, veal and special spices, a dish that's been around since the 1600s and one of the most popular in the Canadian food repertoire. We've got an awesome selection of award-winning wines and spirits — vodka made from our icebergs, ice wines made from grapes in Southern Ontario and British Columbia — and some of the greatest, award-winning cheeses in the world. For those with a sweet tooth we have sugar pies and butter tarts and Nanaimo bars and some of Canada's most famous ice cream companies — Chapman's and Kawartha Dairy, deeply entrenched in pure Canadian products. But what exactly is Canadian cuisine? Truth be told, there really is no one food that defines the nation. This country is huge and each region has its own identity with various dishes identified with ingredients particular to that region. Throughout the decades, the cuisine has evolved and incorporated to reflect the multicultural fabric that envelops this great country, exhibiting the diversity of everyone who lives and cooks here. Every new resident from the of hundreds of countries that call Canada home has brought along customs and culinary heritage, firmly entrenching the diverse dishes into the soul of the nation. So, along with the Nanaimo bars and bacon, you'll find pierogies and beef patties and curried dishes. You'll find onion dip next to hummus, and falafel next to sandwich wraps. Pizza and veal cutlet sandwiches are firmly entrenched as the snack of choice after a late-nigh hockey game among friends. Portuguese custard tart next to a Tim Hortons maple-flavoured doughnut. There are thousands of more dishes that fall under the Canadian label. In fact, from far and wide, the multicultural mosaic of the nation has certainly inspired global flavours to infuse traditional Canadian meals. International flavours and spices, such as za'atar, turmeric and togarashi sit shoulder-to-shoulder next to salt, pepper and garlic powder. We have amazing Canadian success stories, like that of the Hadhad family, luxury chocolate makers from Syria who had to flee their home after their chocolate factory was bombed during the Syrian civil war. The Hadhads came to Canada as refugees, bringing with a wealth of chocolate knowledge, and opening up a chocolate factory to great success in their new home in Antigonish, N.S. Today, Peace by Chocolate, a name given to the company by the family to reflect their hopes for the future, is considered one of the most successful confectionary companies world-wide. There are so many other food stories like this, making one realize just how unique Canada is in the food world, and oh so flavourful. What makes us so proud to be Canadian. And something to celebrate this Canada Day.
