Gather

Early in the Second World War, the Canadian government built a top-secret munitions factory in the then rural community of Scarborough just seven miles from Toronto’s downtown. The plant, called GECO—General Engineering Company (Canada) Limited—comprised 346 acres, 172 buildings, and over four kilometers of underground passageways. Barbara Dickson’s book, Bomb Girls: Trading Aprons for Ammo, is a comprehensive, historical record of Canada’s biggest WWII munitions plant, GECO, which employed over 21,000 citizens, predominantly women, courageously working with high explosives around the clock during the Second World War. In this lecture, Barbara will relate the dramatic story of the incredible contribution made by so many women so long ago. What was it really like to work in a munitions factory? Did anyone die? What were working conditions like? How closely did bomb girls resemble “Rosie the Riveter?” Barbara will draw on twenty years of research to answer these questions. This lecture is a live, in-person event in Cameron Hall. You do not need to pre-register to attend – just show up. The lecture will also be available online as a live webcast for which we do ask you to pre-register. Registration opens soon.

Jon Allen, who served as Canada’s Ambassador to Israel from 2006 to 2010, will review the history of the Israeli – Palestinian conflict during the past century, showing how the two sides have very different accounts and understandings of the same historical events. He will discuss the ongoing efforts to achieve a diplomatic settlement, including Canada’s role in those efforts, and the current prospects for a “two state solution.” Against this backdrop, Jon Allen will tell the story of Project Rozana and its work to develop cooperative relationships between Israelis and Palestinians in the health care field – specifically in the areas of training, treatment and transportation – building trust and understanding one person and one family at a time. This lecture is a live, in-person event in Cameron Hall. You do not need to pre-register to attend – just show up. The lecture will also be available online as a live webcast for which we do ask you to pre-register. Registration opens soon.