A song for Newfoundland

This year marks the 75th anniversary of Newfoundland and Labrador's entry into Confederation in 1949. For its 25th, a local radio station sought a new song.

In his report, the CBC's Bill Mitchell said: "Aside from the fun involved, there's a $1,000 first prize and, who knows, perhaps an immortality thus far reserved for the musical authors of the Squid Jiggin' Ground and I'se the B'y."

Also 50 years ago: A national lottery raised funds for the Olympics in Montreal; the metric commission unveiled a plan to convert Canada to a "metric economy"; and Lloyd Robertson recapped an election win for Pierre Trudeau's Liberals.

Snow problem

Every year in January, Torontonians must endure many painful reminders of, if not gleeful schadenfreude over, the time their mayor, Mel Lastman, called on the army to help with some excess snow. It's been 25 years since that happened.

Still on track 

Celebrating 70 years since an event isn't usually done — why not wait another five and really go all out? — but that's how old Toronto's subway is this year.

Construction under Yonge St. apparently drew enough gawkers that the transit commission gave out manuals so onlookers could "help with the work," said CBC's peppy report on the (then) $59-million, over-budget project. 

In other news from 1954: the public library in Victoria was embroiled in a controversy over communism on its shelves, and a Canadian musical group, the Crew Cuts, made it big by performing the genre of choice for teens at the time.