2011 French winner:
Société d’histoire de Saint-Basile-le-Grand for « La Mémoire des Grandbasilois »

2011 English winner:
St. Joseph and Area Historical Society for Narcisse

With a cast of 55 Huron County residents, locals in St. Joseph, Ontario are starring in their own true heritage tale of one of the most colourful residents of their rural French-Canadian settlement.

Narcisse is a play about Narcisse Cantin (1870-1940) who is best known for his audacious plan to create a canal linking Lake Huron to Lake Erie. Cantin turned St. Joseph into an early 20th century boomtown on the speculation of the canal’s construction. Along the way, Cantin won the support of prime ministers, giants of industry, and local community members.

The St. Joseph and Area Historical Society spearheaded this pioneering play. Local community members assumed the lead roles, stitched the costumes and built the props. For fostering community pride and enhancing civic memory, the St. Joseph and Arena Historical Society is recipient of the newly created 2011 Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Community Programming.

Herstories Café – Features free monthly events and informal talks by local, academic historians, archivists, history educators, curators and community members who all share intriguing stories about local women’s history.

Fort Macleod Historical Association – Developed a creative and active educational program to educate community members about the earliest days of the North West Mounted Police in Fort Macleod and their relationship with the Blackfoot people.

Pointe-du-Buisson/Musee Quebecois d’archeologie – Created a permanent exhibition entitled, ‘Fouilles 100% publique’ to present the results of over 14 years of archaeological excavations in the community.