At the beginning of the 20th century, a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes was a death sentence. Starvation diets were employed to delay the life-threatening symptoms of diabetes, but patient death was inevitable. Beginning on May 17, 1921, Frederick Banting and Charles Best, under the direction of J. J. R. Macleod, isolated what would later be known as insulin in a lab at the University of Toronto. Their extract was further purified and made safe for human injection by James Collip. Thirteen-year-old Leonard Thompson was selected to receive their first human trial, the results of which would go on to save the lives of millions around the world.

Chloe Cooley was an enslaved Black woman in Upper Canada in the late 18th century. Under the watchful eye of estate owner Adam Vrooman, Chloe engaged in acts of resistance however she could: by refusing to work or temporarily leaving the property without permission. With rumours of abolition circulating, Vrooman and his men kidnapped Chloe on March 14, 1793, and violently forced her on a boat across the Niagara River to the United States. There, he believed he could still profit from what he considered his investment. Witnesses, including the free man Peter Martin, later testified to Chloe’s resistance in the face of her violent removal, leading to Canada’s first legislation limiting slavery. Despite this, slavery in Canada was not abolished until 1834.

This Heritage Minute follows the life of Onondaga long-distance runner Gagwe:gih, whose name means “Everything.” Known around the world as Tom Longboat, he was one of the most celebrated athletes of the early 20th century.

This Heritage Minute celebrates the iconic soul singer Jackie Shane. Jackie Shane was a Toronto-based soul-singer from Nashville performing on the Yonge Street strip in the 1960s. She left her mark with her hit “Any Other Way” as a local favourite throughout the decade and as an originator of the R&B music scene known as the Toronto Sound. As a Black transgender performer, she faced many adversities but found her calling on stage where she felt more free to share her true self. Her unapologetic and authentic presence made her an enduring queer icon in Toronto and beyond.

In 1927, Bishan Kaur left her home in Punjab, India to join her husband, the lumber entrepreneur Mayo Singh, in Canada. They helped shape the community of Paldi as a welcoming and inclusive home to people of all backgrounds. Women like Bishan immigrated to Canada during an era of uncertainty for Asian Canadians. In the face of anti-Asian sentiments and policies, the Mayo Lumber Company was established by Sikh lumbermen in 1917 and employed South Asian, Chinese, Japanese, and white Canadian workers. The workers and their families called Paldi home until the 1980s. Today, the historic site of the Paldi gurdwara remains a symbol of this inclusive, multicultural community.

This Heritage Minute celebrates Saskatchewan’s Mary “Bonnie” Baker, an all-star catcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and a pioneer for women in sports.