National Network for Equitable Library Service

The Hill Times: Best Books of 2017 What happens when crucial public issues are decided the people themselves? Canadians answered “Yes” or “No” to prohibiting alcohol, conscripting soldiers, and revamping our constitution. Forcing such crucial choices at the ballot box is high-stakes democracy, both here and overseas — as witnessed with Britain’s transformative 2016 “Brexit” referendum. Forcing Choice dissects Canada’s extensive use of ballot questions at all levels of government, and weighs the benefits of citizens making fundamental decisions for the nation.

Astronomer and ufologist Chris A. Rutkowski has spent the past forty years investigating reports of UFOs and other strange phenomena. This collection of his writings about people's experiences with UFOs, alien abductions, and other unexplained events is perfect for enthusiastic fans everywhere, and includes startling evidence to make even the biggest skeptics believe. Includes: Abductions and Aliens: What's Really Going On Based on almost 25 years of investigation and research, science writer Chris Rutkowski looks critically at abduction stories.

The Hill Times: Best Books of 2017 The Arctic seabed, with its vast quantities of undiscovered resources, is the twenty-first century’s frontier. In Breaking the Ice: Canada, Sovereignty and the Arctic Extended Continental Shelf, Arctic policy expert Elizabeth Riddell-Dixon examines the political, legal, and scientific aspects of Canada’s efforts to delineate its Arctic extended continental shelf.

“I wish I’d known that when I was pregnant!” It’s a feeling all parents know: wanting to keep our children safe and thriving in an ever-changing world. What happens during pregnancy sets the stage for the rest of a child’s life, so the Green Mama is here to help make this period healthier, happier, and safer for both mother-to-be and baby. Swollen ankles? Difficult birth? Postpartum depression? Most expectant parents think, It won’t happen to me! But from conception through to birth, families today aren’t getting what they expect — or expecting what they get.

More than just a Parkway, the Don Valley is a vital natural habitat in Toronto's city core. Naturalist Charles Sauriol was a key player in its preservation. Here Sauriol shares a history of the Don Valley, from earlier times when the Mississauga First Nation encamped along the river teaming with salmon to cottaging to the naturalists who worked to save the Don Valley.

This quirky ode to a quirky land is a humorous nostalgia trip and a fun Canadian history lesson couched in a hipster quiz book. If you’ve ever wondered Why is the inuksuk more revered than Wheelchair Jimmy? Does the iconic beaver really represent us better than The Littlest Hobo? Is everyone going canoeing without me or is canoeing way less of a thing than it’s made out to be? then this book is for you. Is Canada even real?

An Officer of the Order of Canada, Chevalier of France’s Order of Arts and Letters, and recipient of the Order of Ontario, painter, printmaker, sculptor, designer, and author, Charles Pachter is one of Canada’s best-loved and most celebrated artists. Pachter is an artist with an astonishing range. His work is witty, thoughtful, moving, and personal. Many works, like Queen on Moose, The Painted Flag, and Hockey Knights in Canada, have achieved a remarkable level of recognition, becoming famous across the country — indeed, around the world.

A colourful look at Toronto's pioneer roots, tracing the history of three neighbourhoods from their farming days to modern day. Includes: Don Mills: From Forests and Farms to Forces of Change As recently as 1970, wheat crops were grown at Don Mills — and no small amount, but enough to line Toronto’s grocery-store shelves with baked goods. Single-herd milk was also commonplace, thanks to this last vestige of the city’s agricultural past. By 1980, it had been paved over, but Scott Kennedy offers a glimpse of the way things used to be. 200 Years at St.

Following a disastrous campaign in 1777, the alliance between the Six Nations and the British Crown became seriously strained. Relations were made even more difficult by the hands-off stance of Quebec’s governor, General Guy Carleton, which led to the Native leaders developing their own strategies and employing traditional tactics, leading to a ferocious series of attacks on the frontiers of Vermont, New York, and Pennsylvania, supported by Loyalist and Regular troops.

Revisit Hollywood’s Golden Age with insider Charles Foster, who befriended the many Canadian stars that peppered the film sets. Foster reveals the stories of the amazing influence Canadians had in the early days of the film biz. Includes: Stardust and Shadows: Canadians in Early Hollywood A Hollywood insider brings together the stories of eighteen Canadians who were celebrities during Hollywood’s formative years.