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| date | event | tags | firsts | |
| 2024 1 Feb | The Office of Public Affairs announced the launch of a new website for the National Bahá'í Temple. The website allows visitors to learn about the sacred purpose of a Bahá'í Temple and be informed about ongoing project developments. It also serves as a primary point of contact for temple-related inquiries from the public. | Office of Public Affairs; Baha'i National Organization | ||
| 2023 27 Nov | The National Spiritual Assemblies announced the names of those who were selected to serve on the Regional Councils for the following year. [Bahá'í Canada online]
Alberta:
Milad Asdaghi, Nazila Ghasemi, Tony Liu, Shamim Mehrabkhani, and Sina Misaghian |
Regional Council | ||
| 2023 19 - 22 May | The following individuals were elected by the delegates at the 73rd National Convention to serve as members of the National Spiritual Assembly for the coming year: Mehran Anvari, Alex Arjomand, Jordan Bighorn, Zelalem Bimrew Kasse, Hoda Farahmandpour, Gerald Filson, Judy Filson, Ciprian Jauca and Karen McKye. [letter from the National Spiritual Assembly S128070 23 May 2023] iiiii
Longtime members Elizabeth Wright and Deloria Bighorn retired from service on the National Assembly. Deloria Bighorn was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada in 2009, and has served as the Chair of that institution from 2012 to 2023. [Bahá'í Canada 24 February 2023] |
National Convention; National Spiritual Assembly, election of; Toronto, ON | ||
| 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. | * Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Markham, ON | ||
| 2023 8 Jan | The publication of the paper Rising to the Challenge of Reconciliation by Roshan Danesh and Douglas White III in the on-line site The Bahá'í World. | |||
| 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. | Regional Council, appointment of; Quebec, Canada | ||
| 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] |
Mary-Winne Ashford; In Memoriam; Limbé, Camaroon; British Columbia, Canada; Indian Head, SK; Saskatchewan, Canada | ||
| 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. | Nauzanin Knight; - Film; Edmonton, AB | ||
| 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. [ |
In Memoriam; Queen Elizabeth II; Baalmoral Castle; Aberdeenshire, Scotland; Scotland | ||
| 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] |
Association for Bahá'í Studies (North America); Conferences, Bahá'í studies; Ottawa, ON; Ontario, Canada; Canada | ||
| 2022-06-01 | The Don Valley Educational Centre was acquired.
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Training Institutes; Thornhill, ON | ||
| 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] | Disaster Relief Fund; Humanitarian Relief Fund | ||
| 2022 1 May | The National Spiritual Assembly announced the results of the election: The following individuals were elected by the 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. In addition, the National Assembly is pleased to convey the results of the election of its officers: Chair – Deloria Bighorn; Vice-chair – Ciprian Jauca; Treasurer – Mehran Anvari; Secretary – Karen McKye. [Bahá'í Canada 3 May 2022 |
National Spiritual Assembly, election of; National Convention; Toronto, ON | ||
| 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] |
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; Toronto, ON | ||
| 2022 Ridván | The National Spiritual Assembly announced that two localities, Toronto and Ottawa, would be the first in Canada to elect their Local Spiritual Assemblies using a two-stage process as described by the Universal House of Justice in their Message of 30 December 2021. These two Clusters were the first in Canada to reach the goal of having 1,000 core activities. [Bahá'í Canada 30 June2022] | Local Spiritual Assembly, election; Two-stage election; Elections; Toronto, ON; Ottawa, ON | ||
| 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] | In Memoriam; Jack Bastow; Montreal, QC; Nelson, BC | ||
| 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] | In Memoriam; Bahram Gustaspi; Board of Trustees of Huququllah; Port Moody, BC | ||
| 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] | Tina Rouhandeh; Mastar; Inquiry about Forgotten Birds (textile project); Persecution, Iran; Windsor, ON | ||
| 2022 Jan | It was announced that the property, formally known as "Providence Point", located near Lanark on the Clyde River, was purchased for the sum of $2.15M by the Ottawa Spiritual Assembly. The property included 60 Acres of land and 1,140 feet of waterfront. The 6,490 sqft Conference Centre included a 600sqft conference room and a dining room The property also had several small cabins. [from a report from the Ottawa Assembly Sharaf 178] iiiii
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Training Institutes; Ottawa, ON; Lanark, ON | ||
| 2021 17 Nov | The premier of the film The Legacy of Saskatoon's Secret Forest [CBNS17 November 2021]
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The Legacy of Saskatoons Secret Forest; Richard St. Barbe Baker; Saskatoon, SK | ||
| 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] | In Memoriam; Bruce Filson; Saskatoon, SK; Surrey, BC | ||
| 2021 17 Jun | The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, announced the nomination of the Honourable Mahmud Jamal to the Supreme Court.
[PMO website]
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Mahmud Jamal; Ottawa, ON | ||
| 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: 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] |
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. [Bahá'í Canada 27 April 2021] | 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]
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Persecution, Iran; Ivel, Mazandaran; Mazandaran, Iran; 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] |
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. |
Marlene Macke; In Memoriam; St. Marys, ON | ||
| 2021 - 2022 | One Year Plan | One Year Plan; - Teaching Plans | ||
| 2020 30 Jan | The Office of Public Affairs launched a new website.
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Office of Public Affairs; Toronto, ON | ||
| 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 | In Memoriam; Rene A. Steiner; Rene Steiner; Nura Steiner; Grandbend, ON | ||
| 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]
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Douglas Martin; In Memoriam; Universal House of Justice, Members of; Toronto, ON; Canada; Chatham, ON | ||
| 2020 2 Jun | The passing of Hossain Banadaki Danesh in Victoria, BC
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Hossain Banadaki Danesh; In Memoriam; Victoria, BC | ||
| 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]
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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; Toronto, ON | ||
| 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.
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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] |
Office of Public Affairs; Baha'i National Organization | ||
search Chronology Canada try also the main Chronology — 202 | ||||
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