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Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith in Canada

A Basic Canadian Bahá'í Chronology is a collaborative initiative coordinated by
Glenn Cameron as adjunct to his Chronology of the Bábí and Bahá'í Faiths.
To make suggestions for entries or to correct errors please contact Glenn.
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date event locations tags firsts
2023 3 Feb The architecture firm Hariri Pontarini Architects presented their proposal for the National Mashrigu'l-Adhkár and Bahá'í National Centre to be built in Markham, ON. The temple design is reminiscent of the continental temple completed in Santiago in 2016. Markham,ON Mashriqul-Adhkar
2022 23 Nov The National Spiritual Assembly announced the results of the election for the Bahá'í Council of Québec. Those selected were: Josée Cardinal, Dave Courtemanche, Gregory Fortin-Vidah, Mitra Javanmardi (Chairperson), Nabil Nakhostine (Treasurer), Ilya Shodjaee-Zrudlo, Leyla Shodjai (Vice-chairperson), Anne Skeaff and Laurie Zrudlo (Secretary). [Letter S124188 refers]. In a subsequent message from the Council the names of the officers were announced. Quebec; Regional Council, appointment of
2022 19 Nov The passing of Dr. Mary-Wynne Ashford (neé Moar)(b. 17 March 1929 Indian Head, SK) from complications after falling and hitting her head in Victoria.

She had earned a medical degree at the age of 52 and practiced as a family and palliative-care physician.

In 1984 she became active in the nuclear disarmament movement and a member of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War Canada and co-wrote a book, Enough Blood Shed: 101 Solutions to Violence, Terror and War.

Awards she received over the years include the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal from the Governor General, the Gandhi Prize, the Award of Excellence from Doctors of B.C. and, with Down, the 2019 Distinguished Achievement Award from the Canadians for a Nuclear Weapons Convention. [Condolences; Times Colonist 18 December 2022] [key]

Victoria; BC; Indian Head; SK Mary-Winne Ashford; In Memoriam
2022 22 Sep - 1 Oct Edmonton filmmaker, Nauzanin Knight debuted two short films at Edmonton international Film Festival: Colourblind and Abu & Mo; Two Orphans . Colourblind , is about a white supremacist who has a laser eye surgery mishap, goes blind for a day, and falls in love with a Black woman while Abu & Mo is Set in 1889 Damascus and loosely inspired by real events about two orphans who, despite the differences in their religious backgrounds, develop an abiding friendship and inspire a divided community to come together to pray. Edmonton,AB; Nauzanin Knight; film
2022 8 Sept The passing of Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary (b. 21 April 1926) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and 15 at the time of her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch, the longest recorded of any female head of state in history, and the second-longest verified reign of any sovereign in history. She was succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III. Charles was officially proclaimed King on the Saturday following the Queen's death, the 10th of September. This event took place at St James's Palace in London, in front of a ceremonial body known as the Accession Council. [Wikipedia; BBC News] [key] Baalmoral Castle; Aberdeenshire; Scotland In Memoriam; Queen Elizabeth II
2022 29 - 31 Jul The 46th Annual Conference of the Association for Bahá'í Studies. The conference was held virtually and enabled attendance of over 1000 people fro 30 countries.
The concept of "reading groups" was introduced. The reading groups were born out of a question before the ABS about how the principle of consultation can be applied in various contexts to facilitate the generation of knowledge. Eric Farr, who also assisted with coordinating collaborative initiatives, said that the “groups typically identify an initial reading list of relevant literature, which can be expanded and refined over time. As participants of a group review these materials together, they try to understand the underlying assumptions, central concepts, and highest aspirations within a discourse that have shaped thought and practice in their fields, correlating them with the Bahá’í teachings.” These groups, who met throughout the year, and each focused on a topic such as education, economics, climate change, dynamics of social change, the harmony of science and religion, justice and reconciliation, law, media, public health, and urban planning. Dr. Todd Smith, the secretary of the ABS executive committee, said: “Many of the presentations in this year’s program were the fruit of collective learning initiatives, such as reading groups or thematic seminars, that took place in the months between the 2021 and 2022 conferences. The program was further enhanced by the contributions of presenters engaged in other academic and professional endeavours.”
Presentations and supplementary materials from this year’s conference program, along with an archive of presentations from previous years are now available at the website of the Association for Bahá’í Studies. [ABS website; BWNS1616] [key]
Ottawa; ON; Canada Association for Baha'i Studies; ABS Annual Conference
2022 11 May The National Spiritual Assembly advised that the Universal House of Justice had renamed the Disaster Relief Fund, established some years ago, and called it the "Humanitarian Relief Fund". The National Spiritual Assembly added it to the Contribution Management System so that the friends can earmark donations for it and they set a goal of $100,000 in their own budget. [letter from the National Spiritual Assembly dated 11 May 2022 S120189] [key] Disaster Relief Fund; Humanitarian Relief Fund
2022 29 Apr-2 May The annual Bahá’í National Convention was held at the Toronto Bahá'í Centre. This was the first time the gathering could be held since 2019, owing to the conditions of the pandemic.
The following individuals were elected by the 171 delegates at the National Convention to serve as members of the National Spiritual Assembly for the coming year: Mehran Anvari, Deloria Bighorn, Zelalem Bimrew Kasse, Hoda Farahmandpour, Gerald Filson, Judy Filson, Ciprian Jauca, Karen McKye and Élizabeth Wright. [CBNS 30 May 2022] [key]
Toronto, ON National Convention; National Spiritual Assembly, election of; Mehran Anvari; Deloria Bighorn; Zelalem Bimrew Kasse; Hoda Farahmandpour; Gerald Filson; Judy Filson; Ciprian Jauca; Karen McKye; Elizabeth Wright
2022 15 Mar The passing of John Charles (Jack) Bastow (b. 21 April 1929 Montreal) in Nelson, BC. Jack was a teacher, a professional photographer, magician, historian, and a Bahá'í scholar. A Bahá'í since the age of 19 when he was taught by John Robarts and Angus Cowan. In 1976 he and Gretchen Jordon of New Denver were married in Nelson in a ceremony officiated bye the Nelson Spiritual Assembly. [Tribute Archive] [key] Montreal,QC; Nelson,BC In Memoriam; Jack Bastow
2022 6 Mar The passing of Mr. Bahram Gustaspi, a devoted, steadfast servant of the Cause. At the time of his passing, Mr. Gustaspi was serving as a member of the Board of Trustees of Huqúqu’lláh in Canada and as its Secretary. In addition to this honoured service, he had, until very recently, shouldered responsibilities as a member of the Bahá’í Council of British Columbia for many years. [Bahá'í Canada 8 March 2022] [key] Port Moody, BC In Memoriam; Bahram Gustaspi; Board of Trustees of Huququllah
2022 20 Feb Tina Rouhandeh created a woven textile project using the ancient Iranian scribing practice of Mastar. The project is called "Inquiry about Forgotten Birds," and was about the people of the Bahá'í faith who were being silenced in Iran. Her art form was passed down from her grandmother. She hand stitched, weaved and used calligraphy to make the tableau that recorded the persecution. The project took about three years in preparation, every piece told a different story. [CBC 20 February 2022] Windsor, ON Tina Rouhandeh; Mastar; Inquiry about Forgotten Birds; Persecution, Iran
2021 17 Nov The premier of the film The Legacy of Saskatoon's Secret Forest [CBNS17 November 2021]
    The inspirational story of Richard St. Barbe Baker, aka the “Man of the Trees,” The heritage documentary The Legacy of Saskatoon’s Secret Forest tells the story of his remarkable life and achievements. Note there is a 15 minute version heritage documentary and a one hour long presentation with greetings from around the world. The 15 minute prequel film “Richard St. Barbe Baker Park” tells how the heritage documentary came to be. From roots in Saskatoon he went on to inspire tree planting and forest protection around the world. The International Tree Foundation, which he founded in 1922, is still active in 14 countries. Countless people motivated by him are environmental champions today. A companion curriculum describes his holistic world view, and his daring life of action on behalf of the earth.
Saskatoon, SK The Legacy of Saskatoons Secret Forest; Richard St. Barbe Baker
2021 13 Aug The passing of Bruce Kenneth Filson (b. 4 December 1952 in Saskatoon). He was interred at the Valley View Memorial Gardens in Surrey, BC. [Saskatoon Star Phoenix 18 August 2021] Saskatoon, SK; Surrey, BC In Memoriam; Bruce Filson
2021 17 Jun The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, announced the nomination of the Honourable Mahmud Jamal to the Supreme Court. [PMO website]
  • A brief biography can be found here on the Prime Minister's website.
  • See also CBC story.
  • See his interview with CTV's Omar Sachedina about one year after his appointment.
  • Ottawa, ON Mahmud Jamal
    2021 15 Jun The Universal House of Justice determined that, exceptionally, the new term for Auxiliary Board Members would begin on 1 July 2021 rather than on the Day of the Covenant this year, to provide the Board members with sufficient time to make preparatory arrangements for the conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors and Auxiliary Board members called for January 2022.

    The Continental Board of Counsellors appointed the following 26 Auxiliary Board members to serve in Canada. Those serving on the Propagation Board:

      Mert Ozyonum, Atlantic Provinces
      Betty Dai, Anthony Jjumba, Shawyun Refahi and Anisa Skuce-Newell in British Columbia
      Lita Cameron, Elisa Cooper, Neda Farahmandpour, Caitlin Moore in Ontario
      Maëlle Turbide in Québec
      Dagmawit E. Habtemariam in Saskatchewan-Manitoba
      Drew Erickson in Alberta
    Those serving on the Protection Board:
      Alanna Robertson Vreeland in the Atlantic Provinces
      Agazzi Abay Tsehaye, Nabih Ardekany, Navid Jaberi, Lori Mason in British Columbia
      Ravin Appadoo, Rebecca Hamilton-Bachiu, Justin Kianfar, Bronwyn Naylor and Golbon Singh in Ontario
      Mona Pirmoradi in Québec
      Anis Sabet in Saskatchewan-Manitoba
      Karolina Drabik and Shabnam Shakibaei in Alberta

    The Counsellors expressed their love and gratitude to these distinguished friends who have served so faithfully and sacrificially and who will be relieved of this service as of 1 July 2021. They were: Sara Chesley, Sohayl Ghadirian, Alaleh Rohani, Robert M. Ngunjiri, Rhona Scoffield, Sophie Turbide, Stacey-Michelle Tekye, and Tahirih North. [Letter from the National Assembly to the Canadian community dated 16 June 2021 S113255] [key]

    Auxiliary Board Members, appointment of; Auxiliary Board Members
    2021 Ridván There was no National Convention this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. A small team of delegates served as tellers to count the ballots cast by the 171 delegates. 100% participation was achieved. The names of those elected were: Mehran Anvari, Deloria Bighorn, Zelalem Bimrew Kasse, Hoda Farahmandpour, Gerald Filson, Judy Filson, Ciprian Jauca, Karen McKye and Elizabeth Wright. National Convention; National Spiritual Assembly, election of; Mehran Anvari; Deloria Bighorn; Zelalem Bimrew Kasse; Hoda Farahmandpour; Gerald Filson; Judy Filson; Ciprian Jauca; Karen McKye; Elizabeth Wright
    2021 5 Feb More than 40 prominent members of Canada’s legal community, including former Supreme Court judges and justice ministers, have penned an open letter to the Chief Justice of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, in order to draw attention to what they call “an alarming new chapter” in Iran’s state-sanctioned persecution of its Bahá'í religious minority. Their letter came in response to a series of court rulings in 2020 that sanctioned the confiscation of the properties of dozens Bahá’ís in the village of Ivel in northern Iran justifying the seizure and sale of land on the grounds their religion denies them the right to own property. [Globe & Mail 8Feb21]
  • For a complete report see Land confiscation and mass displacement of Bahá'ís in Iran.
  • For the letter and the list of signatories see Open Letter to the Chief Justice of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
  • Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney included his signature on this open letter. [BWNS1488]
  • Australian farmers have released a video message drawing attention to the unjust confiscation of lands belonging to their “farming brothers and sisters” in Iran. [BWNS1492]
  • The Collective Statement by Iranian Religious Modernists Condemning Confiscation of Baha’i Property.
  • Ivel, Mazandaran, Iran Persecution, Iran
    2021 20 Jan The Canadian Council of Imams made a statement in protest the ruling issued by an Iranian Court to confiscate the properties of 27 Bahá'ís in the farming village of Ivel in northern Iran. They went on to state that in Islam, all properties and dignity of every human beings are to be preserved and protected regardless of creed or ethnicity. This ruling is not in conformity with Shariah.

    Canadian Council of Imams is an organization of religious leadership of Imams (Sunni and Shi’ia), representing the Islamic Community in Canada. [Office of Public Information] [key]

    Canadian Council of Imams
    2021 10 Jan The passing of Marlene Marie Macke in St. Marys, Ontario, She had been a member of the Bahá’í Faith for over 50 years. Obituary.

       After leaving a career in market development in the federal tourism agency that included postings in Sydney, Australia and St. John’s, Newfoundland, Marlene served in the community development department of the Bahá’í National Centre in Thornhill, Ontario. Back in St. Marys, she devoted her life to working at the Stratford Shakespearean Festival, travelling and writing. She loved working as a Festival usher and, more recently, as a volunteer tour guide. Many of her trips involved Bahá’í service projects in destinations such as Cyprus, Ireland and Western Samoa and some quirky journeys such as travelling on a cargo ship from New York City to Chile and back.

       Marlene authored two biographies, Take My Love to the Friends: The Story of Laura R. Davis and Faithful Friends: Founding the Toronto Bahá’í Community 1919–1938, one play named Tabreez, several dramatic readings and essays and a dozen essays on Shakespeare plays. Joining a group of writers at the Desert Rose Bahá’í Institute in Arizona for annual winter gatherings, she co-founded the "Write Life", an annual writers’ retreat, serving as a co-facilitator for two years. Marlene was named the first Writer in Residence at Desert Rose.

       For a list of Marlen's Dramatic Readings see Bahá'í Library.

    St Marys, ON Marlene Macke; In Memoriam
    2021 - 2022 One Year Plan One Year Plan; Teaching Plans
    2020 30 Jan The Office of Public Affairs launched a new website.

  • The mandate of the Office of Public Affairs was to represent the Canadian Bahá'í community at a national level by participating in conferences and other public events, liaising with the press, engaging with provincial and federal governments, and maintaining a national presence of the Bahá'í Faith on the web. Offices were established in Toronto and Ottawa and they worked with collaborators and local representatives across the country to contribute to projects and processes that relate to Bahá'í principles and values. [Bahá'í Canada 30 January 2020] [key]
  • Toronto, ON Office of Public Affairs
    2020 30 Dec The passing of Rene A. Steiner (b. 1922) in Grand Bend, Ontario. He was predeceased by Nura, his wife of 55 years in 2014. They had three sons, René, Roy and Marc. iiiii Grandbend, ON; In Memoriam; Rene A. Steiner; Rene Steiner; Nura Steiner
    2020 22 Dec The passing of William (Billie) Ekomiak (b. 23 December 1943 in Cape Jones, QC (now Pointe Louis-XIV)), in Messines, Québec from complications of COVID-19. He was buried in the Cimetière St. Raphael in Messines, QC. [Obituary]
  • His mother, Lucie Menarik Ekomiak, passed away while he was a small child and he was adopted by Aunt Martha and Uncle Thomas Ekoomiak.
  • He was educated at St. Phillip’s Anglican school in Fort George (Chisasibi), located further south on James Bay.
  • Billie was one of the first two Inuk in the world to become a Bahá'í. He first heard about the Faith in the home of Arthur and Lilianne Irwin in Ottawa and enrolled as a follower of Bahá’u’llláh at a Naw-Rúz party in 1965 in Beau Lac along with his cousin, Johnny Weetaltuk.
  • He trained as an electrician in Winnipeg and assisted in the building of the Bahá'í Houses in both Baker Lake and in Iqaluit.
  • For a history of the Ekomiak (or Ekoomiak) family see Speechless by Maureen Flynn-Burhoe.
  • Billie felt his life’s mission was to share the news of Bahá’u’lláh with Indigenous Peoples and he crisscrossed Canada and the United States offering firesides that wove together the teachings of the Faith with First Nations’ prophecies and spiritual insights. His most memorable presentation was at the International Teaching Conference in Anchorage in 1976. [from the announcement of his passing by the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of La Pêche]
  • In the early 1970's the CBC contracted musicians to produce 45-RPM discs for its Northern Service. Billy was one of the 75 musicians recorded. [Encyclopedia of Native American Music of North America p248]
  • An example of Billy's fiddle playing can be viewed on YouTube. It was recorded at an event in Wakefield.
  • A talk has been recorded and presented on YouTube.iiiii
  • 2020 1 Dec The International Board of Trustees of Huqúqu’lláh announced the appointment of the Board of Trustees of Ḥuqúqu’lláh for Canada and Saint Pierre and Miquelon. The five-year term of service commenced on 1 December 2020. Appointed were: Mr. Bahram Gustaspi, Mr. John MacLeod, Mrs. Charlotte Mosleh, Dr. Afsaneh Oliver, and Dr. Faran Vafaie.

    The Board also expressed their heartfelt appreciation to Mr. Bruce Moore and Mrs. Donna Seyed Mahmoud whose term of service as Deputy Trustees has concluded. [letter from the NSA dated 8 December 2020] [key]

    BWC Mr. Bahram Gustaspi; Mr. John MacLeod; Mrs. Charlotte Mosleh; Dr. Afsaneh Oliver; Dr. Faran Vafaie; Bruce Moore; Donna Seyed Mahmoud; Board of Trustees of Huququllah
    2020 28 Sep The passing of former Universal House of Justice member James Douglas Martin (b. 24 February 1927 in Chatham, Ontario) in Toronto. [CBNS]

    He was a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada from 1960 to 1985 and served the last twenty years as the general secretary. In 1985. He was appointed director-general of the Bahá'í International Community's Office of Public Information at the World Centre. He served in that capacity until 1993 when he was elected to the Universal House of Justice. He retired from the House of Justice in 2005 due to considerations of age and related needs of the Faith. [BWNS1455]

  • In 1984 he co-authored the introductory text,The Bahai Faith: The Emerging Global Religion with his friend William S Hatcher.
  • His essay, The Missionary as Historian: William Miller and the Bahá'í Faith was a review of William McElwee Miller’s book The Bahá'í Faith: Its History and Teachings.
  • His series of talks entitled Historical Consciousness and the Divine Plan was packaged as a compact disc and has been made available on Bahá'í Library.
  • His paper Persecution of the Bahá'ís of Iran 1844-1984 published in Bahá'í Studies in 1984 is available in PDF.
  • His article Humanity's Coming Encounter with Baha'u'llah was published in American Bahá'í in 1992.
  • In 1998 his article Bahá'í Faith was published in Canadian Encyclopedia.
  • The Mission of the Bab: Retrospective 1844-1944 as published in Bahá'í World. [BW23p193]
  • Bahá'í Canada 30 Sepember2020. iiiii
  • Toronto; Canada; Chatham; Ontario Douglas Martin; In Memoriam; Universal House of Justice, Members of
    2020 2 Jun The passing of Hossain Banadaki Danesh in Victoria, BC
  • His major publications were:
    • The Violence Free-Society: A Gift for Our Children. Bahá’í Studies. Vol. 6. 1979.
    • Unity: The Creative Foundation of Peace. Bahá’í Studies Publications, Ottawa 1986.
    • The Psychology of Spirituality. Paradigm Publishing, Manotick, Ontario 1994.
    • The Violence Free Family. Building Block of a Peaceful Civilization. Bahá’í Studies Publications, Ottawa, Canada 1995.
    • Conflict-Free Conflict Resolution (CFCR): Process and Methodology. with Roshan Danesh. Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies, Vol. 11, No. 2, Fall. (March 21, 2004).
    • Unity of Faith and Reason in Action 2010.
    • The Unity-Based Family. An Empirical Study of Healthy Marriage, Family, and Parenting. H.B. Danesh, MD, FRCP(C), with Azin Nasseri, PhD. Cambridge Scholars Publishing; 1 edition (1 April 2017).
  • For a more complete list see his website.
  • Documents by Hossain Danesh on Bahai-library.com.
  • YouTube.
  • See His website.
  • See article by his son Roshan Danesh about the passing of his father and his son. [Times Colonist 30 July 2020] iiiii
  • Victoria, BC Hossain Banadaki Danesh; In Memoriam
    2020 28 Apr The National Assembly announced the results of the election of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Canada. Because the Convention had to be cancelled owing to public health guidelines related to the COVID-19 health crisis, delegates mailed in their ballots or made arrangements to phone them in. The election had 100% participation. [Letter from the NSA to all LSAs dated 28 April 2020]
  • Those selected to serve on the National Spiritual Assembly were: Mehran Anvari, (treasurer), Deloria Bighorn, (chair), Zelalem Bimrew Kasse, Hoda Farahmandpour, Gerald Filson, Judy Filson, Ciprian Jauca, (vice chair), Karen McKye, (secretary) and Elizabeth Wright. [Letter from the NSA to all LSA dated 7 May 2020; BC vol 33 No 2 May 2020 p7] [key]
  • Toronto, ON National Convention; National Spiritual Assembly, election of; Mehran Anvari; Deloria Bighorn; Zelalem Bimrew Kasse; Hoda Farahmandpour; Gerald Filson; Judy Filson; Ciprian Jauca; Karen McKye; Elizabeth Wright
    2020 28 Feb A Facebook page called The Spark 1967-1973 was established with the goal of preserving the history of the Bahá’í youth movement in Canada from 1967-1973. A call was made to contribute archival materials related to the history of the Faith in Canada during that period. The eventual goal was to create a non-academic history website by collecting photos, newspaper articles, recordings.
  • Of specific interests were stories of the positive influences of the following groups on individuals, communities and the general public: The “Mozart Group” (1967-1969); The “Multimedia Environment” Proclamation Team (1969-1970); and “Jalál” (1970-1973). [Bahá'í Canada 28 February 2020] [key]
  • Lynn Echevarria; Garry Brown
    2020 22 Jan The Baha’i Community of Canada’s Office of Public Affairs has launched a new website, which joins Bahai.ca and the Canadian Baha’i News Service as part of a family of national Baha’i websites.

    The Office of Public Affairs works on a range of topics and issues that are related to the well-being of Canadian society. Many of these issues fall within one of our areas of focus, which are broad domains in which we try to build relationships, develop content, and create opportunities for learning and dialogue that can eventually contribute to public policy.The areas of focus are: Citizenship and Diversity, Reconciliation, Religion in Public Life, Gender Equality as well as The Role of Youth in Society and Relationship with the Environment.

    The Office also communicates with the Canadian government regarding the ongoing persecution of Baha’is in Iran and Yemen.

    The site also hosts a document library with official statements and reports produced by the Office. [CBNS] [key]

    BNO Office of Public Affairs
    2019 (Fall) The publication of Hidden Words and Sounds: Tracing Iranian Legacies and Traumas in the Music of the Bahá’ís of North America by Daniel Akira Stadnicki, a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Music at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. This dissertation examines music in North American Bahá’í communities and artistic contexts by focusing on the Faith’s legacy of Persian culture, aesthetics, and history of religious persecution. Edmonton, AB Daniel Akira Stadnicki; thesis
    2019 8 - 11 Aug The 43rd Annual Conference of the Association for Bahá'í Studies–North America was held in the Westin Hotel in Ottawa.. The four day conference was attended by some 1,400 persons. [BWNS1347; CBN 27 August, 2019]
  • Plenary session recordings of past sessions are available for free streaming and downloading on the ABS Vimeo page.
  • Photos.
  • Ottawa, ON Association for Bahai Studies–North America; ABS
    2019 26 Jul The Canadian Bahá'í News Service announced that a new edition of the Wings of Grace prayer book had been published that included several prayers in Hul'q'umi'num', a Coast Salish language spoken in several dialects along the West Coast but which is "critically endangered".
  • The cover has the image of a beaded necklace with an eagle on it. It includes prayers on courage, generosity, honour, humility, respect, thankfulness, and trust. “It is very common amongst many of the Indigenous peoples across Canada to think of their major teachings in terms of seven virtues as seven is considered to be one of the sacred numbers often used,” said Deloria Bighorn, who helped to create the prayer book.
  • To help readers of the prayers to pronounce the Hul'q'umi'num' words, videos were created of a number of elders reciting the prayers. The prayer book includes QR codes that link to YouTube videos of each prayer being recited. The prayers were originally translated by a team of the family of Robert George, a Cowichan Baha’i who comes from a family of Hul'q'umi'num' speakers.
  • Wings of Grace; Hulquminum; Deloria Bighorn; Robert George
    2019 17 June The publication of The Bridegroom from Baghdad by Star Mitchell. The book was published by BookBaby and is available from the publisher.
      From the windswept Canadian prairies to the cities and villages of Europe and North Africa, Shar Mitchell's search for meaning and purpose ultimately led her to embrace the Bahá'í Faith. In this unselfconsciously honest memoir, she explores life's changes and chances—from her youthful exploration of new places and ideas to her experiences with love, marriage and loss. After her first marriage ended in divorce, she met and married her "bridegroom from Baghdad", Redwan Moqbel. Born to a poor Bahá'í family in a dusty border town between Iran and Iraq, he was an internationally-renowned medical scientist by the time he and Shar married. But his own life wasn't without tribulation. Iraq, a country that persecuted its Bahá'i minority, sentenced Redwan to life in prison in absentia and jailed his mother for many years. Shar's dream of meeting her courageous in-laws would finally come true because of a catastrophic health crisis—Redwan's difficult battle with cancer. Revealing the facets of a life equally shaped by curiosity, hardship and faith, The Bridegroom from Baghdad is an inspiriting window into facing even the most difficult challenges with courage, acceptance, and resilience.
  • See 9 October 2013 for the "In Memoriam" for Redwan Moqbel, the "bridegroom".
  • Shar Mitchell; Bridegroom from Baghdad (book); Redwan Moqbel
    2019 28 Apr The passing of Don Otto Rogers (b. 1935 in Kerrobert, Saskatchewan) a former member of the International Teaching Centre, in Picton, Ontario. He was buried in the Rose Cemetery in Waupoos, ON.
  • He enrolled as a believer in 1960 while resident in Saskatoon. [CBN No 124 May 1960 p6; Bahá'í Canada 30 April 2019]
  • He served as an Auxiliary Board Member and then as a Continental Counsellor followed by a decade as a member of the International Teaching Centre and upon returning to Canada, served on the National Spiritual Assembly. [BWNS1323; Wikipedia.]
  • As an accomplished artist, he was known as "Otto Rogers". He taught at the University of Saskatchewan (1959-1988) after receiving his MA in Fine Art from the University of Wisconsin. Mr Rogers helped sustain the Emma Lake Workshops, a meeting place for some of North America’s leading artists including Barnett Newman, Jules Olitski and Mr Rogers himself. His work was held in more than 30 public collections including: the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Gallery of Canada, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
  • His website.
  • His works at the Oeno Gallery in Prince Edward County.
  • Canadian Art.
  • Video The Artist In Us Interview—Painter Otto Rogers.
  • A talk by Otto Rogers entitled Artist’s Studio.
  • The Canadian Encylopedia.
  • The National Gallery of Canada.

    His publications:

    A publications about his work:

  • Kerrobert, SK; Milford, ON; Waupoos, ON Don Rogers; Otto Rogers; Continental Board of Counsellors; In Memoriam; Auxiliary Board Members
    2019 28 Apr The following individuals were elected by the delegates at the 71st National Convention to serve as members of the National Spiritual Assembly for the coming year: Deloria Bighorn, Karen McKye, Mehran Anvari, Hoda Farahmandpour, Ciprian Jauca, Élizabeth Wright, Zelalem Bimrew Kasse, Gerald Filson, and Judy Filson. [from a letter from the National Spiritual Assembly dated 1 May 2019 to all Local Spiritual Assemblies, Regional Bahá’í Councils and Registered Groups]
  • Letter from the delegates to the Uiversal House of Justice and photo.
  • Toronto, ON National Spiritual Assembly, election of; Deloria Bighorn; Karen McKye; Mehran Anvari; Hoda Farahmandpour; Ciprian Jauca; Elizabeth Wright; Zelalem Bimrew Kasse; Gerald Filson; Judy Filson
    2019 6 Mar The Bahá'í Community of Canada’s Office of Public Affairs, together with the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs sponsored a seminar on religion and migration, which explored the various ways in which religious groups, immigration, and public opinion are interconnected. The seminar examined how religion shapes migration and vice versa: How have faith groups influenced immigration patterns and policy? How is immigration changing religion in a secular Canadian society? And what do Indigenous experiences of displacement tell us about popular narratives of welcome? The seminar was part of the University of Toronto Global Migration Lab’s series of seminars on Global Migration Challenges, organized in partnership with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada. [Canadian Bahá’í News Service] [key] Toronto, ON Migration; Seminar
    2019 2 Feb The Baha’i community of Canada relaunched its official websites at a new domain: www.bahai.ca. [CBNS] [key] BNO website
    2018 1 - 7 Nov More than 7,500 people attended the Parliament of the World’s Religions held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. This forum began in 1893 at the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago as an effort to promote an emerging international movement devoted to promoting dialogue among religions. Since that time, it has been held in Cape Town (1999), Barcelona (2004), Melbourne (2009) and Salt Lake City (2015). [Website] Bahá'í presenters were:
    • Bani Dugal: “The Equality of Women and Men: Divine Imperative for an Age of Transition.”
    • Hugh Locke: “Half the Sky, Half the Land: The Role of Women Farmers in Transforming Agriculture,”
        Hugh Locke is president and co-founder of the Smallholder Farmers Alliance (SFA), a non-profit working with small-scale family farmers to help feed and reforest a renewed Haiti. He is author of The Haiti Experiment, and writes and lectures extensively on smallholder farming and sustainable development. Earlier in his career Hugh was director of the Office of Public Information at the Baha’i International Community in New York and served as a member of the program committee for the 1992 Baha’i World Congress. He was mentored by forester and environmentalist Richard St. Barbe Baker (1889 – 1982), established the Baker archives at the University of Saskatchewan, and continues to serve as literary trustee.
    • Payam Akhavan: “Equality and Justice, Global Perspectives” and “Countering War, Hate, and Violence Assembly.”
    • Emily Wright: “Making Interreligious Chaplaincy Education Meaningfully Inclusive” and “A New Cup of Grace—A Ukulele Opera
    • Hooshmand Badee: “Interfaith Peacemaking Perspectives from Across the World.”
    • Nader Saiedi: Presenting the new documentary film The Gate: Dawn of the Bahá’í Faith.
    • Paul Hanley: “Man of the Trees: Richard St. Barbe Baker, the First Global Environmentalist.”
    • JoAnn Borovicka: “Amazing Faiths! An Interactive Workshop on Interfaith Dialogue.”
    • Robert Atkinson: “New Thoughts in Interfaith Spirituality.”
    • Robert Stockman: “The Characteristics of Bahá’í Interfaith Dialogue.” Candace Hill: “From Shiraz to Chicago: Bahá’í Women of the East and the West”
    • Edward Price: “The Divine Curriculum: Understanding the Báb, Divine Educator for the Modern Era.”
    • Sovaida Maani Ewing: “Achieving World Peace: Bahá’í and Catholic Teachings.”
    • Jean Muza: “Bahá’í Civic Engagement: How to Maneuver in America’s Divisive Political Landscape.”
    • Robert Atkinson: “The Golden Rule as the Basis for a Global Justice System: An Interfaith Perspective with a Call to Action.”
    • Edward Price: “The Divine Curriculum Concept as a Framework for Interfaith Inclusion and Love.” [CBN-Preparation; CBN-Inclusion; CBN-Films]

      The Hindu Swami Agnivesh said that instead of spending trillions of dollars on the war system, the peoples of the world need to unite and create a world parliament based on an Earth Constitution. He said that “without a world government, we cannot solve our major world problems.” [Black News 6Feb2022] [key]

    Toronto, ON World Parliament of Religions
    2018 Oct The publication of Man of the Trees: Richard St. Barbe Baker, the First Global Conservationist. by Paul Hanley. It was published by the University of Regina Press.
      Richard St. Barbe Baker was an inspirational visionary and pioneering environmentalist who is credited with saving and planting billions of trees. He saved lives, too, through his ceaseless global campaign to raise the alarm about deforestation and desertification and by finding effective, culturally sensitive ways for people to contribute to a more peaceful and greener world. He was also an Edwardian eccentric whose obsession with trees caused him to neglect his family; the devout son of an evangelical preacher who became a New Age hero; an unapologetic colonial officer fired for defending indigenous Africans; a forester who rarely had a steady income; a failed entrepreneur and inventor; a proud soldier and peace activist; a brilliant writer, speaker, and raconteur who made wild claims about the effectiveness of his conservation efforts. His encounters with historical figures like FDR, Nehru, and George Bernard Shaw are eye-popping, as were his accomplishments.
  • See BWNS1292.
  • See 9 June 1982.
  • Regina, SK Richard St. Barbe Baker; Man of the Trees; Paul Hanley
    2018 28 Sep The passing of Aghdas Javid (b. 16 July 1924 in Hamadan, Iran) in Dundas. She was born a third generation Bahá'í; her grandfather became a Bahá'í in Hamadan in the 19th century when a large number of Jewish Persians became Bahá'ís. [Find a grave]

    She and her husband, Dr Mirza Javid, had been residents in the Hamilton area since 1968 when he was employed by the public health department. Prior to that they had lived in Montreal where they had settled when they first arrived in Canada in 1966. Aghdas was famous in the Hamilton area for her Friday night firesides which she held faithfully, sometimes attracting as many as 80 attendees.

    In 2001, she was chosen to be among a group of Canadian Baha'is — part of 4,500 from around the world — to travel to Israel to witness the opening of a kilometre-long series of garden terraces surrounding the Bahá'í temple on Mount Carmel. [Bahá'í Canada Vol 14 Issue 3]

    Every year she would hold a tea to which she invited local dignitaries. [Bahá'í Canada Vol 16 Issue 1 May 2003 p31]

    She had been predeceased by her husband in in 1999. She left children Sussan, Ladan and Jasmine, four granddaughters, one grandson, one great-grandson and family in Iran, England, Germany and Brazil. [Hamilton Spectator; Dignity Memorial] [key]

    Hamilton, ON; Dundas ON Aghdas Javid
    2018 15 Aug Mr. Enayat Rawhani asked to be permitted to relinquish his membership on the National Assembly. He had sought and received guidance from the Universal House of Justice, consequently a bi-election was held to fill the vacancy and Mr. Zelalem Bimrew Kasse was elected. [Message from the National Spiritual Assembly dated the 16th of August, 2018] [key] Toronto, ON National Spiritual Assembly, By-election; Zelalem Bimrew Kasse; Enayat Rawhani
    2018 3 Jul In Queen's Park in New Westminster the 7-foot totem pole that was first installed in 1990 in honour of Dorothy Maquabeak Francis was re-erected after having been refurbished. Ella Benndorf, a Bahá'í who knew Dorothy Francis, took the initiative to have the totem restored to more suitably reflect the person it represented as when it was first erected. The totem was originally carved by Joseph Norbert Courville, a prison inmate who had met and was inspired by her while she was working to implement First Nations programs in correctional institutions and the restoration work was done by Bear Sam, a carver of the Tsartlip First Nation of the Saanich Peninsula. [CBNS] [key] New Westminster, BC Dorothy Francis; Dorothy Maquabeak Francis; Ella Benndorf; Joseph Norbert Courville; Bear Sam
    2018 Jul The opening of the Greenboro Neighbourhood Centre in a strip mall in south Ottawa community of Greenboro.

    The neighbourhood of Greenboro had been a centre of intense activity since 2014, with high receptivity. When the renting of facilities to accommodate these activities on an ad-hoc basis became impractical, the National Spiritual Assembly approved the rental of a former commercial space. Volunteers worked tirelessly to renovate the property to suit the activities that would take place there. This initiative was made possible because of the the National Assembly's Community Properties Fund. [Bahá'í Canada 2019-03-27] [key]

    Ottawa, ON Community Properties Fund
    2018 20 May The publication of Stumbling in the Half-Light: The Stories by John D Sargent. The book was publish by Friesen Press.
  • See the official website.

      Stumbling in the Half-Light follows a self-professed “chubby little half-breed” from the Six Nations reservation as he embarks on a lifetime of spiritual adventures within the Baha’i community. Through fifty-two short, autobiographical stories, John Sargent retells a life of humour, humility, loss, and faith. John’s endearing openness leads him through a life of adventure—from a childhood on the reserve, to years in Africa, to a career in architecture and finally as an administrator of First Nations communities. But his real calling: was to bring the Bahá'í faith to First Nations communities throughout North America.
  • John Sargent
    2018 26 May The following individuals were elected by the delegates at the 70th National Convention held at the Toronto Bahá'í Centre to serve as members of the National Spiritual Assembly for the coming year: Deloria Bighorn, Karen McKye, Mehran Anvari, Ciprian Jauca, Élizabeth Wright, Gerald Filson, Hoda Farahmandpour, Judy Filson and Enayat Rawhani. The officers chosen were: Chairman — Deloria Bighorn; Vice-chairman — Ciprian Jauca; Treasurer — Mehran Anvari; Secretary — Karen McKye. [Message of the National Spritual Assemlby 30 May, 2018] [key] Toronto, ON Deloria Bighorn; Karen McKye; Mehran Anvari; Ciprian Jauca; Elizabeth Wright; Gerald Filson; Hoda Farahmandpour; Judy Filson; Enayat Rawhani; National Spiritual Assembly, election of
    2018 May The launch of the book Equals and Partners: A Spiritual Journey Toward Reconciliation and Oneness, Wazin Îchinabi, a memoir written by southern Alberta author Patricia Verge. The book is a history of the Bahá'í Faith on the Stoney Naked Nation over a period of 35 years.
  • See Bahá'í Blog for a brief interview with Pat.
  • The book was published by Friesen Press and is available at Amazon.ca.
  • See Pat's website.
  • Stoney Nakoda First Nation, AB Equals and Partners: A Spiritual Journey Toward Reconciliation and Oneness, Wazin Îchinabi; Patricia Verge; Pat Verge
    2018 26 Mar The publication of Equals and Partners: A Spiritual Journey Toward Reconciliation and Oneness, Wazin Îchinabi by Patricia Verge. It was published by Friesen Press.

    Canada is poised to reconcile its centuries-long fraught history with Indigenous peoples and to establish justice. What fundamental spiritual principles should guide this challenging process and bring together peoples who have been separated for so long?

    In this part-memoir, part-scholarly work, Patricia Verge records her decades-long friendship with the Stoney Nakoda Nation in southern Alberta. She explores how her spiritual journey has been intimately entwined with service among Indigenous people and confronts her own ignorance of the true history of Canada, taking for her guidance this quote from the writings of the Bahá'í Faith: "a massive dose of truth must be administered to heal."

    An engaging and timely work, Equals and Partners is ultimately a story of love and commitment to the principle of the oneness of humanity.

    Nakoda First Nation Pat Verge; Patricia Verge
    2018 (In the year) The publication of Faithful Friends by Marlene Macke. It was published by Art Bookbindery.
      In 1919 a small and diverse group of people in Toronto, Ontario accepted the teachings of a new divine educator, Bahá'ú'lláh. During the next nineteen years, they kept the flame of faith alive until achieving the major milestone of electing the first local governing body of their Bahá'í community. Faithful Friends documents the trajectory of a faith community building its Bahá'í identity.
    Faithful Friends; Marlene Macke
    2017 7 Dec In its letter to all Local Spiritual Assemblies the National Spiritual Assembly introduced the Community Properties Fund, “to be established to support the acquisition, maintenance and use of properties at all levels of the community,” including possibilities such as facilities with residential space “dedicated to all forms of educational activity, offices to serve the needs of regional agencies and neighbourhood space to support children’s classes, junior youth groups and study circles”.

    The Community Properties Fund were intended to provide the ongoing material resources necessary for this advancement. The National Spiritual Assembly contributed an initial $2.5 million to this Fund, and called on the community to match this amount over the remainder of the current Five Year Plan. Returns from this sum will then generate funds allocated to community properties. [Bahá'í Canada 2019-03-27

    Community Properties Fund
    2017 1 Dec The International Board of Trustees of Huqúqu’lláh announced the appointment of the new Board of Trustees of Huqúqu’lláh to serve in Canada, Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Those appointed to the three-year term were: Mr. Bahram Gustaspi, Mr. John MacLeod, Mr. Bruce Moore, Mrs. Donna Seyed Mahmoud and Dr. Faran Vafaie.
  • The primary function of a Board of Trustees is to educate the friends on the spiritual significance of the mighty law of Ḥuqúqu’lláh, enabling them to better appreciate that obedience to this law is “bound to attract divine confirmations, heavenly blessings and incalculable favours, and to promote the manifold interests of the International Bahá’í Community”. [Letter from the NSA to the Bahá'ís of Canada 7 December 2017]
  • Photo.
  • Canada; Saint Pierre and Miquelon Huququllah, Trustees of; Bahram Gustaspi; John MacLeod; Bruce Moore; Donna Seyed Mahmoud; Faran Vafaie.
    2017 21 Sep The passing of Raymond Theodore (Ted) Anderson (b. 5 August 1924 Mount Horb, WN) in Innisfail, AB. [Find a grave]

    He earned his BA and two master's degrees in Oregon and Chicago where he became a Bahá’í. Ted met his wife Joan Storie at the Bahá'í House of Worship in Chicago. They married in 1951 and pioneered to Whitehorse in 1953 where they earned the title, Knights of Bahá'u'lláh. During their time in the Yukon they were adopted by the Tlingit First Nations of Carcross-Tagish. In 1965 Ted was appointed as an Auxiliary Board Member for Alaska by Zikrullah Khadem and served in that capacity along with Howard Brown.

    Ted and Joanie relocated to Red Deer, Alberta in 1972 and Joanie passed away in 2000. [Bahaipedia; CBN 410 p5; Find a grave]

  • See mention of the Andersons in A New Skin for an Old Drum: Changing Contexts of Yukon Aboriginal Bahá’í Storytelling by Lynn Echevarria.
  • See as well The Yukon Bahá’is: Establishing an Archive of Historical Materials and First Nations Life Histories by Lynn Echevarria.
  • Mount Horb, WN, USA; Whitehorse, YT; Innisfail, AB Ted Anderson; Joan Anderson; Joanie Anderson; In Memoriam; Knight of Bahaullah; Auxiliary Board Members; Howard Brown; Tlingit; Lynn Echevarria
    2017 30 Apr In his address to the Canadian National Convention on behalf of the Board of Trustees of Huqúqu’lláh for Canada, Dr A-M Ghadirian stated that there were 1,115 Representatives and Deputy Trustees worldwide in 31 National and Regional Boards of Trustees. Toronto, ON Huququllah; Huququllah, Trustees of; Statistics; Abdul-Missagh Ghadirian
    2017 (In the Year) The publication of Sole Desire Serve Cause: An Odyssey of Bahá'í Service: Gale and Jameson Bond by Don Brown. It was published by George Ronald Publishers. Jameson Bond; Gale Bond; Knights of Bahaullah
    2016 7 Sep The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada paid tribute to Professor Irwin Cotler at the Reception Centre of the Bahá'í Shrine in Montreal. They expressed the gratitude of the Bahá'í community for his unwavering defence of the Bahá'ís in Iran over more than 25 years in public life and presented him with a beautiful piece of Arabic calligraphy – the second of Bahá’u’lláh’s “Hidden Words” – that highlights justice as “the best beloved of all things in My sight”.

    Professor Cotler was the Director of the Human Rights program in the Law Faculty at the University of McGill and was a Member of Parliament from 1999 until 2015. During this time he served as Justice Minister from 2003-2006.

    After his retirement from public life Mr Cotler founded the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. [CBNS 27 Sep 2016]

    In late 2022 the film First to Stand: The Cases and Causes of Irwin Cotler was released. It was written, directed and produced by Irene Lilienheim Angelicco and Abbey Jack Neidik and follows international human rights lawyer Irwin Cotler and his team of young activists at the Raoul Wallenberg Centre as they take on the cases and causes of political prisoners and human rights activists including Raif Badawi and Shaparak Shajarizadeh, battling against the world's most repressive regimes.

    Montreal,QC
    2016 4 Aug In a letter to National Spiritual Assemblies, communities were encouraged to establish electoral units on the basis of the cluster. The population of the country is divided by the number of National Convention delegates allowed by the Universal House of Justice to determine the number of electors per delegate. [from UNIT CONVENTION PLANNING GUIDE 2021 provided by the National Office]
  • See 21 July 1985.
  • BWC Elections
    2016 Jul The publication of A Love That Could Not Wait: The Remarkable Story of Knights of Bahá’u’lláh Catherine Heward Huxtable and Clifford Huxtable by Jack McLean. It was published by One Voice Press in Essex Maryland.
  • This is the remarkable story of the love, marriage and pioneering exploits of Cliff and Catherine Huxtable, Knights of Bahá'u'lláh to the Gulf Islands and pioneers to St Helena Island, a goal of the Ten Year Crusade.
  • The book is available in pdf and Word format on Jack's website.
  • Regina, SK; Salt Spring Island, BC; St Helena Island Jack McLean; Wes Huxtable; Catherine Heward; Catherine Huxtable; Knights of Bahaullah
    2016 Apr From this time forward the Board of Trustees for the Huqúqu'lláh had representation at the National Conventions, National Convention
    2016 (In the year) The publication of Tending the Garden: A Biography of Emeric and Rosemary Sala by Ilona Weinstein. It was published One Voice Press of Essex Maryland.

    Tending the Garden is a biography of Rosemary and Emeric Sala who became Baha'is in Montreal at a time when there were some sixty members in all of Canada. It is told in the Sala's words, using excerpts of letters and papers spanning the years 1926 to 1990. Included is correspondence to and from Shoghi Effendi, Ruhiyyih Khanum, May and Sutherland Maxwell, among many others.

  • Facebook Page.
  • Bahá'í Blog.
  • Ilona Weinstein; Tending the Garden
    2016 - 2021 Fourth Five Year Plan Fourth Five Year Plan; Teaching Plans
    2015 20 Feb The National Spiritual Assembly of Canada announced the names of the five members appointed by the International Board of Trustees of Huqúqu’lláh to serve on the Board of Trustees for Canada and Saint Pierre and Miquelon, with a three-year term of service, commencing 1 December 2014.
  • Those appointed were: Dr. Abdu’l-Missagh Ghadirian, Mr. Bruce William Moore, Ms. Nasrin Neyestani, Mrs. Donna Ann Marie Seyed Mahmoud, Mrs. Shabnam Tashakour.
  • In its letter to the National Spiritual Assembly announcing these appointments, the International Board of Trustees of Huqúqu’lláh shared the following regarding their service:
  • The primary function of a Board of Trustees is to educate the friends on the spiritual significance of the mighty law of Huqúqu’lláh, enabling them to better appreciate that obedience to this law is “bound to attract divine confirmations, heavenly blessings and incalculable favours, and to promote the manifold interests of the International Bahá'í Community. [CBNS20150220] [key]
  • Toronto, ON Huququllah; Board of Trustee; Abdul-Missagh Ghadirian; Bruce William Moore; Nasrin Neyestani; Donna Ann Marie Seyed Mahmoud; Shabnam Tashakour
    2015 10 Feb The passing of William (Bill) Skuce (b. 30 August 1935 in Ottawa) in his home in Sooke, BC. He was an artist and a teacher. He and his family spent many years in the north of Canada. He was survived by his wife Houri, daughter Anisa (Andrew) and granddaughter Ahdiyeh. [Times Colonist] [key] Sooke, BC; Ottawa, ON; Bill Skuce; Houri Skuce; Anisa Skuce; In Memoriam
    2015 27 Jan The National Spiritual Assembly of Canada announced the names of the Members of the Board of Trustees of Huqúqu’lláh for Canada and Saint Pierre and Miquelon. The members were: Mr. Bruce Moore, Mrs. Donna Seyed Mahmoud, Mrs. Nasrin Neyestani and Dr. Abdu’l-Missagh Ghadirian.
  • In December of the same year they announced the new term of service for the Board of Trustees of Huqúqu’lláh in Canada and added an additional member with the appointment of Dr. Faran Vafaie as Deputy Trustee member of the Board of Trustees. [BCNS31Dec2017] [key]
  • Toronto, ON Huququllah; Board of Trustees; Bruce Moore, Donna Seyed Mahmoud, Nasrin Neyestani; Abdul-Missagh Ghadirian
    2014 24 Apr The members elected to serve on the National Spiritual Assembly were Karen McKye, Mehran Anvari, Deloria Bighorn, Enayat Rawhani, Susanne Tamás, Hoda Farahmandpour, Judy Filson, Ciprian Jauca and Élizabeth Wright. The National Assembly’s Chair Ms. Bighorn; Vice-Chair, Ms. Wright; Secretary, Ms. McKye; and Treasurer, Dr. Anvari. [Message]
  • Message to the delegates from the National Spiritual Assembly.
  • Message from the Board of Trustees of Huqúqu’lláh to the National Convention delivered by Donna Seyed Mahmoud.
  • The 157 delegates to Canada’s 66th National Convention met at the Toronto Bahá’í Centre. See report and photo.
  • Toronto, ON National Spiritual Assembly, election of; Karen McKye; Mehran Anvari; Deloria Bighorn; Enayat Rawhani; Susanne Tamas; Hoda Farahmandpour; Judy Filson; Ciprian Jauca; Elizabeth Wright; Donna Seyed Mahmoud
    2014 1 Apr  Allison Healy, a residential school survivor and member of the Bahá'í community of the Kainai First Nation, Alberta, spoke regarding the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final national event in Edmonton, “The truths have been told, we all have learned about the horrible truths; now we really have to move forward to reconciliation and act.” [CBNS. 2014]. “Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final National Event concludes in Edmonton.” Canadian Bahá’í News Service. Edmonton, Alberta). Kainai First Nation, AB; Edmonton, AB Allison Healy; Truth and Reconciliation Commission
    2013 9 Oct The passing of Redwan Moqbel in Winnipeg. He was recruited to the Department of Medicine, University of Alberta as a Professor in 1995 and served as the Director of the Pulmonary Research Group. There he received such prestigious awards as Alberta Heritage Medical Senior Scholar, Heritage Scientist and Heritage Senior Investigator. In 2008, Redwan became Professor and Head of the Department of Immunology at the University of Manitoba, and Professor Emeritus at the University of Alberta. He was well recognized for his mentorship of young biomedical scientists, whom he encouraged to adopt “a noble goal.” [Winnipeg Free Press]
  • Celebration of Life.
  • Winnipeg, MB In Memoriam; Redwan Moqbel
    2013 20 Sep Deloria Bighorn, chairperson of the National Spiritual Bahá'ís of Canada, presented, on behalf of the Bahá'í Community of Canada, a submission to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission at the BC National Event held in Vancouver from September 18th to the 21st. The formal presentation followed a panel organized by the Canadian Bahá'í Community and Reconciliation Canada. The previous week 250 people listened to Chief Doug White, Chief Dr. Robert Joseph, and Dr. Paulette Regan from the Commission discussing the challenge of reconciliation. [T&R website, CBN 24 September, CBN 9 February, 2018, BWNS1248]
  • For the text see Submission of the Bahá’í Community of Canada to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission or download PDF.
  • The Bahá'í community also produced a short film, The Path Home, which it screened in Ottawa in association with the final national gathering.
  • Vancouver, BC Native Americans; Indigenous people; Reconciliation; Cultural diversity; Human rights; Documentaries; film; The Path Home
    2013 13 Aug The passing of former Universal House of Justice member Mr. Hushmand Fatheazam in Vancouver, Canada. He served on the Universal House of Justice for forty years since 1963. [BWNS964]
  • See Life of Hushmand Fatheazam as told by Fariborz Sahba.
  • Vancouver, BC Hushmand Fatheazam; In Memoriam
    2013 24 Jul The Universal House of Justice addressed a message the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Canada regarding the Association for Bahá'í Studies. The Universal House of Justice reiterated a number of issues that the Association had addressed since its inception in 1975:
    -an appreciation for the importance of personal study of the Revelation,
    -correlating the teachings with contemporary thought,
    -defending the Cause,
    -encouraging young believers in their academic pursuits,
    -attracting the interest and involvement of non-Bahá’í academics to the extent possible, a
    -providing a forum for Bahá’í academics to collaborate with one another, thereby helping to raise capacity among those who participate within a wide range of disciplines and, particularly, in specific fields associated more directly with the study of the Faith, such as history, the study of religion, and translation.
    Canada Bahai Studies, Associations for
    2013 (In the year) The publication of Bright Glass of the Heart - Elder Voices on Faith by Heather Cardin. The book was published by George Ronald.
      It is an inspiring collection of thirty-seven personal stories of elder Bahá’ís whose commitment and service laid the foundations of the Bahá’í Faith around the world.
    Bright Glass of the Heart; Heather Cardin
    2013 (In the year) The publication of An Uncommon Canadian: The Story of Fred Graham by Dale Sims The book can be ordered directly from the publisher's website.

    Fred Graham was a man of humble beginnings who met trials and tests with an indomitable spirit and emerged as one of the foremost Canadian Baha’i servants in the time following the turmoil of the Great Depression and the Second World War. In the words of the Universal House of Justice, Fred Graham became a “devoted servant,” an “inspiring teacher” and an “exemplary believer”.

    Fred Graham; Dale Sims; Auxiliary Board Members
    2012 (In the year) There were 400 Baha’is in the Edmonton Baha’i community representing “a wide variety of races, cultures and social classes. [Edmonton History] [key] Edmonton, AB Statistics
    2011 Ridván Gregory Newing served as the Area Teaching Committee for the Outaouais Cluster during the Five Year Plan (2011-2016) while serving simultaneously as the Outaouais Cluster Development Facilitator.

    At Ridván 2016, with the start of the new Five Year Plan, Darlene Cameron was invited to serve with Gregory on the new Area Teaching Committee.,

    Outaouais Cluster; Gregory Newing; Darlene Cameron
    2011 (In the year) The publication of The Maxwells of Montreal Vol 1 - Early Years 1870–1922 by Violette Nakhjavani with the assistance of Bahiyyih Nakhjavani. It was published by George Ronald of Oxford.
      Beginning with their childhood years, this is the story of May Bolles and Sutherland Maxwell; their youth, their meeting and courtship in Paris; their marriage;their first pilgrimages; the birth of their daughter and the historic visit of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to their home in Montreal in 1912.

    The second volume The Maxwells of Montreal: Vol 2: Middle Years 1923-1937, Late Years 1937-1952 was published by George Ronald in 2012. It appears that it is only available in the Kindle edition.

      Completing the story of the Maxwells, including the pilgrimages of May and Mary Maxwell in the early years of the Guardian's ministry; their contributions to the advancement of the Bahá'í Faith in Canada, the United States, France and Germany; the marriage of Mary Maxwell to Shoghi Effendi; and Sutherland Maxwell's crowning achievement as architect of the Shrine of the Báb.
    Bahiyyih Nakhjavani; Violette Nakhjavani; The Maxwells of Montreal
    2011 (In the year) The publication of Return to Tyendinaga: The Story of Jim and Melba Loft, Bahá'í Pioneers by Evelyn Loft Watts and Patricia Verge. It was published by One Voice Press of Essex, Maryland.
  • See a review by Lee Brown.
  • See a review by Louise Profit-LeBanc that was published in The Journal of Bahá'í Studies Vol 24 Issue 3/4 (Sep-Dec2014) p107-109.
  • Tyendinaga First Nation, ON Evelyn Loft Watts; Patricia Verge
    2011 - 2016 Third Five Year Plan Third Five Year Plan; Teaching Plans
    2009 14 Apr The passing of Knight of Bahá'u'lláh Gale Bond, née Keass (b. 13 November, 1919 in Emod, Hungary) in Cowichan, BC. [SDSC397]
  • See Sole Desire Service Cause An Odyssey of Bahá'í Service: Gale and Jameson Bond by Don Brown published by George Ronald for a biography.
  • Emod; Hungary; Cowichan, BC Gale Bond; In Memoriam; Knights of Bahaullah
    2009 Apr Beth McKenty, longtime pioneer to Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada received the Caring Canadian Award from the Governor-General of Canada for her work in the community. [BWNS711]

    Beth, a teacher by training, has taught English in Arizona, China, Japan, and Sakhalin Island, then pioneered to Nunavut where she, among many other things, started a painting project, “The Arctic Youth Art initiative,” which has reached youth in many Inuit settlements and led to her winning this award.

    Iqaluit, NU Beth McKenty; Caring Canadian Award; Governor General Award
    2009 24 Feb The Canadian Parliamentary Sub-Committee on Human Rights adopted a strongly worded motion demanding the immediate release of the seven Bahá'í leaders held now for more than nine months without formal charges and no access to lawyers. Appearing before the committee were the Bahá'í Community of Canada’s Director of External Affairs, Susanne Tamas, and McGill Law Professor, Payam Akhavan. [Iran Press Watch 1597] [key] Ottawa, ON Susanne Tamas; Payam Akhavan; persecution, Iran; Yaran
    2009 17 – 18 Jan The Universal House of Justice called for 41 Regional Conferences to be held over a four month period to mark the mid-point of the Five Year Plan. A Regional Conference was held in Vancouver. [BWNS689] [key] Vancouver, BC Regional Conferences
    2009 10 – 11 Jan The Universal House of Justice called for 41 Regional Conferences to be held over a four month period to mark the mid-point of the Five Year Plan. A Regional Conference was held in Toronto. [BWNS687] [key] Toronto, ON Regional Conferences
    2009 (In the year) The publication of Take My Love to the Friends: The Story of Laua R. Davis by Marlene Macke by Chestnut Park Press in St. Marys, ON.
  • See a review of the book by Lynn Echevarria-Howe.
  • St Marys, ON Marlene Macke; Take My Love to the Friends; Lynn Echevarria
    2008 27 Jun The passing of Eric Norman Hyde (b. 2 January 1923) in Courtney, BC. Eric was the son of Reginald and Maisie Hyde. He lost his wife Novella in 1996 after 48 years of marriage. He was survived by his children Karyne Kongo (Marcelino), Sharel Downey (Frank) and Valery Puetz (Bernie) grandchildren: Warren, Amber, Ashley, Sareh, Kisa and Iko Miala and great granddaughter Ella. [BC Local News 27 June 2008] [key] Comox, BC Eric Hyde; In Memoriam
    2008 (In the year) The publication of Legacy of Courage - The Life of Ola Pawlowska, Knight of Baha'u'llah by her daughter Suzanne Schuurman. It was published by George Ronald Publishers in Oxford.
  • See In Memoriam for Ola Pawlowska.
  • Ola Pawlowska; Suzanne Schuurman; Legacy of Courage; Knight of Bahaullah
    2007 29 Nov The passing of Angéla Szepesi (b. 9 April 1920, Igló, Hungary (now Spisska-Fova-Ves, Slovakia)). She was buried in the Malloch Road Cemetery in Arnprior. [DRDA13; Obituary]

    She first learned of the Faith from Val (Mrs Hayden Nichols neé Valeria Lamb in Lisbon in 1948. Val had been taught by Beulah Storrs Lewis in 1936 in Los Angeles. [DRDA157]

    She pioneered to her native Hungary, Säo Paulo, Brazil, various place in Canada and spent three and a half years in Martinique.

    In 1995 she published her first autobiography, it was in Hungarian. Her English autobiography was called Dreams, Nightmares, and Dreams Again and it was published in 2000 by White Mountain Publications. [DNDA76]

    Her Master's thesis at Laval University was A proposed world order: Baha'i teachings and Institutions 1968. [DRDA120,144] [key]

    Arnprior, ON In Memoriam; Angela Szepesi; Dreams, Nightmares, and Dreams Again
    2007 14 Nov In a letter to the Students, Staff, Parents and Supporters of Maxwell International School the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada announced that the school would close (at the end of the term). Financial considerations were cited as the reason.
  • Maxwell had provided an accredited academic program for grades 7–12 leading to British Columbia high school graduation certification.
  • The school had been established in 1989 as a non-profit educational institution with a strong emphasis on the performing arts. The Maxwell Dance Workshop used dance, music and drama to challenge young people to find new solutions for the issues facing their generation.
  • The school also had an ESL (English as a Second Language) program to accommodate foreign students who came from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. [Maxwell International School on A-Channel News] [key]
  • Shawnigan Lake, BC Maxwell International School; Bahai Schools; Dance; Dance Workshop
    2007 9 - 11 Nov The Bahá’í Medical Association of Canada (BMAC) held an international conference in Montreal on the theme “Balancing the Social and Spiritual Determinants of Health”. It was attended by 110 people and was chaired by National Spiritual Assembly member Dr David Smith. [Canadian Bahá'í News Service 23NOV2007] [key] Montreal; QC Baha'i Medical Association of Canada
    2007 Aug-Sep In memory of Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum and because the Native people had such a special place in her heart and that of the Guardian, Violette and 'Ali Nakhjanání travelled throughout North America during the months of August and September visiting aboriginal believers. They visited Vancouver, Anchorage, Juneau before going to South Dakota, Montana, Arizona and Atlanta, Georgia where they spoke with 450 African-American believers. They visited the temple in Wilmette and then the Eskasoni First Nations in Nova Scotia.
  • The primary purpose of their visit was to meet with and encourage the aboriginal believers and to remind the of their responsibility and high destiny in the Faith. [CBN Vol 20 No 3 Winter 2007/2008 p23-25] [key]
  • Vancouver, BC; Eskasoni First Nation, NS Ali Nakhjavani; Violette Nakhjavani; Native Teaching
    2007 3 Aug In an email addressed to all Local Spiritual Assemblies and Bahá'í Groups, Gerald Filson, the Director of External Affairs announced the launch of a new site of the Bahá'í Community of Canada, bahainews.ca The purpose of the site is to feature news articles of Bahá'í-related activities in Canada, listings of upcoming events, and headlines of newspaper articles from across the country that mention the Bahá'í Faith." website; bahainews.ca
    2007 1 Jun The passing of Knight of Bahá'u'lláh Jameson (Jamie) Bond (b. 6 November, 1917 Toronto, ON) in Duncan, BC. [SDSC262, 387-388, 406]
  • For a biography see Sole Desire Service Cause An Odyssey of Bahá'í Service: Gale and Jameson Bond by Don Brown published by George Ronald.
  • Toronto, ON; Duncan, BC Jameson Bond; In Memoriam; Knights of Bahaullah
    2007 20 Mar In an email from the Conseil bahá'í du Québec it was announced that the National Spiritual Assembly had appointed Elizabeth Richard had been appointed Coordinator for the Institute Board of Quebec for a period of two years and that France Gilson, Soheil Nakhostine, Shapour Pirmoradi, Sahar Sabati and Laurie Zrudlo had been appointed to serve on the Institute Board for a period of one year. iiiiii Baha'i Institute of Quebec; Outaouais Cluster
    2006 21 Nov The passing of Earl “Black Crow” Healy (b. 1937 on the Kainai First Nations (Blood Reserve). He was given the name of "Black Crow." Earl became a Bahá'í in 1976. His great-grandfather Joe Healy was prominent on the reserve as an interpreter. Whisky traders passing through had found Joe as a baby on an encampment that had been raided by another tribe. They took him home to Fort Benton, Montana and raised him. Healy was the name of his adopted family.

    His wife Allison, (b.1942 on the Siksika Reserve), was given the name, "One Who Likes Victory." The Healy family have represented their Fist Nation at the Calgary Stampede Village and took an active role in the activities.

    Sharing their culture both at home and abroad has become a way of life for the Healys. World travellers, they have taken their traditional culture and spiritual beliefs to such widely-scattered places as Siberia, India, New Zealand, Scandinavia, St. Lucia and Dominica, and Greenland. On their overseas trips, Allison and Earl often meet with aboriginal people. They found similar concerns everywhere, such as the loss of indigenous languages and the need to teach them to the young people. Some of the cultures have lost their dances and are trying to bring them back. [IndigenousBahais.com] [key]

    Kainai First Nation, AB In Memoriam; Earl Healy: Black Crow; Allison Healy; One Who Likes Victory.
    2006 18 -19 Nov The Spiritual Assemblies of Québec elected the first Québec Regional Council. Those elected were and approved by the National Spiritual Assembly were: Monique Robert 120, John MacLeod 106, Elizabeth Wright 94, André Bergeron 81, Nabil Nakhostine 76, Nicole Lachance 69, Suzanne Maloney 65, Pierre Austin 53, Louise Gagnon 23 Please note that Mitra Javanmardi received 104 votes, but she has confirmed her acceptance of appointment as an Auxiliary Board member as of 26 November 2006. The individual with the next highest number of votes, Louise Gagnon, filled this vacancy. [NSA message S6660 22 November 2006] [key] Outaouais Cluster; Regional Council; Regional Council, appointment
    2006 18 - 19 Nov The members of the Spiritual Assemblies in Canada voted for the members of their respective Regional Councils in six regions: Alberta; the Atlantic Provinces; British Columbia & Yukon, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan, Manitoba & Northwestern Ontario. [NSA letS6660 22 November 2006] iiiii Regional Council
    2006 - 2011 Second Five Year Plan Second Five Year Plan; Teaching Plans
    2006 - 2011 First Five Year Plan First Five Year Plan, Teaching Plans
    2005 27 Nov The passing of prolific author and founding member of the Association for Bahá’í Studies of North America, Dr. William S. Hatcher, in Stratford, Ontario. (b. 20 September, 1935 in Charlotte, NC).
  • He served on the National Spiritual Assemblies of Switzerland (1962-65), Canada (1983-91) and the Russian Federation (1996).
  • He was an associate professor of mathematics at the University of Toledo for three years before coming to Canada in 1968 with his wife Judith. He served as professor of mathematics at the Université Laval until 1995.
  • He was appointed to the first Board of Trustees of the Huqúqu'lláh for Canada in November of 1991. [CBNJan92 p2; 14 November, 1991]
  • He was the author of vast number of articles and books including, Logic and Logos (1990), Love, Power and Justice (1998), and The Bahá'í Faith, The Emerging Global Religion (co-authored with Douglas Martin). [BWNS416, BW05-06p240-241]
  • The Universal House of Justice wrote in tribute: ”The Bahá’í world has lost one of its brightest minds, one of its most prolific pens. He will long be remembered for his stalwart faith, forceful exposition, and penetrating insights.”
  • The family of Dr. Hatcher built an on-line repository of his collected works. Contributions of recordings of his talks or other works by William Hatcher can be submitted for consideration for the site by using the contact form.
  • Stratford, ON William Hatcher; In Memoriam
    2005 (In the year) The publication of Sweet and Enchanting Stories compiled by Aziz Rohani. It was published by Hong Kong: Juxta Publishing Company.

    Abstract: This bi-lingual collection of stories presents a unique treasure for members and friends of the Baha’i Faith who are interested in history of the Faith as well as the important art of storytelling. The accounts recorded in this volume have been carefully translated into English from the original Persian and Arabic and include accounts by and about: The beloved Master ‘Abdu’l-Baha, Haji Mirza Haydar ‘Ali, Dr. Zia Baghdadi, Dr. Yunis Afrukhtih, ‘Ali Akbar Furutan, Adib Tahirzadih, Abul-Qasim Faizi and other dearly-loved and historic figures.

    Aziz Rohani; Sweet and Enchanting Stories
    2004 23 Jun The publication of A Radiant Gem - a Biography of Jináb-I-Fádil-I-ShÍrází by his granddaughter, Houri Falahi-Skuce. It was printed by Trafford Publishing, Victoria and can be ordered directly from the publisher.. Houri Falahi-Skuce; A Radiant Gem
    2004 Ridván The National Convention was held at the Toronto Bahá'í Centre. Those elected were: Husayn Banani, Enayat Rawhani, Donald Rogers, Mark Wedge, Fariborz Sahba, Judy Filson, Susanne Tamas, Karen McKye, and Gordon Naylor. [CBN Vol17 no2 Jun 2004 p5] [key] Toronto, ON National Convention; National Spiritual Assembly, election of; Husayn Banani; Enayat Rawhani; Donald Rogers; Mark Wedge; Fariborz Sahba; Judy Filson; Susanne Tamas; Karen McKye; Gordon Naylor
    2004 19 Apr The passing of Mr Aziz Ismayn Yazdi (b. Alexandria, Egypt in 1909) in Vancouver, Canada at the age of 94. Aziz Yazdi lived in Egypt, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Great Britain, Uganda, Kenya, Israel, and finally Canada. In 1968 he was appointed to the Continental Board of Counsellors in Central and East Africa and was an inaugural member of the International Teaching Centre in Haifa. [BWNS297, BW'03-‘04pg239] [key] Vancouver, BC; Egypt; Syria; Iran; Iraq; United Kingdom; Uganda; Kenya; Israel Aziz Ismayn Yazdi; Counsellors; International Teaching Centre, Members of; In memoriam

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