Further to today’s story on Emilio Picariello, ‘Bottle King” and bootlegger, if you should find yourself in the Crowsnest Pass, specifically in Coleman, AB, you might wish to check out the Rum Runner Restaurant. It features a mural depicting the wild 1920s when that area was a bootleggers’ Mecca.

Be sure to order Pic’s Bootleg Beans, “a blend so good it’s almost illegal”!

That’s Emilio on the left, as you might gather. For a man convicted and hanged for the murder of a police constable, he seems to be fondly remembered. —*therumrunner.ca*

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On a more serious note, history continues to be under siege, as reported in this month’s BC Historical Federation March Buzz. It should be obvious where I stand on the subject of the preservation of history and I’m taking the liberty of thinking that many Chronicles readers, upon being informed, will share these concerns:

For the first time, Canada’s historical organizations are speaking with one voice.

30 Mar 2026
The BC Historical Federation has joined with history and heritage organizations from across Canada as part of the Canada History Collective.

This is the first time groups from every province and territory have come together to speak as one. These organizations represent the wide range of communities, regions, and stories that make up Canada’s shared history.

Recent federal budget cuts are hitting the institutions that preserve our history hardest—places like Library and Archives Canada, the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, the Canadian Museum of History, and Parks Canada sites. These programs support the research and storytelling that help Canadians understand both the proud and painful parts of our shared story.

Losing them puts that knowledge—and our ability to learn from it—at risk.

Together, we are stronger. The archives, museums, and community projects that protect our past depend on all of us standing up now. But numbers matter—and that’s where you come in.

We’re asking BCHF members, local societies, and supporters to read the letter below and see what speaks to you. Then send your own message to your Member of Parliament or to the same federal ministers. Every letter adds weight to our collective voice. When more people speak up, it becomes impossible for government to ignore.

Letter from the Canada History Collective

The Honourable Marc Miller
Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture (Canadian Heritage)
Minister responsible for Official Languages
House of Commons, Ottawa (Ontario) K1A 0A6

The Honourable Julie Dabrusin
Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature
House of Commons, Ottawa (Ontario) K1A 0A6

The Honourable Mélanie Joly
Minister of Industry
Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
House of Commons, Ottawa (Ontario) K1A 0A6

Ministers Miller, Dabrusin, and Joly,

We are writing to you to express our deep concern about the budget cuts affecting several organizations under your ministries. These organizations provide essential support for historical research, its dissemination, commemoration, and heritage preservation in Canada.

We are taking this step with full awareness of the situation. The Canada History Collective brings together the most important associations promote both grassroots and professional history working at the pan-Canadian, provincial and territorial levels, in both official languages. Many of these associations are federations, and the Collective represents hundreds of local societies and their 10s of 1000s of individual members. We therefore speak on behalf of those across the country who practice and share history, or who promote heritage.

We note with dismay that the recent round of budget cuts by the federal government is targeting several very important institutions and programmes in these areas.

Among the measures announced are:

The elimination of Library and Archives Canada’s Documentary Heritage Communities Program, which for the past 20 years has enabled numerous organizations to save invaluable archives from loss and oblivion.
Drastic cuts to the budget of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, a true cornerstone of Canadian history for over 60 years.
Significant restrictions imposed on the Canadian Museum of History and the Canadian War Museum, particularly regarding outreach and community relations at a time when the enthusiasm for these institutions reflects a genuine thirst for history.
The cuts at Statistics Canada, a government agency that provides essential information for the formulation of current and future policies in light of past developments in Canadian society.
Significant job losses within your own departments, particularly affecting Parks Canada and Canadian Heritage. Public access to certain historic sites will now be limited owing to these layoffs.
The closure of the Canadian Register of Historic Places (maintained by Parks Canada), a veritable online encyclopedia listing more than 13,000 (!) heritage sites recognized by various levels of government.

It should be noted that these measures are in addition to the cuts that in some provinces are targeting the education and heritage sectors.

All these budget cuts weaken the practice and dissemination of history on a national scale. They come at a time when Canadian society is facing complex challenges that demand a solid and nuanced understanding of its evolution. Highlighting this past is neither a pastime nor a luxury. For the government, it is an essential—and ultimately modest—investment, given the commitment of tens of thousands of Canadians, both volunteers and professionals.

In short, we ask you to reinvest in the cultural, documentary, and scientific institutions that support historical knowledge in Canada. These organizations—whether archives, heritage sites, museums, or research projects—constitute the intellectual infrastructure of our collective memory. Weakening them compromises our ability to understand who we were and who we have become.

This is why supporting history cannot be considered a mere expense: it is a crucial political choice for a democratic and pluralistic society, committed to transmitting a shared heritage and informing present and future debates.

We urge you to act swiftly, with the conviction that history—in all its forms and within all its communities—deserves a commitment commensurate with its importance to collective life.

Yours sincerely,
Pan-Canadian Organizations (by order of seniority)
Canadian Historical Association (1922)
Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française (1947)
Réseau Mémoire, patrimoine, histoire (2022)

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